From what you’ve been hearing about Ferguson, you might think that the number of people working actively on the movement there is enormous. I certainly did. It wasn’t until a few days into my recent visit to the area that I realized how many assumptions I had formed about the movement and about social change in general. What I learned inspired me, and I hope you and your students will be inspired, too.
First of all, what is “the movement”? Some people assume the work being done in Ferguson is exclusively the work of the organization Black Lives Matter because #blacklivesmatter (which already existed) was thrust into the spotlight after the August 2014 killing of Mike Brown. While the movement in and around Ferguson is supported by Black Lives matter, the two are not synonymous. Moreover, the activism being done in Ferguson is much deeper and more far-reaching than the mainstream media shows. By the time that first protest happened in August, activists in Ferguson and surrounding areas had been preparing for years by confronting in themselves and their institutions the structural inequalities that oppress black people and dehumanize all people.
The shooting of Brown was a catalyst for growing this movement exponentially. Justice in Brown’s case, in Eric Garner’s case and in the killings of unarmed black people everywhere is only one of the movement’s goals. More broadly, the long-term work of the movement, from what I can tell, is to create a society where all African Americans finally have the rights and privileges needed to thrive. To get there, the movement in the Ferguson area is pointing us to radically rethink the way we educate, work, govern and live together.
Another important thing I learned is that this movement is led by young people. I attended a hearing in which young women leaders from the group Millennial Activists United succeeded in getting a temporary restraining order that protected protesters from being tear gassed by the police. It’s not just that young people are participating and following older leaders. Just like in social movements of the past, these young people are stepping up, organizing and making change. This is a great opportunity to help our students realize the power they have by sharing with them the power that their peers in other communities are exercising. And, with the 50th anniversaries of the Selma voting rights campaign around the corner, it’s also a great time to share the power young people have always had to make change. (Teaching Tolerance’s new film, Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot, is an excellent way to highlight the power of young people’s activism.)
It doesn’t take massive numbers. In just the week I was in Ferguson, whenever I attended an action or training, I saw the same familiar faces. It wasn’t until I was there in person that I realized that the amount of media coverage, and the amount of solidarity groups inspired by what’s happened in Ferguson, had led me to assume that there were far more people there on the ground in St. Louis and Ferguson than there actually are. I want young people to know that a small group of people, by organizing themselves, following their passion and working hard, is behind a national movement.
This is a movement white people can—and should—be involved in, too. When I was in the Ferguson area, I was particularly looking out for what I, as a white person, could do to support the movement. I was inspired to see how several groups of white people were working together to support the black-led movement and to educate other white people about how to avoid replicating oppressive patterns in their attempt to support the movement. As members of a dominant group who want to support an often-oppressed group, we need to be constantly checking how we are supporting the leadership of that group rather than taking over leadership ourselves. This means looking at what’s already happening and putting our resources towards supporting those actions before blindly initiating what we think is needed. For more about how white people can support the movement, check out the Catalyst Project.
Are you as inspired as I am? I want to make sure that we as educators understand—and help our students understand—this truth: Participating in a social movement is more accessible than we think. How do you and your students plan to step into action?
Editor's note: For more resources on similar topics, visit our Web package Teaching About Ferguson: Race and Racism in the United States.
Blaine is a public school teacher and dialogue facilitator and is currently studying nonviolent communication and social change.
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