Racism and racial disparity remain persistent problems in American society. Since the Abolition of Slavery in the country, the position of the members of the African American community improved substantially. However, many challenges remain, with police brutality towards the community and systemic injustices enduring to 2021. This paper will consider Chris Lebron’s article titled Time for a New Black Radicalism and examine the author’s view on radicalism in the context of the modern Black Lives Matter movement.
Today, the African American community continues to experience continuing systemic racism, voter suppression, police violence, and bias. The government’s failures to protect the rights and lives of black people are routinely met with calls for black radicalism. According to Lebron, radicalism is defined as “the explicit intention to use strong, nonconventional and unsanctioned means to effect systemic change by either disrupting the status quo or reinstating a preferred previous status quo” (2). However, the concept of radicalism does not presuppose the use of violence. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. asserted that nonviolent resistance and communal and redeeming love “springs from the need of the other person” (Lebron 1). Nevertheless, some radical movements can employ violence to garner more attention to their cause. Unlike King, Malcolm X called for active resistance, insisting that peaceful protests cannot achieve lasting change (Lebron 2). Thus, radicalism and, in particular, black radicalism incorporates a wide range of practices and philosophies. Nevertheless, in all its manifestations, black radicalism serves to address and eradicate the systems of oppression.
Lebron expands on his view of radicalism, setting it apart from fundamentalism. Thus, the author states that fundamentalists act within an ideology based on a purported belief, while radicalism is a natural and logical reaction to the “social, economic and political situations” (Lebron 3). Thus, radicalism devotes efforts to addressing the existing injustices in society, while fundamentalism aims to spread an idea. A variety of nonconventional and unsanctioned means are justified in the context of systemic racism, voter suppression, and police violence (Lebron 2). Advocating for social change can take many forms, including peaceful protests, riots, and appeals to the authorities. However, these actions rarely have a lasting impact on governmental policies.
The contemporary Black Lives Matter movement should acknowledge that some of the measures they may implement to demand racial equality and equity are ineffective. According to Lebron, the resurgent black radical politics should be unified in their attempts to install lasting social change (5). It is vital to express the movement’s concern with the disadvantaged position of the African American community in the country via a united front of all organizations and movements concerned with racial injustice. Thus, Black Lives Matter requires centralized leadership “coupled with an explicit program of action” to succeed in its mission (Lebron 5). As a decentralized movement, Black Lives Matter should reconsider their arrangement and design a comprehensive plan of action to ensure the movement achieves its goals and objectives.
In summary, racial injustice and inequality are enduring notions in the United States of America. Although many advances were made toward equality in the last century, bias, unprovoked police violence, and institutional racism persist. Historically, black radicalism can manifest itself both through peaceful and violent measures such as marches, protests, and riots. Today, the Black Lives Matter movement should consider becoming more centralized and drafting a thorough program of actions that can help it achieve lasting change.
Work Cited
Lebron, Chris. “Time for a New Black Radicalism.” The New York Times, 2015, pp. 1-6.