The Movement Never Stops

One false idea that seems to keep rearing its head in society is the belief that problems are solved once one accomplish is made. I do not want to dismiss the importance of each and every triumph in black rights; however, everything in American society is contingent on race. Therefore, the assumption cannot be made that race issues are over after there is one accomplishment. When considering the Civil Rights Movement, great accomplishments, such as the March on Washington, integration, the Voting Rights Act, and so on were made that have shaped race thinking today. However, not all these successes benefited the entire black community. There was still work to be done. Brittney Cooper has discussed how injustices continue to appear although we are past slavery and past the Civil Rights Movement, but why is it that these nightmares continue to reoccur during the 21 century? Again, there is still work to be done. There has also been circulation of the belief that racism is over since the 2008 election of Barack Obama as president. Cooper also stated how the judicial system is a sham, public schooling is failing, and a number of other racial issues have been plaguing the United States are occurring under a black president. Racism did not disappear with the election of a black president. 

In Professor Ivory’s MLK Jr. and Modern Civil Rights class we discussed the myth of time, and I believe that is largely what is happen in American society today. The myth of time refers to the belief that time will fix all problems. Instead people must work with time to address and fix the problems that continue to plague society. Ultimately, it is the people who must put forth the action in order to fix the problems in society. In Robin D. G. Kelley’s article “Why We Won’t Wait”, he addresses the issue of waiting. African Americans are constantly demanded to wait for their justice. Kelley discusses how “the grand jury’s decision doesn’t surprise most Black people because we are not waiting for an indictment. We are waiting for justice—more precisely, struggling for justice” (Kelley). Race activist cannot sit back and wait until justice is given because who know how long that will take or if it will even come if they remain spectators. Every accomplishment made to fight discrimination and injustices to African Americans and other oppressed groups are beautiful and should be praised. However, people must continue to push back against the injustice that still plague our society.