The Crisis: The Power Of Black Lives Matter By Darryl Lorenzo Wellington

The Power of Attention In the 1960s and 1970s the South was deeply divided and full of tension over public integration. Darryl Lorenzo Wellington, a distinguished social critic today, has experienced these social tensions and he uses this exposure to help him write on these issues. In January of 2015, Wellington published The Crisis which contains a well known essay called “The Power of Black Lives Matter”. In this essay Wellington addresses the growing problem of systematical racism and how Black Americans are and should be fighting it. It is Wellington’s belief that the movement Black Lives Matter draws attention to systemic racism and is the key to changing our society. Alicia Garza, a founding member of Black Lives Matter, defines the

The main theme Wellington believes needs reconstruction is that class trumps race. In the Occupy of Wall Street people were enraged by the differences in class but ignored the pressing issue of systemic racism within the middle class. Wellington believes race is the underlying factor that impacts lives while class creates or diminishes opportunities (8135). For this reason race trumps class because the economic crisis of the middle class cannot be solved without “addressing the structural issues” within the middle class (8136). Wellington uses logos to support the claim that the middle class has structural issues. The examples he gives are “the segregated ghettos and large oasis of socio-economic hopelessness” (8136). The use of evidence and logic in the essay “The Power of Black Lives Matter” is persuasive to the reader because his ideas are clearly expressed. Because people can ignore these major issues while dramatizing the economic status of the upper 99 percent Wellington believes that they are undermining the Occupying of Wall Street movement and stops whatever good could have been achieved. A study was done by Black Americans as to who was discriminated against the most in the 99 percent and the anonymous answer was people of color. Is this a

Wellington points out that police brutality and tragedies such as the murders of Trayvon Martin, Garner, and Mike Brown are proofs that the movement Black Lives Matter is necessary. Wellington used these injustices to invoke pathos and not only calls upon blacks to embrace their identity and culture but also to address the fact that they are being deprived of their human rights. The emotions tied to this issue stir up anger and compassion because it is a fiercely debated topic. The use of pathos makes me personally want to stand up against these injustices and makes the movement Black Lives Matter more credible and thereby necessary in the reader’s