Racial segregation and struggle for social justice in the U.S. society

DOI: 10.17721/2521-1706.2021.11.1

Marharyta Lymar

Ph.D. (Political Sciences)

Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Mykolaiv, Ukraine

ORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9902-2709

Viktoriia Ahieieva

Ph.D. (Philology)

Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University, Mykolaiv, Ukraine

 ORCID logohttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-5243-3623

The article is devoted to the problems of racial discrimination and the anti-segregation struggle for the rights of Black citizens in American society. This problem remains relevant despite the successes of the civil rights movement and the activities of many organizations in support of the Coloured population. In this regard, the primary tasks are the following: to study the phenomenon of segregation as an instrument of racism; to identify the roots of segregation policies and the turning points in history that allowed it to be implemented; to study the evolution of the civil rights movement and to determine its achievements; to explore the phenomenon of Black Power, its impact on the consciousness of Blacks and American society in general; and to discuss the current state of American society on the subject of social justice, taking into account interethnic communication.

The methodological background of the current study includes a set of general and special research methods that could be partially represented by the followings. The descriptive-historical and chronological approaches allowed to examine the outlined issues in historical retrospect and to track changes in both segregation policy and the civil rights movement. The integrated approach helped to connect different aspects of the studied problem and to link them to specific events, which made it possible to give a holistic assessment of the state of American society from the late 19th to the early 21th centuries. The research used statistical, analytical and comparative methods that were applied to analyse the situation on educational segregation and rates of living and safety of the Black population in the U.S. society.

Scientific novelty involves conducting a comprehensive research based on American sources and examining the works of specialists in the field of African American studies, with the aim of their further introduction into the domestic scientific circulation. Finally, the authors conclude that despite racial segregation was not eliminated during the rise of civil rights movement, it put the new beginning for the long-term positive shifts in American society that gives hope for improving relations between Blacks and Whites and maintaining social justice for all ethnical minorities.

Key words: segregation, Black Power, civil rights movement, education, American society, justice.

Submitted: 26.02.2021

Full text

References:

1. A true American hero – Jesse Owens. (2017, February 1). Black History Month 2021. https://www.blackhistorymonth.org.uk/article/section/sporting-heroes/jesse-owens/. [In English].

2. CCRR. (2015, February 23). Are we closing the school discipline gap? New research identifies districts with worst suspension records. UCLA’s Center for Civil Rights Remedies: The Civil Rights Project. https://civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/news/press-releases/2015-press-releases/new-research-identifies-school-districts-with-worst-records-for-suspensions. [In English].

3. Balkaran, S. (2015). The continuing significance of race: An American dilemma. Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, 57-60. [In English].

4. Benedict, W. (2016, May 16). How Jesse Owens went from Alabama to Olympic glory. The Telegraph. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/race/jesse-owens-from-alabama-to-olympics/. [In English].

5. Black Power. (2021, March 21). The National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power. [In English].

6. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). (2021). Justia US Supreme Court. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/347/483. [In English].

7. Burrow, R. (1993). James H. Cone: Father of contemporary black theology. The Asbury Theological Journal, 48(2), 59-75. [In English].

8. Cokley, K. O. (2016, October 2). What it means to be Black in the American educational system. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/what-it-means-to-be-black-in-the-american-educational-system-63576. [In English].

9. Cone, J. H. (1970). Black Power, Black Theology and the study of theology and ethics. Theological Education, 6, 202–215. [In English].

10. Danieller,A. (2021, March 18). Majorities of Americans see at least some discrimination against Black, Hispanic and Asian people in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/18/majorities-of-americans-see-at-least-some-discrimination-against-black-hispanic-and-asian-people-in-the-u-s. [In English].

11. Dred Scott v. Sandford, 60 U.S. 393 (1856). (2021). Justia US Supreme Court. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/60/393/. [In English].

12. Edwards, F., Lee, H., & Esposito, M. (2019). Risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States by age, race–ethnicity, and sex. PNAS, 116(34), 16793–16798. [In English]. Doi : 10.1073/pnas.1821204116.

13. Examples of Jim Crow Laws – Oct. 1960 – Civil Rights. (n.d.). Ferris State University: Jim Crow Museum. https://www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/links/misclink/examples.htm. [In English].

14. Fifteenth Amendment. (n.d.). The Constitution Annotated. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-15. [In English].

15. Fourteenth Amendment. (n.d.). The Constitution Annotated. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-14. [In English].

16. García, E. (2020, February 12). Schools are still segregated, and black children are paying a price. The Economic Policy Institute. https://www.epi.org/publication/schools-are-still-segregated-and-black-children-are-paying-a-price/. [In English].

17. Hills, D., & Curry, T. (2015). Cries of the unheard: State violence, black bodies, and Martin Luther King’s Black Power. Journal of Africana Religions, 3(4), 453-469.

18. NPR. (2010, January 18). «I Have a Dream» Speech, in its entirety. https://www.npr.org/2010/01/18/122701268/i-have-a-dream-speech-in-its-entirety. [In English].

19. Balkaran,S. (2020). Analyzing the dream: Racism and America’s social cancer. In S. Balkaran (Ed.), Introduction to African American studies: A reader (1st ed.), 270-282. [In English].

20. Introduction to the Civil Rights Movement (n.d.). Khan Academy. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/civil-rights-movement/a/introduction-to-the-civil-rights-movement. [In English].

21. Lawson,S.F. (n.d.). Freedom’s story. Segregation. Teacher Serve. National Humanities Center. http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1865-1917/essays/segregation.htm. [In English].

22. Lymar,M. (2020). Thorny evolution path of the U.S. society: Slavery and the Abolitionist movement. American History and Politics, 9, 101-113. [In English]. Doi : 10.17721/2521-1706.2020.09.9.

23. Maass,A. (2011, October 25). The Black Power era. International Socialist Organization. http://socialistworker.org/2011/10/25/black-power-era. [In English].

24. MacDonald,A.P. Jr. (1975). Black Power. The Journal of Negro Education, 44(4), 547-554. [In English]. Doi : 10.2307/2966639.

25. Michals,D. (2015). Ruby Bridges. National Woman’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ruby-bridges. [In English].

26. Montgomery Bus Boycott. (2020, December 17). The Civil Rights Digital Library. http://crdl.usg.edu/events/montgomery_bus_boycott/?Welcome. [In English].

27. Pew Research Center. (2016, June 27). On views of race and inequality, blacks and whites are worlds apart. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2016/06/27/on-views-of-race-and-inequality-blacks-and-whites-are-worlds-apart/. [In English].

28. Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). (2021). Justia US Supreme Court. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/163/537/. [In English].

29. Rhodes,R. (2009, June 9). Black theology, black power, and the black experience. Christian Research institute. https://www.equip.org/article/black-theology-black-power-and-the-black-experience/. [In English].

30. Rothberg,E. (2020). Kamala Harris. National Woman’s History Museum. https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/kamala-harris. [In English].

31. The Black Panther Party. (2021, March 22). The National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/research/african-americans/black-power/black-panthers. [In English].

32. The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A long struggle for freedom. The segregation era (1900– 1939). (n.d.). Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/civil-rights-act/segregation-era.html. [In English].

33. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (2019, July 23). The National Archives and Records Administration. https://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/march-on-washington. [In English].

34. The Southern Manifesto. (n.d.). Minnesota Public Radio. http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/marshall/manifesto.html. [In English].

35. Thirteenth Amendment. (n.d.). The Constitution Annotated. https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/amendment-13. [In English].

36. Van Horne,W. (2007). The concept of Black Power. Its continued relevance. Journal of Black Studies, 37(3), 365-389. [In English].

37. Wright, M. E. (2018, October 26). Lessons from Ruby Bridges. The Children’s Defense Fund. https://www.childrensdefense.org/child-watch-columns/health/2018/lessons-from-ruby-bridges/. [In English].