Social Change
Social Movements
A social movement often focuses on addressing a problem a certain community faces. Historic movements in the past have created a country that is more accepting and tolerant of the various people that were members of the country, and to us some of the change may seem ridiculous because we were born into a world where these social movements achieved a majority of what they set out to do. Women were given the right to vote, that may seem a bit silly to us—but back then, the patriarchy dominated the country and it was an extreme change for the country.
Unfortunately, the first and second waves of feminism lacked in creating an environment in which all women could be empowered—demonstrating how even though some movements have good intentions, they can be inadequate or even harmful.
One thing that the first and second wave movements did was exclude various women from the movement. If they weren’t white, cisgender, middle/upper class women they didn’t really have a place.
Looking at current movements though, there has been a shift towards attempting to be more inclusive, ergo more empowering for more people. At the marriage equality rally which I was super fortunate to be a part of, people of color took a stand and discussed their personal struggles being queer people of color. Even more recently, I have been able to be a part of the immigration reform rally, and there were people of all faiths, countries, genders, and even sexualities present. When a movement focuses on creating equality for all, especially among those in the community that carry more than one oppressed identity, it becomes a more powerful and more valid movement.
I feel confident that with the leaders of our floor today, and with our current generation, the future will be one that is more inclusive, accepting, and empowering for all people. We are all capable of creating huge waves of social change, but we should also all be conscious not to exclude people and perpetuate what we are fighting against.