Thursday, August 11, 2016

A historical reminder on direct civic action to achieve civil rights

This article aims to bust six myths about the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, as a retort to those who would claim that the Black Lives Matter movement has somehow strayed drastically from the values of its more respectable predecessor half a century before.  No, the article reminds us, Dr. King, Mrs. Parks, and their movement were not in fact supported by most citizens, staged highly calculated campaigns that aimed to disrupt the social, legal, and economic life of an unjust society, and were opposed and feared by the federal government.  Relegating the heroes of 50 years ago to some sort of tenderized, mascot status is a disservice to them, and renders them useless as inspiration and teachers in today's conflicts.

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