Language of the Unheard: A Comparison and Analysis of the Civil Rights Movement and Social Justice Reforms

Date

2020-12

Authors

Ernest, Ezra

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Abstract

From 1619, when the first enslaved person from Africa was taken to the thirteen colonies under the British Empire, to 2009, when the first black man was inaugurated President of the United States and beyond, the African diaspora remains the foundation of unfolding of events in the way Blacks have been treated in American based on the policies and laws that have been passed and enforced. Blacks in America, since then, have been relinquished from the chattel form of oppression that guaranteed the hegemony of the United States. Still, treated unfairly under Jim Crow laws, they marched to equal treatment using nonviolent tactics despite facing sadistic resistance. The momentum built through the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave way to other minority groups to go and do likewise. However, with recent unveiling of continuous reports of shootings of unarmed black men involving police and the questionable use of force demonstrated, the public has become divided on the issue of social justice reform. As the debate over reform continues to remain ongoing, it is worth interpreting the similarities and differences in culture, environment, and other factors that allowed for change in policy and legislation during the Civil Rights Era to understand why no impactful resolutions have passed as of yet.

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Keywords

civil rights, justice, protest, reform, riot, media, law, racism, Honors College

Citation

Ernest, E. A. (2020). Language of the unheard: A comparison and analysis of the Civil Rights Movement and social justice reforms (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.

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