Women Movements (Essay Sample)

Running Head: AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN’S CIVIL RIGHT MOVEMENTS
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Introduction
Women in the United States during the 1960s faced many genders and racial discriminations. To counter the intimidations faced, they formed civil gender movements aimed at improving their status in the society. In the 1960s, both white and black American women used the civil rights movements to express their grievances and by challenging the existing political system that had no solutions for their grievances at that time (Joseph, 2013). They used formal constitutional rights in challenging the then social and political system. The black and white women organized bus boycotts (1955-1956), marches (1965) organized lunch counter sit-ins (1960) and mobilizing voter registration, to gain attention and recognition by the lawmakers and the public, for the change of the constitution regarding women equality (Vara, 2009).
Background Data on Women Civil Rights Movement in America
The black women got mobilized by the desire for the actualization of the legal rights, which got put into constraint by the democratic society that existed (Joseph, 2013). Some of the women civil rights organizations that emerged during this period were Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) ( Baxandall, 2001). The movements waged campaign towards women employment and elimination of housing discriminations. The movements were particularly active in the southern (Joseph, 2013). The movements acquired financial support from different sources such as labor unions, religious denominations and white politicians such as Hubert Humphrey and Lyndon Johnson (Breines, 2006).
The movements were considered by their civil resistance campaigns in the southern. In 1955 to 1968, peaceful demonstrations and civil non-compliance produced crisis situations and fruitful negotiations between campaigners and government authorities (Breines, 2006). Many organizations particularly the local and federal governments had to act positively to the crisis. One of the most prominent and significant fruit of these demonstrations is the establishment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Joseph, 2013). This act of 1964 banned all forms of discrimination against women such as race, color, sex, nationality, religion and unequal application for voter registration. Racial segregation in schools and workplace got banned (Baxandall, 2001).
Other constitutional Acts that emerged as a result of women civil rights migration include the formulation of the voting rights act of 1965, the immigration and nationality services Act of 1965 (opened up borders for entry into the US).Moreover, inclusion of fair housing Act (banned discrimination in sale or rental of housing) (Breines, 2006). In 1964 to 1970s, other waves of inner city riots developed. The black power movements also stepped in from 1966 to 1975s and challenged the establishment of the black leadership (Lorber, 2001). The changes demand included political and economic self-sufficiency. Their motivations came from the direction and philosophy of Martin Luther. The women movements became well organized from the rural to the urban (Lorber, 2001). Women in the local communities served as primary sources for mobilization of people and capital movement.
Breines(2006) in her book "The Trouble Between Us" expresses how the women civil right movements failed to take down roots in the United States. Breines revealed that the women changes got stimulated by the naivety of the civil rights. Women got sensitized in developing the second wave of feminism movements believed to be the bedrock principle in the universal sisterhood and color-blind democracy (Breines, 2006). The focus of the second wave feminism was later deemed unbeneficial to the women as their hopes sunk. They were unable to create a cohesive, unified movement, and their dreams remained subtle and consented (Breines, 2006). There were many reasons attributed to the failure of these movements.
The African American women were pushing forward towards a government that had a color-blind democracy (Breines, 2006). This was to mean that their hopes in the Democratic government were their integration into it. Women integration into the politics was not based on their color, race, religion or ethnicity (Lorber, 2001). The idealism of color-blind democracy was to eliminate the feminism discriminations that swept over the United States. Women got discriminated in many social, political aspects. To start with, women got denied the chance for voter registration in the country (Breines, 2006). Women were discriminated at their workplaces and during buying or renting houses in the country. Additionally, segregation of women and young girls in schools especially the African Americans was high during those days (Joseph, 2013). Women got barred from entry into the US with exceptions of the Northern European and Germanic groups.
Accommodation facilities were made hard to acquire by the African American women. Furthermore, African American women were discriminated on basis or originality, religion, sex, and color (Joseph, 2013). The aim of attaining a color-blind democracy was to eliminate all these gender discrimination vices and promote women equality in the society. They looked forward to the incorporation of women in the voting process through registration of women as voters (Lorber, 2001). Furthermore, they campaigned for gender equality in all employment opportunities in the country. The movements also looked forward to attaining a society whereby a woman has the right to safe housing and accommodation.
The movements also looked forward to the elimination of gender segregation of females in schools as well as opening up of the US borders for the immigrants without any form of discrimination (Joseph, 2013). These were their main goals in their radical movements. The movements gained recognition both socially and politically, leading to honoring of their objectives. The movements had financiers such as the labor movements, politicians like Lyndon, Hubert, and modern denominations (Vara, 2009). They waged their campaigns through peaceful demonstrations, marches and bus boycotts (Joseph, 2013). These protests earned them favor and recognition in the society as well as political. Their efforts bore fruits when the constitution was revised to incorporate their needs such as duplicate voter registration, equality in the workplace, accommodations, schools and the borders were opened up for the immigration women (Joseph, 2013).
For the white women, who become feminists, had an objective of universal sisterhood (Breines, 2006). This aimed at unifying both the white and the black African American women. The black and the white women were supposed to act together in achieving their objectives of the movement nuts. The white women, however, practiced the second wave feminism that aimed. According to Breines (2006), the universal sisterhood was never achieved. The white feminists realized that their idealism was defective, and there was trouble between them (Breines, 2006). The black women were not welcome in the second wave feminism by the white feminists and got repelled by local racia...