The civil rights movement took place in the second half of the 20th century and lasted for decades. It started due to the African Americans’ unwillingness to live in the world that is focused on racial segregation. These individuals wanted to have equal rights with the white population of the USA, so they developed a movement due to which they managed to obtain voting rights, gain better job options, and started using the same transport means and education facilities as whites.
The civil rights movement seems to continue even today because the citizens of the USA emphasize the necessity of equality and their willingness to overcome all types of discrimination. Communication played a powerful role during this movement. The media, in particular, provided the US population with the information about the associated events and affected people’s ideas and perceptions, as it had an opportunity to influence their emotions through particular phrases and photos. The resource mobilization theory can be considered as the most appropriate sociological theory that can be used to discuss the selected social movement. This fact can be explained by the cause of the movement.
It was not the frustration experienced by all African Americans that made them act; it was their gathering and mobilization. The leaders created unions, communities, and organizations that shared their views and were willing to start fighting for their rights. The civil rights movement can be partially treated as a new social movement because it focused on the problems related to human rights. Currently, it can be associated with the movement Black Lives Matter, which deals with racism against African Americans. However, the civil rights movement also focused on the necessity to increase job opportunities, for instance, which is close to the issue of economic well-being.
