In 1968, during the civil rights movement, there were very similar protests over people of color as there are today, however, they were addressed very differently. The first big event in regards to racial equality was the civil rights movement, specifically the March on Washington. This happened in 1963 and went down in history as a very peaceful and organized gathering to protest for jobs and freedom. The second impactful movement were the riots for black lives matter in 2020. These went down in history as a more violent and destructive protest. Both of these events had very different impacts on government and society. The differences in impacts could be due to the time in history, or possibly because of the forms of protest.

In order to understand current events and their impact on society, it is important to first understand history and similarities between current events and events from the past. Both of these events happened for different reasons and took very different strategies of protest. It is hard to tell if the Black Lives Matter protests were as successful as the March on Washington due to the fact that the March on Washington was 40 years ago and the BLM riots happened 1 year ago. Even though the notable riots only happened a year ago, the Black Lives Matter organization has been around for over 7 years (Black Lives Matter). Looking at all of the changes in government and society over the past 7 plus years of the BLM organization will be much more accurate than just the changes from the past year. 

To start, the March on Washington was a very important event in history that did a lot for the black community. One of the biggest moments in March in Washington, and in history in general, was Martin Luther King Junior’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech’. MLK’s speech was very influential because it was given during the civil rights movement, about black people and how they exist in society. In MLK’s speech, he says “We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality.”(I Have a Dream speech) That quote is very relevant to today’s issues. The BLM riots were sparked by police brutality. It is interesting to look at how society has evolved and nearly 40 years later society still has the same issues. 

In his speech, MLK also says “In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.” (I Have a Dream speech) This is the biggest difference between the protests in 1963 and 2020. The March on Washington was peaceful and although there was a police presence, there were very few issues and violence. The March on Washington took almost two years of planning by multiple organizations. There was a very formal plan put in place for the March on Washington. (Pamphlet of Final palms for the March on Washington...) For this reason, there were many sponsors and people who supported this movement. The March on Washington had a very detailed pamphlet explaining the motivation and goals behind the march. As one of the reasons for the protests, the pamphlet says “We march to redress old grievances and to help resolve an American crisis.”(Pamphlet of Final palms for the March on Washington...) The purpose of the protest was to be peaceful but effective. 

On the other hand, the Black Lives Matter protests all over America were not as organized or peaceful. The protests organized by many citizens consisted of people gathering, primarily in the main cities of each state. Although the protests had good intentions and started peacefully, they ended up very dangerous and violent. There was a very large police presence in these cities and they were armed with multiple forms of defense. The 2020 BLM riots were sparked by the killing of George Floyd and continued when other black people were killed by police officers (Black Lives Matter). Even though these gatherings were meant to protest murder, many murders ended up happening due to the protests. At least 25 Americans were murdered in the Black Lives Matter protests (At Least 25 Americans Were Killed during Protests…). Of the 25 reported deaths related directly to the black lives matter protest, 5 of the people were killed by law enforcement, 3 law enforcement officers were killed and 17 of the murders were civilians killing another civilian  (At Least 25 Americans Were Killed during Protests…). Not to mention all of the buildings, structures and houses destroyed and even burned to the ground  (At Least 25 Americans Were Killed during Protests…). 

In addition, it is important to recognize the circumstances in which each of these protests occurred. Both the March on Washington and the BLM protests were to protest racial discrimination and segregation. However, they were planned differently and sparked by different events. The Black Lives Matter riots were sparked by the death of George Floyd. This was a violent action, which was fought against with violence. The March on Washington happened due to years of segregation and neglect towards people of color. Some of the actions of society were violent towards people of color, others were more subtle, such as segregation laws and redlining. 

The events in 1963 were officially called March on Washington March for Jobs and Freedom. Although high rates of people of color were dying due to discrimination, the organizers found it more important to call it a march for jobs and freedom (Pamphlet of Final palms for the March on Washington...). Most likely, if you had asked someone who organized these events, a part of freedom is not having to live in segregation and fear of being murdered because of race. By using non-violent forms of protest and using a very specific and direct motive, this gave the protest higher attention and respect. By saying they wanted jobs and freedom, gave a clear, tangible goal that everyone, as a society could work towards. This led to immediate action that continued for several years. Some of the biggest effects of the March on Washington were the removal of segregation laws, meaning schools and public places were no longer segregated (March on Washington). The government also addressed voting rights and people of color started to be able to vote. All of the attention by media and society put pressure on political leaders to take action against racial segregation. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. This speech took away the idea that racism is acceptable in society (March on Washington) \. Before that, racism was just a part of society and in general, it wasn't viewed as ethically wrong. The opinions on this changed after 1963. MLK’s speech attacked racism and treated people as inferior. In addition, the minimum wage was raised, which mainly impacted people of color (March on Washington).

In contrast, the events in 2020 were sparked by violence and faced with violence. The goal of the BLM organization is “to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes'' (Black Lives Matter). Although this goal is clear and makes sense, it will be hard to judge if as a society, we will ever truly achieve this mission. How is it possible to ‘eradicate white supremacy’? White supremacy isn’t a law or fact, it is an idea formulated based on opinion and observations of society. There is no clear and flaw-proof way to prove that white supremacy is present in America’s society, therefore, there is no logical way to prove that white supremacy had been eradicated from society. In addition, another goal is to end race-based violence. Unfortunately, there is essentially no way to stop all violence and murder. It is also hard to judge what is race-based, is it a white police officer killing a black citizen? Is it any white person killing any person of color? Or perhaps any murder between people of different races? There are many flaws in the motives of the BLM movement, causing things to be very opinion-based and inconsistent. Despite the flaws, the Black Lives Matter movement has still had many impacts on society. Some of the notable successes of the riots in 2020 as well as the social media attention include several police officers arrested and held accountable for the murder of black citizens (Black Lives Matter Protests). Several confederate statues and symbols were removed from the public, especially from the south. The Confederate symbols were offensive to black people due to what it represents and the history of the confederacy (Black Lives Matter Protests). The police academy updated training and policy. For example, the ‘no-knock policy’, which allows police to break into a home or building without warning. Many police were also removed from school grounds, and schools just have security guards who are not armed (Black Lives Matter Protests). Worldwide attention and support was brought to the black lives matter movement. This put more pressure on American society to make a change and improve on the issues in society. Mass amounts of influencers and professional athletes showed support for BLM as well as many petitions were created (Black Lives Matter Protests).

Overall, during the civil rights movement, there were very similar protests over people of color as today, however, they were addressed very differently. The first big event in regards to racial equality was the civil rights movement, specifically the March on Washington. This happened in 1963 and went down in history as a very peaceful and organized gathering to protest for jobs and freedom. The second impactful movement were the riots for black lives matter in 2020. These went down in history as a more violent and destructive protest. Both of these events had very different impacts on government and society. The differences in impacts could be due to the time in history, or possibly because of the forms of protest.