On September 27th, 2015, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.) gave a speech at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, advocating for the continuing fight for racial justice in America, and making parallels between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the Black Lives Matter Movement today. “Entrenched racist power did everything it could to sustain the oppression of African Americans and violence was its first tool. Lynchings, terrorism, intimidation” said Senator Warren. She added African-Americans were oppressed by being denied the right to vote and the denial of economic opportunities because of the color of their skin. For these reasons, the emergence of the middle class in America…
On September 27th, 2015, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA.) gave a speech at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate, advocating for the continuing fight for racial justice in America, and making parallels between the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and the Black Lives Matter Movement today.
“Entrenched racist power did everything it could to sustain the oppression of African Americans and violence was its first tool. Lynchings, terrorism, intimidation” said Senator Warren. She added African-Americans were oppressed by being denied the right to vote and the denial of economic opportunities because of the color of their skin. For these reasons, the emergence of the middle class in America largely left African-Americans behind. “Coming out of the Great Depression, America built a middle class, but systematic discrimination kept most African-American families from being part of it.”
The passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 helped dismantle many modes of oppression used on African-Americans, but the systematic racism still remains prevalent over fifty years later in America. Warren cites that the civil rights laws “made three powerful declarations: Black lives matter. Black citizens matter. Black families matter.” Senator Warren took a bold step in supporting the notion that black lives matter; a stance every other politician has been hesitant to do in the wake of opposing forces responding that “all lives matter” and labeling the black lives matter movement as one driven by hate and terrorism, despite any acts of terror being advocated for or provoked by leaders of Black Lives Matter organizations. Senator Warren’s speech reaffirms the belief that the Black Lives Matter movement is a part of a necessary fight for equality.
This past year alone has seen the deaths of several unarmed black men and women in America; Sandra Bland, Freddie Gray, Samuel Dubose-the list goes on. People of color are tacitly presumed to be violent criminals, stripped of their humanity in the callous process, and all too often their lives as well. Senator Warren added, “none of us can ignore what is happening in this country. Not when our black friends, family, neighbors literally fear dying in the streets. Listen to the brave, powerful voices of today’s new generation of civil rights leaders. Incredible voices. Listen to them say: “If I die in police custody, know that I did not commit suicide.” Watch them march through the streets, “hands up don’t shoot” – not to incite a riot, but to fight for their lives. To fight for their lives.”
As a solution, Senator Warren calls for police reform in making police forces work for the communities they patrol. “Police forces should look like, and come from, the neighborhoods they serve. They should reach out to support and defend the community – working with people in neighborhoods before problems arise,” said Senator Warren. “We honor the bravery and sacrifice that our law enforcement officers show every day on the job – and the noble intentions of the vast majority of those who take up the difficult job of keeping us safe. But police are not occupying armies. This is America, not a war zone-and policing practices in all cities-not just some-need to reflect that.”
By ensuring voting rights, economic justice, and reforming police departments so that violence is no longer socially prescribed towards African-Americans, America can begin to make further progress from what the Civil Rights Act aimed to achieve. Senator Warren’s speech is a stark force against opposition of the black lives matter movement, and those that view allegations of racism as oversensitive or erroneous. These constant and ubiquitous claims of racism in America are not predicated on mere assumptions or myths. They are dark realities embedded in our culture. Senator Warren closed her speech stating, “The first civil rights battles were hard fought. But they established that Black Lives Matter. That Black Citizens Matter. That Black Families Matter. Half a century later, we have made real progress, but we have not made ENOUGH progress. As Senator Kennedy said in his first floor speech, “This is not a political issue. It is a moral issue, to be resolved through political means.” So it comes to us to continue the fight, to make, as Congressman John Lewis said, the “necessary trouble” until we can truly say that in America, every citizen enjoys the conditions of freedom.”
— This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
This article is from –
Senator Elizabeth Warren Boldly Emphasizes Importance of Black Lives Matter
