Hello class..

This is your first installment of 3 typed up lectures I will be providing you this week.
You will have another one on Tuesday and then finally on Wednesday. BY
THURSDAY, you will have access to your first question for the unit exam

So I would like to take a moment to consolidate this unit.

The main idea of this unit is social Justice! Every one of these movements and
individuals had a social justice agenda. Something in their life was not getting the
access to something that hurt their life OR some form of action, legislation or social
behavior impeded them from living a full life equal to others.

But as you witnessed in this unit, social justice is relevant to groups. For example,
Southern Whites felt that it was in their right to discriminate because Jim Crow
Laws enabled discrimination. Or farmers had a right to pay fieldworker whatever
they felt was reasonable because there were no labor laws protecting
farmworkers.

Individuals covered in this unit didnt ask to be spokespersons for social justice,
BUT they did become representations of social justice. They created situations in
which social justice became a center for discussion for the masses (macro) that
could not be ignored. Individuals enabled the macro to see them selves in a mirror
and actually cause folks to think differently about social justice or question their
involvement in anything that might be perceived as injustice

Within the scope of social justice, you have a collective identity. Collective identity
became a powerful force because it made the voiceless heard. You see, having one
voice from a single citizen that does NOT have a public attention will not be covered
by the news. If you are not covered by the news, your voice isnt heard. When we
look at AIM, or the United Farm Workers and the Freedom Riders, it was only when
the press covered them did they get the attention they wanted. Once they got press
coverage, people outside of their community would become aware of the cause.

In addition, once news began to pay attention to AIM, or the United Farm Workers
and the Freedom Riders, local politicians became a target to public scrutiny.
Politicians had to address the problem which then exposed their true positions on
the social issue at hand.

Individuals such as Jesse Owens and Roberto Clemente already had the press on
them. So their acts became apparent. Their political stands became clear with their
actions.

All in all, the collective identity became a result of these actions for social justice.
The importance of collective identity fills the gap between the actual
mobilization/action and the everyday lives of the people watching or learning about
it.