Historical Shifts and Collective Identity

Essay by jmyers35College, UndergraduateA, November 2014

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Historical Shifts and Collective Identity

The social movements of the 1960's ignited a powerful transformation in collective identity for black American's. These movements interconnected to bring effective change to the black communities. The Civil Rights Movement focused more on equality and citizenship, while the Black Nationalist Movement had more of a commitment to black culture, and political and economic determination. Although many hardships would be endured throughout this period, many people look back now and see the mid 1960's as a time of triumph.

After World War II, the American economy began to thrive and a second great migration from the south began. Two landmark laws were established, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, both abolishing legalized discrimination in the Jim Crow South. With the booming economy and the new laws, blacks finally began to see an increase in employment and wages, and an increase in high school graduation rates and college attendance.

However, even though segregation was against the law in the North and new laws were passed making racism illegal, African-Americans would continue to endure discrimination in other forms. Deep-seated racism like workplace discrimination and police violence, and assassinations of political leaders made it unclear to blacks in America if the civil rights movement was winning at all.

Advances in media, like television played a crucial role in presenting events as they unfolded. With the magnifying power of television, civil rights leaders were able to reach, and represent the black communities in America on a much broader level than ever before. Between radio, print media, and television, the media helped influence how people understood "blackness." (Eyerman p. 178) For some, it would be the first time they saw the collective struggles of African-Americans both past and present. Leaders like Malcolm X,