Derrick Parra

Social Movements

African American / Civil-Rights movement analysis

The civil rights movement has been the strongest and most influential movement in American history. Through the academic practices of political opportunity, resource mobilizations, and framing we can examine how they became successful and how it is still a primary example of the power people maintain today.

Rosa Parks began the movement with an act/spark of civil disobedience. With her refusing to move to the back of the bus she was arrested and thrown in jail. Word quickly spread throughout the African-American community and thus began the civil-rights movement. Groups of African-Americans began to ban together, in what is now referred to as resource mobilization, to fight along side Rosa Parks. Resource Mobilization gathers resources in great numbers in order to make a difference. In the case of the civil rights movement it was people. African-Americans were tired of being treated like second-class citizens and banned together. Thousands upon thousands of Blacks came together and began to peacefully protest. By having enough people together their voices could not be silenced and answered and demands needed to be met.

Along with resource mobilization, framing became an integral part of the civil-rights movement. In Birmingham, Alabama, the Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth became the leader, at the time, of a desegregation movement. He framed the issue of desegregation through asking for the desegregation of city busses. While the overall goal may have been desegregation, a small step to accomplish this goal is the desegregation of city busses. Soon after Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader of the civil-rights movement.

            With the bombing of the 16^th street church black leaders and the black community came together to morn the loss of the dead, but furthering adding to their cause. The irony of activism is when injustices occur they are essential for your cause because you can organize together in order to stop injustices. The death of Fred Hampton too evoked anger within the Black Panther party.  

            With the coming of Martin Luther King Jr. he is the leader the movement needed.  His framework of demanding desegregation and civil-rights for Blacks was a pivotal moment. He would give speeches on the death of girls in the 16^th street bombing; tell the Black community there was a better future. He rallied his people together and through framing he used his rhetoric to push forward key issues. With framing came political opportunity, perhaps the last piece of the puzzle.

             With Reverend King framing the freedom of his people from racism and segregation he became a political reformer. His framing soon became political demanding change in the current political system. He continued to speak and eventually made it to Washington D.C., with masses of people, to give his famous "I have a dream" speech. With his continued pressure on the government eventually laws were passed to de segregate schools, restaurant, etc.