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How Did Pop Culture Influence The Civil Rights Movement

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The contrasting role that celebrities play in the intersection between pop culture and protest movements, is exemplified by the dichotomy of opinions coming out of the The Frankfurt School in early 1940s Germany. The Frankfurt School has been credited with inventing the concept of critical theory and cultural critique, and housed a group of intellectuals that included philosophers, theorists, and sociologists. Within this group spawned two differing opinions on the role of pop culture in our society. On one hand, thinkers like Walter Benjamin saw popular culture as a place that could potentially cultivate resistance. While fascist regimes “[aestheticized] politics”, Benjamin argued that in response art should be politicized, and cited films …show more content…

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s through 1960s, was helped to a great extent by the presence of popular famous figures. One of these popular figures is singer and actor Harry Belafonte, best known for hit songs like “The Banana Boat Song”. What many people may not know him for, is his extensive work in social activism within the Civil Rights Movement. As a close friend of Martin Luther King Jr., Belafonte supported the Civil Rights publicly and privately, from the beginning of the movement. Privately, he opened up his apartment to become an “informal Northern headquarters for the promotion of the movement in the North and for the support of direct action in the South” (Raymond 125). This unofficial headquarters became a location for organizing and planning by civil rights leaders, as well as a safe haven for activists. Belafonte struggled with defining himself solely through his role as an entertainer, and had a “desire for cultural authenticity”, and devoted himself to helping social causes (127). Even his desire to become famous came from a realization that he could not “be a constructive agent of change without money or a platform”. Using his money and his platform is exactly what Belafonte did to assist the Civil Rights Movement. Beyond providing a physical space for the protest to thrive, Belafonte also took on leadership roles himself within the movement. As the organizer of the Youth March for Integrated Schools, Belafonte led students in support of the Brown VS. Board of

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Thurgood Marshall, Roy Wilkins, A. Philip Randolph, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., among others, have become household names as pioneers of the Civil Rights Movement. Mention of Thurgood Marshall immediately conjures in mind the historic United States Supreme Court Case, Brown vs. Board of Education. A. Philip Randolph immediately reminds us of the “Second Emancipation Proclamation”, Executive Order 8802 which gave thousands of Negroes access to jobs in manufacturing plants receiving contracts from the defense department during World War II. Rosa Parks is inextricably associated in the minds of millions with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. And who cannot think of Dr. Martin L. King together with the March on Washington and

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Since the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery in 1863 there was a perpetual battle for African American equality in the United States that was a key part of our history throughout the twentieth century. Anne Moody’s Coming of in Mississippi is a book that greatly outlines the hardships faced by a black individual during the fight for equality. One main theme covered in the book is whether violent or nonviolent action is more productive in the fight for equality. This argument is one that defined various African American leaders in the mid nineteenth century. Leaders such as Martin Luther King prided themselves on nonviolent protests while others such as Malcolm X argued that violence was needed to truly reach equality.

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The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s stands as a pivotal chapter in American history, a testament to those who fought for racial equality and justice. Among the notable figures who emerged during this transformative era, John Lewis, a prominent Civil Rights activist and later influential congressman, played a crucial role in shaping the movement's improvement. In his graphic novels, March: Book 1 & March: Book 2, Lewis narrates his personal journey and growth within the Civil Rights movement. Through his narratives, Lewis not only offers a firsthand account of the struggles and triumphs experienced by activists, but also utilizes literary and rhetorical devices to construct a focused and analytical argument examining his evolution within

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In Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail", he presents a notable and exceptional argument. Martin Luther King, Jr. was arguably the most influential activist in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. He had dedicated his life to bringing liberty to people of color and making the United States a truly 'free' nation. The purpose of this letter was to effectively respond to the eight clergymen attempting to suppress his activism. The issues in which he responds to are not only the criticism of the clergymen but also to the problem of racism itself.

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Throughout history there have been many civil rights activists who have inspired and changed the world. These Activist create movements whose purpose is to create a progressive society with equal justice and opportunity for all. There were two movements that were particularly important in the United States during the 1920s and the mid 1950s. In those movements were activists such as W.E.B. DuBois, Marcus Garvey, Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Thurgood Marshall, and Malcolm X. When looking at each activist and their beliefs it is apparent that there are similarities between the older activist and younger ones. All wanted equality among races, but when discussing how to obtain it their paths had differed.

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Critique of Nonfiction Novel The civil rights movement was a revolutionary chapter in American history. Leading the movement was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., whose legacy has been etched in history. Troy Jackson explores the roots of King’s legacy in Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and The Making of a National Leader. Jackson analyzes how different influences in Montgomery, Alabama shaped Dr. King into the leader of the civil rights movement.

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Despite the court’s order to desegregate the country in the 1960’s, many Afro-Americans were still second-class citizens. In the book “The March: Book one” the authors John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, introduces the audience to the segregation conflict. Also explains how John Lewis, an important character for 1960’s civil rights movement become a leader for the Afro-Americans. Even though John Lewis’s grew up apart from the segregation conflict, some turning points redirect his life into it. Although John Lewis’s techniques to promote civil rights were not conventional.

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After Martin Luther King Jr. `s assassination in 1968, as well as the growth of black militancy and improvements in black employment opportunities, the Civil Rights Movement began to lose momentum (“Davis”). Today, many groups of people believe that the Civil Rights Movement had two diverse effects. One effect being that new opportunities, power, and rights were acquired by blacks. However, some veterans believed that the movement fell short of addressing the economic needs of poor

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Throughout the years of the 1950’s and 1960’s the civil rights contributed to building leaders fighting for the civil rights of African Americans. In today’s time there are only a few people who are thought about when the words “civil rights” come up. Leaders such as Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X are names that ring bells to those talking about civil rights, but even though those people played a significant role there were people who were equally effective but not as known. A man by the name of James Forman is one of the civil rights leaders whose name rarely comes up but his actions and job throughout the civil rights effected it entirely.

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Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and the Civil Rights Struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. A Brief History with Documents written by David Howard-Pitney is a great history book that gives us an entry into two important American thinkers and a tumultuous part of American history. This 207-pages book was published by Bedford/St. Martin’s in Boston, New York on February 20, 2004. David Howard-Pitney worked at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project at Stanford University in 1986, and that made him a specialist on American civil religion and African-American leaders ' thought and rhetoric (208). Another publication of Howard-Pitney is The African-American Jeremiad: Appeals for Justice in America.

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As we just celebrated the forty months anniversary of the Black History Month, it is an important observance to commemorate the contributions and achievements of the African Americans in the American history. Historically, during the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans are the most vulnerable ethnic group who suffers from injustice in the social and political spheres of influence. However, social justice advocates such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X express their criticism in their pieces of writings for the unjust treatment that these African Americans endure. Martin Luther King, Jr’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” is a response to the clergymen’s letter in which he talks about defending the nonviolent direct actions and showing

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941 Words | 4 Pages

and the Freedom Movement, this book can be described as an “easy read” for young learners. With several pictures to provide illustrations of important events, occurrences, and persons, the readers can form a visual representation of the environment that the African Americans were acquainted with. In a personal and educational recommendation, this book should be entitled to the shelves of schools for providing a detailed biography of Dr. King and his odyssey towards freedom, which young students can easily grasp and understand. Lillie Patterson instills a work of literature as she remains true to the given historical events and life that was prominent in Dr. King’s excursion. Born in 1917, Patterson’s tone throughout the entirety of the book is sentimental and passionate about the Civil Rights Movement and its members, as she was inflicted by the same racism that her characters in the book faced too.

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1848 Words | 8 Pages

Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential leaders of his time and played a crucial role in the African-American Civil Rights movement. Luther was a charismatic leader who took a firm stand against the oppressive and racist regime of the United States (US), devoting much of his life towards uniting the segregated African-American community of the US. His efforts to consolidate and harmonise the US into one country for all is reflected in many of his writings and speeches spanning his career. As a leader of his people, King took the stand to take radical measures to overcome the false promises of the sovereign government that had been addressing the issues of racial segregation through unimplemented transparent laws that did nothing to change the grim realities of the society. Hence, King’s works always had the recurring theme of the unity and strength of combined willpower.

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Introduction: The civil rights movement of 1954-1968 has made a huge impact on the history of African-American equality. All the great leaders of the movement have gone down in history for their courageous work and outstanding commitment to the civil rights movement. One of the most famous of the activists was Martin Luther King Junior (1929-1968) . King is still remembered today for his legendary speech entitled “I had a dream”.

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In his play, Becket, Jean Anouilh utilizes the character of Becket to explore his idea of identity. Becket knows his identity very well yet he struggles with it due to his current position as servant of Henry. He demonstrates this when receiving an order of Henry’s and can do nothing accept listen and say “of course my lord” (Anouilh). Becket portrays as an unlucky Saxon who must be a servant the king. His identity does not change as he must obey all of Henry’s requests.

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