Political Motivations in Civil Rights Movements: Reflections on the Black Lives Matter Movement and Historical Context
Overview
This reflection paper examines student insights from lectures on civil rights movements, particularly focusing on the political underpinnings of movements like Black Lives Matter. The author explores how their understanding of civil rights activism evolved, including learning about Jim Crow laws and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, while discussing prior knowledge and new revelations about the intersection of civil rights and politics.
What this reflection paper covers
- Surprising insights on political motivations underlying social movements
- Learning outcomes regarding Jim Crow laws and civil rights movement history
- Prior knowledge about Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott
- Discussion of Obama and Tea Party relationship
Preview
- What’s something from the lectures this week that surprised you?
The most surprising thing from the lectures was concerning the was how movements are formed with underlying political motives. For a long time, I believed that movements such as the Black Lives Matter were majorly focused on fighting for rights of minority groups. This is an exciting revelation for me because most of the frontline fighters in civil rights movements never engage in active politics.
- What’s something from the lectures this week that you learned?
I learned about the background of the civil rights movement. There are many issues that influenced the start of the civil rights movement, particularly the Jim Crow laws. Jim Crow laws enforced segregation and racial prejudice against African Americans.
- What’s something from the lectures this week that you knew already, and where did you learn it?
One of the things from the lecture that I already knew was about the Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott. I learned this from personal research about issues about how African American were affected by segregation.
Reaction
This is interesting, especially what you learned from the lecture and already. I did not know much about Obama and the Tea Party relationship, so this has been enlightening for me. I knew Obama’s father was Kenyan but your revelation is outstanding.