Racism still exist in 2016, even if many people do not believe this to be true. The Oxford English Dictionary defines racism as a belief that one’s own racial or ethnic group is superior, or that other such groups represent a threat to one’s cultural identity, racial integrity, or economic well-being. With that being said, racial integrity is not equal to all Americans and the Black Lives Matter movement is asking for basic human rights. The Civil Rights movement was suppose to eradicate this problem, but it has not changed where black men and women have to worry about their own safety while walking down the street, and the police as the source of protection will kill them because of their skin color. This needs to change and Beyonce is one of the people to bring this issue to light.
Black Lives Matter is not asking for special treatment, but just access to the same rights that Caucasians have. The most shocking response to BLM is that trying to take away from other nationalities, when just trying not to be treated with less economic well-being for job access or protection from the police. In the Beyonce Formation video - the phrase, “Stop shooting us” is seen. The words are spray-painted, but the impact behind the meaning is calling for social change. Police feel threatened by black men and women, whereas black men and women fear for their lives each time they leave the safety of their own homes. This is a social issue that is unjust in the representation of black lives. The BLM is asking to stop the mistreatment of African Americans. The cop car sinking in the video is a beautiful representation of how black people feel in America, unheard and uncared for. The response to Hurricane Katrina was an outrage.
President Bush was called on his blant carelessness to black people by rapper Kanye West. Perhaps Americans are outraged by black entertainers like Beyonce And Kanye West asking for help. When Brad Pitt brought up his own perspective of BLM with the movie Twelve Years a Slave, no one batted an eye or caused an uproar. Black activist is fine as long as done by Caucasians.
Something that we easily forget is the struggle African Americans have faced from the sixties to present day. A nice quote to summarize starts as, “Teaching for Change and the Poverty and Race Research Action Council is a striking resource for teachers, filled with an array of documents that focuses on the way in which civil rights and the Black Power activists struggled to transform American democracy,” (Joseph, 30). America was not kind to black men and women for over two hundred years while segregated them after to prove that Caucasians were not racist. This did not allow access to education or other economic resources to make Black as equal to White in colleges and businesses across the country.
Beyonce’s socioeconomic status as an entertainer allows her access to millions of viewers across the world. Her opinion can and has changed the way racism is viewed in America. Some believe that Beyonce is our hope when they state, “I also think Beyonce’s expanding notions of what pop music can be, the way it shapes culture and drive much needed conversation,” (Silvers). One person can make a difference if their voice reaches the right audience. A few well known actors have tried to do this, but Beyonce uses music to stay her opinions. This shows music is not just for entertainment, but social justice.
Racism has been hidden for years. Take for example, the outrage at the way blacks are represented or lack thereof in the Oscars. This comments says it all, “Oscar nominations have not dramatically under-represented black actors. Instead, they have greatly overrepresented white ones. Blacks are 12.6% of American population, and 10% of Oscar nominations since 2000 have gone to black actors” (Economist). Consumption of television is the medium that everyone uses to relax, yet all that is represented on television is whiteness. It is wrong or offensive to some that BLM, but not that Caucasians are on every channel and not being stereotyped. This divide in equal access makes Black men and women feel they have no place in American culture. The best they can hope for is basketball or a music career, not to be a doctor, lawyer, banker, business CEO, or any other equivalent job.
History has shown us that all Americans are needed. The pathos of this argument is that blacks are treated with contempt. The change that happened after World War Two is a great example. “The successful integration of the armed forces during the Korean War proved blacks and whites could work together. The Cold War made segregation an embarrassment to the national government in its fight against communism,” (Burson, 39). Public opinion shows that the people have more power than racism, if used correctly to influence social change. Beyonce is just asking for this change to take place again. The visual representation of women from the 1840’s shows that women and the feminist cause were in the background. Women were the emotional barrier in the cause to push men and each other to fight for change. The change to read, write and comprehend language. Black men and women want social change to be able to get a job that can lead into a career, buy a house without needing a cosigner because of their race, or walk down the street without sneers or comments that can damage their self-image.
The best thing Beyonce did was the Formation video to show history that America has not changed as much as it claims. “The liberal feminist strategy for ensuring ‘equality of rights,’ was ratification of an Equal Rights Amendment; while black civil rights activists had sought similar protection in a passage of the Civil Rights Act” (Langston, 160). As a feminist Beyonce hopes to give equal rights to all Americans starting with her own race of African Americans. Once this is done, maybe the social structures of society can change for equal access to all.
Apart of the Black Lives Matter movement is to end racism and allow equal access to resources for all Americans. The social structure of society is flawed and needs to be revised so that all people have equal access. Beyonce is not the sole spokeswoman for BLM, but she has allowed this issue to be shown worldwide thanks to her Formation video during the SuperBowl. All of us as people should not be deprived of the resources needed to succeed. If you are a parent, your biggest fear is not getting an education but not to walk out the house and be killed by the police. The police are suppose to be the protectors of our society. The police could and should use non-lethal methods to subdue criminals, not death because black individuals in their minds will not amount to anything.
This assumption makes blacks the scapegoats of society, this was already extended to Asians in the 1920s, the Irish in the 1910s, and the Latin culture in the late 1930s. This repeated pattern shows discrimination and that blacks are still being segregated despite an increase in norms for other races over time. Blacks are still been treated as less than since slavery ended. The BLM is trying to end this pattern it the pathos of society, since using reason and logic does not always work.
Works Cited
Burson, George. “The Black Civil Rights Movement”. OAH Magazine of History 2.1 (1986): 35–40.
Langston, Donna. “Black Civil Rights, Feminism and Power”. Race, Gender & Class 5.2 (1998): 158–166.
Joseph, Peniel E.. “Civil Rights, Black Power, and American Democracy”. OAH Magazine of History22.3 (2008): 30–32.
"Six Beyoncé Pieces By Women of Color That You Should Read Right Now." KQED Pop. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"Beyonce "Formation" Music Video Is POWERFUL." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"Millennium Web Catalog." Millennium Web Catalog. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
"How Racially Skewed Are the Oscars?" The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
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