DEI Movements
Black Lives Matter Movement
History
The Black Lives Matter Movement began approximately eight years ago after the death of Trayvon Martin. During this heart-wrenching time the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter began to circulate on social media platforms, primarily Twitter. From there grew a movement. On their website they describe themselves as a “global community working towards liberation and freedom”.
Current News
To celebrate their eight years the BLM Movement is asking for the people to share how they have felt the impact of the BLM movement by using the hashtag #BLM Anniversary on Twitter or calling 779-256-5463.
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The Gay Liberation Movement
History
The Gay Liberation Movement began in June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, NYC. Since then, the site of the riots in Stonewall have laid the foundation for the modern LGBTQ rights movement. In 2015, it was recognized as a National Historic Landmark.
Current News
In an effort to continue their fight for equal rights, LGBTQ leaders encourage people to spread the right message via social media using #UntoldPride to honor history and empower expression.
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HIV/AIDS Activism
History
In the 1980s, a mysterious disease erupted, primarily in the gay male and intravenous drug user communities. At first, the disease was called GRID: “Gay-Related Immune Deficiency.” As the disease spread to all segments of society, it was renamed AIDS. Millions of lives were lost to the disease worldwide. Throughout the 80s and 90s in the U.S. and internationally, the LGBT community as well as others mobilized against the poor government response to what was perceived as a “gay disease.” In 1987, the March on Washington for Gay and Lesbian Rights and later the “zaps” by ACT UP activists throughout the 1990s were some of the largest protests against discrimination of people with the disease in history.
Current News
ACT UP and many other groups from the 1990s continue to engage in activism relating to discrimination protections for people with HIV/AIDS. In the United States, the prevalence of the disease of African-American gay and bisexual men in the South remains as high as, if not higher than, the overall rate for gay/bi men and African-Americans in the 1980s and 90s. HIV/AIDS activists continue to push for further social acceptance of people with HIV/AIDS and urge researchers to pursue a cure.
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#MeToo Movement
History
#MeToo was founded by a Black woman by the name of Tarana Burke in 2005. Originally, the movement was founded as an avenue for women from disenfranchised backgrounds to speak out on their experiences of sexual assault. Since then, many female and male celebrities and other high-profile figures have come out and spoken on their experiences, raising awareness of sexual violence and allowing survivors to tell their stories in non-biased ways as possible.
Current News
#MeToo has exploded in popularity across virtually all social media platforms. The movement has been able to impact legislation on sexual assault and domestic violence and has lent a voice to those who otherwise were marginalized by their experiences.
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U.S. Immigrants' Rights Movement
History
Throughout the past century, different waves of immigration have impacted the U.S. With each successive wave, different approaches have emerged. In the past fifty years, the movement has placed its focus on protecting the rights of undocumented workers, streamlining the pathway for citizenship, protecting the rights of refugees, and ensuring that those who came to the U.S. as children have opportunities for citizenship.
Current News
Some of the primary goals of the movement as of right now are establishing a streamlined pathway to citizenship; ensuring that undocumented workers have the same legal protections as others; increasing the number of refugees permitted; and, the passage of the DREAM Act, a piece of legislation that has stalled since 2001 and would allow for undocumented young people who came as children to pursue citizenship through employment and higher education.
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The Immigrant Rights Movement (2004-present)
Standing Rock / Water is Life
History
The Water Is Life Movement has roots in the government’s previous attempts to take and repurpose Indigenous lands that are against the treaties of the various tribes. This was specifically prompted by the 2016-2018 installation of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), which was set to run through the Oglala Lakota and other Native territories.
Current News
The movement is currently cleaning up in the aftermath of multiple DAPL leakages prior to its shutdown. Additionally, it continues to push for governmental recognition and respect of Indigenous treaties, and prevent further construction of pipelines on and off Native lands.
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Water Is Life: Rise of the Mni Wiconi Movement
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW)
History
Originating in the 1990s, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s (MMIW) Movement has worked with multiple sectors (government and NGO) to raise awareness of and solve the cases of Native American women who have been murdered or have gone missing. Though it has gained momentum in the U.S., the movement originated in Canada.
Current News
A database with statistical data is regularly updated. The movement’s current goals include pushes for greater government accountability in MMIW cases, and creating more culture-specific resources for Indigenous communities to address issues of domestic and sexual violence.
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Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival
History
Building upon the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s proposed March on Washington for 1968, the Poor People’s Campaign was created as a multiracial, multicultural response to poverty, food and job insecurity, systemic racism, and the lack of rights afforded to Indigenous peoples. In 2018, there was a physical march to commemorate the proposed 1968 march, with subsequent marches after. The 2020 and 2021 marches were virtual.
Current News
There are plans in the works to hold an in-person march in Washington, D.C. in June of 2022–the first time the march would have been in person for three years. Ther movement is currently conducting speaking tours and smaller marches nationwide, many of which are spearheaded by Rev. William J. Barber III.
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Disability Rights Movement
History
Coinciding with the Civil Rights and other movements, the Disability Rights Movement began in the 1960s and 1970s demanding equal access to education, housing, and employment for Disabled people. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the movement continued to push for legislation that protected the rights of Disabled people. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, as was an amendment to the Civil Rights Act that included disability as a protected class.
Current News
The movement continues to strive towards its original goals, as well as including Disabled people in government positions and in writing disability-related public policy. There is also an increased focus on media representation as well as continuation of the original goals outside of the United States.
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Self-Advocacy Movement
History
Originating in Sweden in the 1960s, the Self-Advocacy Movement was formed by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to advocate for the end of institutionalization, access to education and access to community life. Upon reaching the U.S. and Canada, the movement has been able to shrink the number of people with ID/D who are institutionalized and who attend segregated special education schools. In the U.S, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 in order to complement the ADA with specific protections for this group.
Current News
The Self-Advocacy Movement still continues to ensure people with ID/D have access to their local schools and communities. In recent years, there have been strides to help people with ID/D access competitive employment, higher education, smart home technology to reduce need for staffing, better communication methods for nonspeaking people, and better political organization.
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Anti-Apartheid Movement
History
From roughly the late-1950s to 1994, the anti-Apartheid Movement was an international campaign against Apartheid in South Africa. The movement was heavily-inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in the U.S. as well as anti-colonial struggles in various African countries. Countless individuals lost their lives to the far-right South African government that had enacted Apartheid legislation, which effectively segregated Black and White people in South Africa, as well as Asian immigrants. The movement had unofficially ended with the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994.
Current News
Though it is generally agreed-upon that the end of Apartheid had improved life for Black people in South Africa, there are still tremendous tribal, racial, and wealth-based inequalities present. Government corruption by South African leaders has kept many in a continuous cycle of poverty. Many have questioned whether the movement has truly secured racial justice in South Africa, as there are many issues that have yet to be resolved.
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The British Anti-Apartheid Movement
Despite Progress in South Africa After Apartheid, Problems Persist