Continuity and Change in Black Freedom Struggles in America

From the shackles of slavery to legalized oppression in the form of Jim Crow and mass incarceration, oppression of black Americans has taken many forms. In every iteration, this oppression has involved continued limitations on the rights and freedoms of African American people and placed them on unequal footing. For as long as these structures of oppression have existed, African Americans have fought for liberation against them; when considering the different forms of black freedom struggles it is important to consider whether they should be understood as a story of continuity or change. It is not difficult to see change in the types of people taking to the podium; what was once the domain of straight men now often includes powerful women. While the voices may be different, the overall structures and goals of oppression have remained consistent. When considering narratives, it is essential to deliver the most utility to the communities they describe, and the story of continuity provides activists with a useful rhetorical framework when addressing a frequently ambivalent America. While the modern Black Freedom struggle is more intersectional and decentralized, it is useful to conceptualize continuities to understand the unbroken chain of oppression in America and provide activists with valuable rhetorical tools and frameworks.

    The leadership structure of modern black freedom struggles is distinct from previous movements in its decentralization and intersectionality. The black freedom struggles of the 20th century were dominated by male figure heads and hierarchy; with most notable Civil Rights groups run by male figureheads from Dr.King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, to Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam or Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP. Obviously, Queer people and women, such as Bayard Russel and Ida Wells, played important roles in these movements; however, they were more rare than their straight male counterparts. As evidenced by these actors, it is impossible to describe any nation-wide movement as containing a single focus or type of supporter; however, it is possible to categorize the larger aims of a movement by the goals and people most emphasized. The structure of mid-twentieth century movement is distinct from the form that the modern black liberation movement has taken in Black Lives Matter. According to Kaavya Asoka, the movement is a “bottom-up, collaboratively organized movement”, this is distinct from the more common top down structure popular with many large civil rights groups. The rise of intersectionality is apparent in projects like Project Okra which aids Black gender nonconforming people. The popularity of female leaders like Cori Bush in St.Louis and their rallying cry of “Protect Black Women” further establishes the important roles played by black women in today's movements.  Additionally, the causes these movements advocate for - as deeply heterogeneous as the causes of the mid-twentieth century struggles - represent a greater emphasis on the issues faced by those marginalized by additional factors beyond their race. When one considers the faces of those at the front line of today’s movements, and the demands they make,  there is a clear distinction from the past.

Any definition of a movement needs to consider its goals and when one understands the continuity of oppression faced by African Americans the connections between freedom struggles throughout history become clear. According to Michele Alexander, racialized oppression in the United States has taken three main forms: slavery, Jim Crow, and modern day inequality; after each system collapsed a subsequent structure of oppression took its place. More specifically, the end of slavery inspired the creation of a system of legalized separation and oppression known as segregation and Jim Crow. After the deconstruction of Jim Crow, the American police state and mass incarceration rose up in order to continue the oppression of African Americans. In his work on mass incarceration, Ta-Nehisi Coates highlights its massive damage, including the one million black children with incarcerated fathers. While these systems may have occurred at different times, they achieved similar goals. In all three systems, political enfranchisement is hindered through different ways: the three-fifths compromise which prevented slaves from counting as full citizens, literacy tests and grandfather clauses which prevented free black men from voting, and barriers to voting for prisoners and felons. Similarly, all three have limited the free movement of African Americans through various ways, from the limits of plantations to the confines of a jail cell. The continuation of racialized oppression in the United States provides a compelling reason for a narrative of continuity when conceptualizing black freedom struggles. The need to combat oppression is as present as ever and any narrative should reflect that.

Black freedom struggles should be thought of as a continuity to provide activists with a powerful rhetorical and ideological framework. When analyzing the history of black freedom struggles, it is important to provide analysis that best supports communities of color in their effort to achieve equity. A framework of continuity helps activists dispell narratives of a ‘post-racial’ America which harms modern activist efforts. As Ibrahim Kendi explains, the myth of a post racial America is the idea that racism ended after civil rights and modern activism is unnecessary. This narrative is used as a tool to avoid continued discourse on systemic racism or the ways to achieve racial equity. By engaging in a narrative of continuity, activists and historians can help break this narrative by demonstrating that racism in America has simply changed shape and not ended. While stating that racism continues to exist in America won’t end oppression, this framework also provides activists with a helpful rhetorical toolset. While the Black Lives Matter movement is a controversial topic, a CNN poll found that 95% of Americans had a favorable view of Martin Luther King. Seeing black liberation as continuous allows modern activists to reclaim the figure of Dr.King and force moderate Americans to confront modern racism rather than become complacent with the alleged equality of modern America. Activists need compelling rhetoric to achieve their goals, and historical comparisons can provide that. In his song Alright, Kendrick Lamar embraces a narrative of continuity by connecting his desires to the need for “40 acres and a mule” promised to enslaved people in the reconstruction era. By conceptualizing black freedom struggles as a story of continuity, activists are able to have agency over their own history while utilizing a powerful rhetorical toolbox.

It is undeniably difficult to define a movement, and even more so to define the historical legacy of a struggle. When considering Black Freedom struggles from a historiographical perspective, a framework of continuity provides a more useful way of understanding while giving agency to the most important people - those actively participating in the struggle.