The Black Lives Matter Movement

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A social justice movement is defined as “a group of diffusely organized people or organizations striving toward a common goal relating to human society or social change” (Dictionary.com). Social justice is ingrained in the history of the University of Maryland because of its proximity to Washington DC and its liberal affiliation. The most infamous protest at the University occurred in 1970. Thousands of demonstrators occupied and vandalized the University 's Main Administration building and ROTC offices, set fires all over the campus, and blocked Route 1, the main artery into College Park. Armed with bricks, rocks, and bottles, the protesters skirmished with police armed with riot batons, tear gas, and dogs (Kiger). In the past and present, …show more content…

The social justice movement began in 2016 and has since been controversial across the United States. The movement has a chapter at the University of Maryland and is frequently written about by students in The Diamondback . A student named Kyle Campbell expressed his opinion about the movement in an article titled “The Problem with Today’s Race War” In his article, Campbell states that he believes the Black Lives Matter movement has no purpose in modern society because laws that directly promote racism are nonexistent. He continues to write that the movement may actually cause more conflict between African Americans and the law enforcement because,“What it teaches young black children is that they should fear and fight the police and that every issue they ever face in their lives will be because of racism” (Campbell). This article was met with conflict when a student named Olaedo Onuh responded with the publication of a separate article. In this article, Onuh states, “The column ‘The problem with today 's race war’ is steeped in ignorance” (Onuh). The opinions these two students hold reflects the ongoing racial tension present in The Diamondback, and at the University of …show more content…

If the students on campus are content with the current state of race and diversity, would these protests be happening? If every student understood the Black Lives Matter movement and the necessity of racial equality, would The Diamondback produce columns that disregard the importance of the movement? Students protested against the war in Vietnam and segregation because they saw that something needed to be changed in society. In order to continue the social progression of our nation, we need to learn from these past events and acknowledge racial discrepancies in both institutions and in

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