It is always interesting to see media coverage of Movements. The press loves conflict and drama, so stories regarding #BlackLivesMatter and #BlackOnCampus pop up to cover incidents of violence and direct confrontations. The larger story usually gets missed. In the last 24 hours Minnesota media (and some national press) reported that protesters were fired on last night and that were was a march from the 4th Precinct to City Hall. But what did they miss?
The week-long activity in Minneapolis started as a response to the police shooting of Jamar Clark, but the movement has clearly been influenced by the nationwide activism on campuses as well. Ferguson and Baltimore erupted in riots after incidents of police shootings of Black civilians. Minneapolis #BLM et al engaged in the kind of organizing, social media usage, and outreach that is familiar to those who have done campus organizing. Today's march and the memorial concert that followed displayed a kind of cross-racial and cross-community solidarity that is rare in the Twin Cities. THIS is news.
Where did people see solidarity over the last week? Businesses and nonprofits from across town donated food, water, and firewood. Latino and Native American organizations joined the encampment to stand in support and in the case of one Native American group, to assist with internal security. Students from at least two high schools left classes to join today's march. The march included people of all races and ages. And finally, the slogan "No one is free until we all are free" has been updated to include LGBTQ people.
There is a myth in American History that Rosa Parks got tired one day and refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. The whole Civil Rights infrastructure behind that carefully planned incident is erased from history because Movements are Scary. Take note: we're in the middle of a new Movement.
Here’s an interesting story on how the Movements in the Streets and on Campuses are influencing each other:
www.washingtonpost.com/...