What Has Changed? What Hasn’t?

The strive for social justice is the backbone of modern history. It defines a nation’s narrative: what it stands for and what it wants to achieve. History pushes one to ask: “What has changed? What hasn’t ?” This is the caption of TIME Magazine’s May 11, 2015 gripping cover, shot by David Allen. The cover not only garnered support for the Black Lives Matter Movement, a response to the vigilant persecution of African Americans, but it also conveyed the intensity of racism in the United States as a control mechanism through the most abhorrent form of political violence: police brutality. The cover crossed out the date 1968, and replaces it with 2015 which is the actual date during which the photo was taken. In bold red numbers, the placement of the year 2015 cemented the stark resemblance between the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). Although these two movements are separated by decades of modernization, they both remain all too relevant in terms of their messages, tactics, and influence.

​In 2013, three African-American activists—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—created a monumental, social media-based project known as #BlackLivesMatter, in response to the exoneration of Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman. Spearheading a modern social movement, the organizers alluded to the Civil Rights Movement by saying that they are continuing the legacy of their ancestors by protesting egregious systematic racism through their own protests. In particular, both movements have used communication tools as agents of renitence in different ways. The Civil Rights Movement focused on using posters to gain public sympathy for the cause. Following in those steps, the Black Lives Matter Movement also printed out posters and BLM merchandise to gain exposure. Technological advantage presented by social media, however, gave the BLM Movement a wider platform independent of traditional news outlets to draw attention to the killings, like in the case of the viral video of civilian Eric Garner muttering his last words “I can’t breathe” while being put in a chokehold by a white NYPD officer in 2014. Even though the Civil Rights Movement did not have access to social media coverage through live tweets, videos, and photos like the BLM Movement did, television coverage of organized marches gained the movement attention nationwide. This coverage of both of the movements’ integral message, ending systematic racism, was the key tactic the projects used.

​​​​​​​​​​On the other hand the BLM protests were more reactionary than those of the Civil Rights Movement, reacting to wrongful deaths where policy against racism is part of existing legislature through nonviolent direct action. The Civil Rights Movement primarily advocated for the delegitimization of segregation, implementation of federal citizenship rights, and enactment of policy preventing racial oppression as well as political violence towards African-Americans. Moreover, BLM was met with extreme use of military-style weapons , such as tear-gas, which triggered political unrest in places like Ferguson, while the Civil Rights Movement was characterized by mass incarceration of protestors in local jails during national marches. Logistically speaking, the BLM was far less coordinated than the Civil Rights Movement whereby some members, for example, interrupted democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders’ speeches to protest their cause. Also, the Civil Rights Movement had clear representative figures like Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, while the BLM movement lacked solid representation as it relied heavily on support from social media users instead of experienced leaders: Intense social media engagement disorganized the movement because multiple members were working on solving different issues in different ways simultaneously instead of remaining focused on, for instance, a single said protest. Such mass engagement pushes the movement in multiple directions and hinders its potential to achieve tangible socio-political reform similar to that of the Civil Rights Movement. For instance the 1963 Birmingham Campaign ended segregation in the region after peaceful protests took a violent turn after law enforcement became involved. The Act of 1964, a historic piece of policy, legally prohibited racial discrimination. Lastly, the epitome of the "March on Washington" protest, Dr. King's moving, immortalized "I Have a Dream Speech," placed the Civil Rights Movement to the top of the international agenda at the time. The Civil Rights movement is regarded for its historic impact mainly because of its blatant policy reform success in the U.S. The BLM Movement, conversely, was more than just a hashtag or Twitter rant. It was a cultural phenomenon that reignited a valuable conversation on race.

Despite the fact that the Civil Rights Movement abolished segregation laws, whereas Black Lives Matter targeted an unjust structural system, both movements were met by federal resistance, outspoken opposition from the media, and disdain from a measurable portion of the general public. The fact that it barely took two years for BLM to establish a global network aiming to end racial oppression cements BLM’s potential as an agent of political change. It is only fair to assert the historic level of change the Civil Rights Movement achieved and its greater significance due to the fact that it took decades of arduous organizing, planning, protesting and rebellion to end slavery and overturn segregation laws. The impact of the Black Lives Matter Movement is subtle. According to a study published in 2013 in the Journal of African American Studies, 44 percent of social media bloggers posted about their belief that law enforcement officers were agents of police brutality. Overall, Black Lives Matter was a searing reminder that racism exists, and it was captured by a visual narrative of haunting videos and pictures.​​​​

In conclusion, that picture embodying the conundrum surrounding the Black Lives Matter protests mirrors the Civil Rights era of police brutality an era of constant fighting for African-Americans to be seen as an equals without being physically or civilly violated by the government. Even though the movements employed similar strategies reliant on marches, protests and promotion, the technological advantage BLM had allowed the conversation on race and unjust treatment to be recognized internationally. Some may say that the two movements cannot be compared to one another since the BLM Movement experience divisions within such as members initiating violent attacks like the Baton Rouge shooting. Although these attacks were atrocious, an entire movement cannot be held accountable for some members’ deviation from the cause. The Civil Rights Movement took a longer time for it to march full-throttle due to limited resources such as word of mouth, and traditional media channels. Nevertheless, these movements harnessed enough public support to influence politicians and reform policy, as the Civil Rights and Black Lives Matter movements were acknowledged by President Johnson and President Obama respectively, media served as a double-edged sword to both movements, giving them exposure yet subjecting them to misinterpretation and public antagonism. Perhaps the BLM Movement was too reliant on social media, leading to unprecedented backlash from the media who denounced its actions. Notably, the Black Lives Matter Movement took charge of the conversation that the Civil Rights Movement initially started. It preserved the longevity of the Civil Rights Movement by integrating antiquated tactical strategies with modern ones. Will Black Lives Matter ever be historically revered and referenced like its timeless parent social movement? Or will its unconventional, modern tactics backfire and place it as a disgrace to the message of bending the arc of justice towards racial equality begun by the Civil Rights Movement?