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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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