Black Social Movements Essay

The political and accessible structure of the United States gouge be thorny to comprehend. How does one rationalize that in 1776, America decl atomic number 18d its independence from England by stating, in bring out that We hold these rightfulnesss to be self-evident, that tout ensemble men atomic number 18 created equal, that they atomic number 18 endowed by their Creator with reliable unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, freedom, and the pursuit of Happiness, yet, in 1818, in the very same country, Frederick Douglass is essential a slave? (Jefferson, 2004 p. 612 Library). It appears that under certain(prenominal) circumstances, it is not self-evident that the Right to Liberty is unalienable.Fortunately, America has progressed, and speckle it would be difficult to support the position that glowerings rush arrived at a point of complete righteousness with Whites, it is safe to say that giant strides clear been made, but these strides eat up required mee t in the form of organized complaisant movements. Blumer (1939) stated that social movements stand be viewed as collective enterprises to establish a new order of life. They have their root in the condition of unrest, and derive their motivation index on one muckle from dissatisf wreakion with the current form of life, and on the other(a) hand, from wishes and hopes for a new scheme or system of living (p.199). This analysis captures the consequence and significance of todays morose social movements that while the Black federation straightaway enjoys an increased equality and direct of privilege when compared with what it was allowed in the recent past, in that respect remains significant ground to be covered before true mirror symmetry can be reached. The awareness of this pack within the Black corporation has created twain unrest and dissatis occurrenceion, but past successes in the fight for social equality have nurtured a desire for even more than change.One of the most influential areas of modernistic, American society is the mediaspecifically goggle boxand it is here(predicate) that an important social movement can be traced the increased inclusion of Blacks on T. V. During the 1950s, shows like I Love Lucy, The Honeymooners, and ray of light Clarks American Bandstand all postmortem examinationed (List of days in television). Each of these shows have characters and storylines that dealt with an America that was portrayed as White. sorrowful into the 1960s, a time of great advances in the Nations struggle for racial equality, the television fare featured the premier of The Dick Van Dyke Show, verdancy Acres, and the original Star travel (List of age in television). This decades sport also featured a predominantly White world-view however, Star travels promise to go where no serviceman has gone before was as close to(prenominal) a testament to the people, issues, and possibilities that were at the read/write head of social betterment as it was a reference to space travel (Star Trek The fender Series).To the credit of Star Treks creator, Gene Roddenberry, his multi-racial, multi-gender crew, included Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Uhura, a stunning, articulate, high-ranking, black muliebrity whose role it was to keep lines of communication open. This was a step in the right agency for Blacks as it allowed White America to wet-nurse a new c one timept Blacks are intelligent, responsible, and worthy of authority they do not exist merely to dust, clear tables, and act as the butt of jokes.Currently, the face of television has become far more diverse, and on that point are networks such as await (Black Entertainment Television) that cater to and feature Blacks. It is my feeling that the change that has taken place in television media over the last half-century can be attributed to the increased awareness of those who once had sole realise of the medium (Whites), pair with the increase in buying p ower of Blacks, and the desire on the part of Blacks to put up command of part of television (e. g. take care).The fact that Blacks desire greater typifyation and control within television media is part of the ongoing, modern social movement towards equality that the Black community embraces. What does this all mean? Primarily, it convey that social changes come about slowly, pushed by two forces intrinsic social change, and sprightly social movements. It was natural that at some point someone would include a character like Lieutenant Uhura in a series, but along with this natural progression, more action was submited.There was notwithstanding one Uhura on television, but on that point were thousands of Black women like her out in the world. This is why networks such as BET are so important they represent an active social movement in the Black community an insistence that part of the focus, part of the power, and part of the control be in the hands of Blacks. It may be true that our Nations promulgation of Independence seemed to say one involvement but represent another however, Frederick Douglass survived the complicated message and went on to contribute importantly to American history and ideals.Todays Blacks are aware of a truth Douglass understood that to make strides, one moldiness work within the material of the majority, while never doubting the singular intensiveness of an individuals effect on a nation. Without the early encouragement of his headwaiters wife, Douglass may not have been introduced to the desire to learn, but that desire conduct Douglass to greater pursuits (Douglass, 2004, pp. 62-65).The Black community is now represented in local, state, and federal politics a sign that the community is on the job(p) individually (i. e. running and voting), and within the framework of the majority (i. e. the established government and its rules) to improve its position within the United States of America. Schools are filled with a va riety of ethnicities, both(prenominal) in front of the classroom and seated within it, and Blacks are embracing the need to educate themselves to ensure better jobs, financial success, and future opportunities.Essentially, the focus of todays Black social movements can be viewed as those actions that fall within the scene of the majoritys framework and are designed to allow members of the Black community greater parity within this frameowrk. At the same time, these actions are being encourage and supported on an individual by individual basis, so that the overall efficacy of each person can be added to the collective, and both might benefit from natural social change as headspring as active social movements. References Blumer, H. (1939).embodied behavior. In R. E. Park (Ed. ), An outline f the principles of Sociology. (pp. 199). New York, NY Barnes and Noble. Douglass, F. (2004). Learning to read and write. In Comley, N. , Hamilto, D. , Klaus, C. H. , Scholes, R. , & Sommer s, N. (Eds. ), Fields of reading motives for writing. (pp. 62-66). Boston, Mass. Bedford. Jefferson, T. (2004). The resolve of Independence. In Comley, N. , Hamilto, D. , Klaus, C. H. , Scholes, R. , & Sommers, N. (Eds. ), Fields of reading motives for writing. (pp. 612-615). Boston, Mass. Bedford. Library of Congress, The. The Frederick Douglass papers. Timeline. Retrieved phratry 12, 2006, from http//rs6. loc. gov/ammem/doughtml/timeline. html. List of years in television. (2006, September 11). In Wikipedia, The empty Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ List_of_years_in_television. Star Trek The Original Series. (2006, September 11). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved September 12, 2006, from http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/ Star_Trek_The_Original_Series.