Extended Project '15 Sneak Peek

I recently handed in my Extended Project (EPQ) to my supervisor. I'm extremely proud of myself. I'm so thankful to myself for having finished this project because it was such a lengthy process. It was however, worth it. 

In my extended project, I wrote a 5,000 word essay analysis whether the Black Lives Matter movement was a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement and I would like to share snippets of it because posting it, is just too long.  

The question was - An Analysis of the Black Lives Matter movement: To what extent is the Black Lives Matter movement a continuation of the Civil Rights Movement?

 In 1963, Martin Luther King (MLK) stated:

“When the architect of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”[1] – I Have A Dream speech, (1963).

Obviously, America has neglected MLK’s words of wisdom in-so-far as black citizens are concerned. Fifty-three years, after MLK’s speech, it appears that America has given the black people a “bad check”[2] indicating that there’s not only a need for a renewed Civil Rights Movement (CRM) but also for a transformed I Have A Dream speech. On the 11^th of February, 2016, 24 year old, Tré Melvin wrote a spoken word poem, and whilst, it does not touch upon the same issues Dr King’s speech did, – it reflects upon an issue that remains relevant in America today – police brutality against black people. Hence, why I believe that Melvin’s poem is the reintroduction of MLK’s speech as it mirrored the extract above, faultlessly:

“All lives will matter when my kin are no longer deemed threats and thugs, prior to humans. All lives will matter when the amount of melanin in the skin of my sisters, no longer represents their value. All lives will matter when my unarmed brothers are no longer used as target practice. All lives will matter when black lives matter.”[3] – Tré Melvin, All Lives Will Matter When Black Lives Matter spoken word (2016).

While, the CRM addressed the civil and political rights that were denied to black people, Melvin (2016) expands on what MLK said by confronting the radicalised degradation continually endured by black people at the hands of the police.

The purpose of this essay is to analyse a range of evidence to consider whether the Black Lives Matter movement (BLMM) is a revival of the 1960s CRM and if it is necessary in today’s America...

The BLMM can, in this regard, be seen as the reframing of a long-existing movement, which reacts against the unjust penalties for killers of black people - against those police officers and authorities who have merely been suspended or fired[1] from their jobs. The pending question that has yet to be answered by the US justice system is ‘instead of being properly tried, have the police officers been allowed to walk because they are white or is it because the people killed deserved the end that was bestowed upon them?’ Essentially, many will say that the answer is obviously. They will argue that the US system has been stacked against the minority since the American constitution was written, which, in all fairness is true. In July, 1776, the first US constitution was drawn up stating, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”[2] It was then redrafted in March, 1787, “We the people of the United States”[3] – the first draft of the US constitution depicts desperate men who have just won freedom from their oppressor. It also instils pressure by saying, “all men” suggesting that it is man’s responsible to see to it that everyone is equal. Whilst, the second reworking, “we the people” was meaningless to everyone except those that were white; despite the fact, that it was produced for a long lasting constitution representing every interest and belief. Slavery still went ahead and was followed by several atrocities of which many black people were the victims of...

The #blacklivesmatter hashtag has proved effective by linking the dissimilar fates of the many unarmed black men shot by white police. It has proved that a post of Facebook can organise a protest in a matter of minutes. Videos dispersed on Tumblr of previously unseen events become unignorable such as the death of Eric Garner. His poignant last words, “I can’t breathe” became a symbol for blacks symbolising their current predicament. These events have gripped worldwide attention enticing celebrities to get involved in supporting their race. Basketball player, LeBron James, wore a t-shirt emblazoned with Garner’s last words across the front, Jamie Foxx and Samuel L. Jackson, addressed Trayvon Martin’s ‘racially’ charged case at Comic-Con in San Diego and consoled Trayvon Martin’s mother and family. Whilst, black artists paid tribute through music - J Cole with Free, Common and John Legend with Glory, a song which explicitly connects the CRM to the BLMM. More recently, Beyoncé released Formation, a day before the 2016 Super Bowl 50 on what would have been Trayvon Martin’s 21^st birthday...

For that reason, I believe that the BLMM is an extension of the 1960s CRM to a great extent. Although, black people in America have achieved a sufficient degree of freedom, this does not equate to equality. Many, including myself, thought that the election of America’s first black president would help with the inequality consuming America but the fact, that all these tragedies have come to a head under his presidency makes it more saddening – because this was the only time where it could be rightfully acknowledged by any US leader. His realisation that “he could’ve been Trayvon Martin”[1] is upsetting because it shows that despite what many say, not a lot has been achieved in the way of equality - which is all that was demanded by the CRM and is being demanded by the BLMM...

When people ask ‘What would Martin Luther King or Rosa Parks think?’- Personally, I would like to think that they would be proud because the BLMM is continuing what they began. Rosa Parks once wrote “There’s just so much hurt, disappointment and oppression one can take.”[1] Her anger and defiance is what links the BLMM to the CRM, hence why the BLMM is not a disruption but a continuation. Though, despite, America’s turbulent history with the black race, America has made steps to achieve equality as seen by the election of Barack Obama - but “until the killing of black men, black mother’s sons, becomes as important to the rest of the country as the killing of a white mother’s sons, we who believe in freedom cannot rest until this happens.”[2] – Ella Baker (1964)