Fighting for Racial Equality
This video describes and discusses racism as did Chapter 9. After watching the video and reading the chapter, first respond to the questions below and then respond to your classmates in a discussion using these concepts to analyze different social groups. (Although you are to use the information you learned from the book and film, you are to use your own words – plagiarism will result in a grade of a zero.) 1What is overt racism? What is institutionalized racism? Can they be fought with similar tactics, or does fighting the different forms or racism require different approaches? Why? 2During the Civil Rights era, activists worked for change within existing systems and institutionsthat is, they took the laws of those institutions and used them against them. But activists today argue that the institutions that govern our society do not want to acknowledge the problems of systematic racism and that working within the system is ineffective. Do you agree with them? Why or why not? 3Is non-violence an effective protest tool today? Do activists need to be prepared to respond to violence with violence and disruption? Why or why not? 4Do social movements need identifiable public leaders to be effective? Why or why not? How can you practice public leadership without prominent individual leaders?
