Introduction to Blogpage A –
"In Search of The Movement”

“THE MOVEMENT”

Every society faces problems of injustice and inequity, with one group benefiting from domination over others. In the United States the number of oppressive “isms” seems almost endless: racism, classism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, nationalism, environmentalism, and the list goes on.

On the positive side, there is always resistance - organized efforts to challenge and overcome these “isms”. In our nation’s history, no matter how depressing the bad news of injustice, there has always been good news in the power of resistance to oppression. During the second half of the 20th century, perhaps more than any other time in Unites States history, a spectacular number of movements were born to challenge oppression.  The struggle against racism alone produced the Civil Rights Movement, the American Indian Movement, the Chicano Movement, the Farmworker Movement, etc. And during the same time period, other movements were organized against other oppressions: The Anti-War Movement against militarism, the Womanist and Feminist Movements against sexism, the LGBTQ Movement against heterosexism, etc.

Even more importantly, you can make a connection between all these movements and see that all these struggles are interrelated. When you add the power of all of these movements together, you get something very large and strong called “THE MOVEMENT”, an interconnected and unifying idea that describes the interrelationship of all efforts to organize against injustice, shaping a vision of a single liberating path toward justice and peace in our society and in the world.

I’m assuming the majority of people reading this blog are personally identified and involved with one or more of these movements. Some people relate simultaneously to many movements; others, myself included, are focused on one particular issue more than others.  At the same time, while my primary concern is anti-racism, I am aware of the interrelationship between this issue and other justice issues. And I celebrate that others have deep involvement in these other issues.

Do you have a primary focus on one justice struggle more than others, that you identify as your principle concern? Even if you have little time to pay much attention to other issues, and no matter how important your primary issue, are you aware how it is interconnected with and inseparable from other struggles for justice? Are you aware of the power of The Movement?

Some people think of The Movement as something that happened in the past and it is done and gone. They feel that they have left The Movement behind, or that the Movement has left them behind. On the other hand, others have deep faith that the Movement is still happening now. I believe the movement is alive and growing, even as it takes on new forms and goes through many changes. It appears, and then seems to disappear, but you can still feel it in the common heartbeat of society’s oppressed. Even though there are no instruments to measure where it has been or where it is going or when and in what form it is coming back, it still lives in the collective work of uncounted participants and supporters. It comes alive on the streets, its fervor felt in the faces of angry and protesting demonstrators. The Movement has often been arrested and put on trial, but it has never been permanently incarcerated. It is displayed and discussed in college and university classrooms, but its existence is not determined by academic debate. At the very center of The Movement are the dogged efforts and strategies of thousands of organizers and organizations that are determined one day to overcome every “ism” and all forms of oppression.

SEARCHING FOR THE MOVEMENT IN
THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Where is The Movement moving today? Does it exist only because we believe in it? Or is it scientifically measurable? Can it be detected and documented? Is it recordable, photographable? Can it be interviewed? Can you see it from the outside, or do you only know it when you are on the inside? Will we be able to say tomorrow, “I saw it yesterday, but only recognized it today”?

My goal for this page and its individual blogs is to provide space for exploration of the Movement and its many components. On this page, I will look for signs of movement – past, present and future. This will not be a well-organized or well-ordered venture, but rather an instinctive response to everyday events.  There are three other Pages in this website that promise a more disciplined focus: Blogpage B: Race, Racism and Anti-Racism, Blogpage C: Racism and Anti-Racism in the Church, and Blogpage D: Places Where I’ve Done Time. However, this Blogpage A: In Search of The Movement has a more comprehensive reach, a wandering exploration dealing with a wide variety of subjects. While the subjects of racism, anti-racism and the church are my primary involvements in justice work, their real meaning becomes obvious only in the larger context of The Movement. Time will tell whether I find a little or a lot to say about this broad subject that is relevant to readers.

As is the case with the other Pages in my website, you will be notified each time a new contribution to “In Search of The Movement” appears (assuming I have your email).