Multiple events continually happen in the United States and affect human lives. Sometimes, people get a chance to contribute to social development and public order. In other cases, it is necessary to know how to keep silent and analyze available options. The problem of racism has a long history in America, and minority groups report racial encounters due to different reasons. When people got tired of what happened to their relationships because of racial biases, they organized movements to demonstrate their attitudes and positions. Black Lives Matter is one of the recent and most influential social movements in the country with the purpose of highlighting racism and minimizing violence addressed to Black citizens. Peaceful protests and marches were initiated in different parts of the United States, and communities got an opportunity to participate. My experience during the event proved that today, individuals are free to express their feelings and concerns about social problems and search for effective solutions through cooperation, meetings, and goal orientation.
Based on my observations and evaluations, the success of Black Lives Matter depends on three major aspects: cooperation between people, the ability to go outside and speak, and the establishment of clear goals. When I saw people being ready to leave their homes and join the movement on the streets, my decision to participate was fast. Instead of criticizing the police or the government, it was high time to cooperate and say what bothered me during the last several years. I did not want to say that all whites or all blacks took one side and followed their principles. Black Lives Matter is not only about the desire of ethnic minorities to protect themselves but about the necessity to find a balance in American society and remove racial biases and inequalities. There were many white women who showed their solidarity with the movement. Thus, cooperation and mutual support turned out to be a good way to underline the importance of the situation.
Another characteristic of the movement was a real-life presence in different states. The task was to demonstrate that people needed understanding and expected most of their racially challenging situations to be improved. The participants did not want to see how unarmed Black men and women were under threat of being killed by police officers. Their intention was to go outside and make a contribution. For me, it was enough to join the protest and feel the power of how black and white citizens demonstrate their rights and freedoms.
Finally, the main idea of the protest was to resist current inequality and instability. The goal was to prove that equal and fair treatment of Black citizens was possible. A clear establishment of purpose is one of the strongest and most effective aspects of any movement. My experience helps me understand that when a person chooses something with a clear reason and purpose, the success of such activities can be observed.
People want to believe that their freedoms and rights have to be protected by the government and the law. American racism serves as evidence that reveals some weaknesses and concerns of the population. My participation in Black Lives Matter was a good chance to understand the effectiveness of cooperation, support, and goals. When the representatives of different races and communities are united with the same purpose, such a movement cannot be neglected, and its ideas will be promoted through the ages.
Bibliography
“About.” Black Lives Matter. Web.
Clayton, Dewey M. “Black Lives Matter and the Civil Rights Movement: A Comparative Analysis of Two Social Movements in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies 49, no. 5 (2018): 448-480.
Dawson, Quintina. “Growing up with Systemic Racism in the USA.” The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health (2022). doi: 10.1016/S2352-4642(22)00034-7.
Feder, Sandra. “Stanford Psychologist Identifies Seven Factors That Contribute to American Racism.” Stanford News. Web.
Mundt, Marcia, Karen Ross, and Charla M. Burnett. “Scaling Social Movements Through Social Media: The Case of Black Lives Matter.” Social Media+ Society 4, no. 4 (2018): 1-14.