The State of Black America: Civil Rights

Quite possibly one of the most romanticized moments in American history, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s has struggled to find a place in the 21st century. The effectiveness of civil rights as modern-day mass movement has been lost in translation. Black and minority voters have found themselves unable to enter and engage in the major political discussions of the day; discussions that will undoubtedly impact present and future generations.

In her essay on the renewal of the Voting Rights Act in this year's State of Black America report, Dianne Pinderhughes, a professor of African-American Studies at the University of Illinois, says a failure to renew portions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that are set to expire this year does not endanger the right to vote itself, the debate goes to the heart of the right to exercise that right, and the level of participation among black voters.

But she makes the larger point that the question about whether black people would lose the right to vote "reflects the wariness with which many African American continue to consider their status. That sentiment has no doubt been strengthened by the vote-related controversies and results of the last two presidential elections."

On the matter of the effectiveness of a traditional civil rights movement, the report sees roadblocks due, in part, to the increasing inability of minorities to elect representatives attuned to their political needs. Public outcry from the black community on the most recent Supreme Court nominees fell upon deaf ears and the ongoing debate about voting irregularities are indicative of the perils that confront the civil rights community in America today.

But Pinderhughes says that for the traditional civil right movement to fully realize and expand on the legacy handed down by the great leaders of "The Movement," there needs to be a renewed urgency attached to the civil rights remedies designed to protect poor and traditionally disenfranchised communities.

And, she says, the movement must become more inclusive: "ridding itself of the remaining vestiges of male chauvinism and homophobia and utilize the energy of a diverse mix of more youthful African-American cultural and social groups most dramatically represented by the hip-hop community."

See More Details in an Abstract of the Urban League's Report

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