Julius Davis social movement started on inspiration and a very clear vision of his life and his position in his community. He went from stoner  to President of the U.S Student Association, inspired by Malcolm X speech “The Ballot or the Bullet”; his whole concept about studying changed and he enrolled in college, thirsty to read and learn more.  Loeb describes “Julius picture of himself and his vision of what he world could be emerged as he acted.” (Loeb, 1999, p.66).

Alison Smith, a simple Connecticut housewife, was inspired to attend a town meeting when a developer broke the rules about the wetland regulations. Alison took the first step of involvement just by attending the meeting and speaking out about her concern, and she found out other neighbors were thinking the same thing.  This meeting would be the first of many activists activities and it only took her involvement and vision to make the other social movements, sustainable.

Meredith Segal , like other activists started to be involved in  her community, recognizing the issues and find solutions one at the time. When she attended college, she created a Facebook page on Barack Obama, to support his campaign. Friends joined, and people continued to reach out on Facebook. This is an example of determination and conviction Meredith had about her believes, resulting in people joining her cause, who at the same time had same ideas but could not start on their own.

The three leaders of these social movements have three things in common: regular citizens with  sense of community involvement,  and strong conviction of her own values.

Loeb, P. (1999 (2nd ed.)). Soul of a citizen, Living with conviction in challenging times. New York NY: St, Martin's Griffin.

Core values and Social Movement

I believe in most cases, social involvement is taught at home through core values. In fact, Loebe states " families with strong ties to friends and neighbors may instill in their children an appreciation of community. Parents with strong faith traditions often transmit a powerful sense of the importance of caring and compassion." (Loeb, 1999, p.71). You are taught at home, to be nice to your brothers and sisters, to tell the truth and be nice to other kids, even stand up to those who are bad. When you grow up, the field may be a little different but the core values are applied the same, demonstrating appreciation of community by taking a stand against injustice and violation of rights.

What do you think made these common people, with curiosity and intensity to make a change and do so, make what they fought for sustainable? Do you think that the things they fought for is something they have devoted a lot of their life span to doing? Or do you think, especially the woman who made a Facebook page for Obama, will continue to fight for him even this time around?

I believe each case is different because some of these "common" people were not planning on starting a social movement, just express something that bothered them. What made some of these social movements sustainable, was the people around this person who saw that "spark" needed to inspire new followers and join the cause.
Talking about the woman who started the Facebook page for Obama, I am not sure what she would do these days because, I do not know if she is the typical follower who is 100%  blinded and who will not recognize bad decisions her favorite candidate might make, or if she is objective and is able to discern between a good or bad decision.

What if any conviction exist in your life, you feel deserves a social stance?

This is a tricky question because a strong conviction on something can be good or bad. For instance, the members of the KuKuxKlan have the strong conviction black, Catholics, and Jewish people should be ban from all rights and go back to where they belong. The group is strong because of the strong conviction these members share, yet, it is a horrible social movement and they express the most horrendous things about other racial backgrounds; I am amazed the freedom of speech allows them to be verbally violent toward others. So no, I do not think every conviction deserves a social stance.

Collective Action for Social Change

Collective Action for Social Change

In this essay I will discuss Loeb’s reflection on Rosa Parks for an example of individual versus collective efforts to promote social change. Subsequently, I will review “ Youth, Identity, and Power”, an article  written by Carlos Munoz Jr., about the Chicano Student , which lead to the Chicano Power Movement  of the 1960s. I will compare and analyze both movements, what did the collective accomplished and it what ways group involvement caused these movements to be sustainable.

            Rosa Parks earned the title of “mother of the civil rights movement” when she refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. However, this was not the first act of social movement Parks had, since she was involved with her local NAACP for twelve years. While enrolled in other activist groups, Parks learned about another bus boycott that had great success two years prior to her bus boycott. At first sight, everybody would agree Rosa Parks was the first woman taking a first step to fight discrimination against African Americans but Loeb states “ Park’s decision didn’t come out of nowhere. Nor did she shingle-handedly give birth to the civil rights movement. Rather, she was part of a longstanding effort to create change.” (Loeb, 2010, p.2).

Consequently, the successful social movement to defend African Americans’ rights was the result of many people working together to accomplish a goal. Like Rosa Parks, other people such as E . D Nixon, teachers, and African American community were part of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Cars Porters, working for their civil rights. Loeb discusses a very interesting point about the importance of understanding there are no special individuals with the ability to make changes, but everyone who is committed to do so.

The Chicano Movement is another example of how united the group was and how long they worked to accomplish what Mexican Americans enjoy today. It all started on March 1968, when over a thousand students walked down the streets of East Los Angeles, and by the end of the day ten thousand students had join the movement, which lasted a week and a half. This students created such a strong movement “it disrupted the largest school district in the nation and captured front-page headlines and national attention.” (Loeb, 2010, p.12).  

The strike organizers were facing time in jail for conspiracy and influenced other youth of the militancy generated by the high school where it all started. The result was another student strike that at the same time lead, to new major youth organizations, the Chicano Power Movement. Eventually, this movement spread across the United States and grew strong, not only because those thirteen students who were tired of racist teachers,  among other things, but because they attracted more activists to join their cause; if those thirteen organizers would have never spread their cause and had good organization skills, the cause would have ended in jail with them.

In conclusion, Rosa Park and Chicano Power Movement’s analysis show a clear understanding of how much can be accomplished collectively rather than individually. For this reason, social movements are stronger, causing them to be sustainable and with positive results. Of course we cannot underestimate the individual who originally starts the cause because, it takes only one person to stand for the right cause to make others fight for it as well. But in the end, the more people for the same cause, the more will get from authorities and politicians.

References

Loeb, P. (1999 (2nd ed.)). Soul of a citizen, Living with conviction in challenging times. New York NY: St, Martin's Griffin.

The Golden Rule

Often times I forget things that I do to others no matter if they are intentionally or not, hurt people just as it would hurt me. In fact, all religions have the rule of ethic of reciprocity and even though these are express in different words, they all come down t o the same conclusion: Do not do to others what you would not want them to do to you. Here are some of the scriptures:
 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
1. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Leviticus 19.18
Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.
2. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 7.12
Not one of you is a believer until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.
3. Islam. Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi 13
A man should wander about treating all creatures as he himself would be treated.
4. Jainism. Sutrakritanga 1.11.33
Try your best to treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself, and you will find that this is
the shortest way to benevolence.
5. Confucianism. Mencius VII.A.4
One should not behave towards others in a way which is disagreeable to oneself. This is the essence
of morality. All other activities are due to selfish desire.
6. Hinduism. Mahabharata, Anusasana Parva 113.8
Tsekung asked, "Is there one word that can serve as a principle of conduct for life?" Confucius
replied, "It is the word shu--reciprocity: Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to
you."
7. Confucianism. Analects 15.23
Leviticus 19.18: Quoted by Jesus in Matthew 22.36-40 (below). Mencius VII.A.4 and Analects
15.23: Cf. Analects 6.28.2, p. 975.
World Scripture - The Golden Rule Page 1 of 3
http://www.unification.net/ws/theme015.htm 3/18/2008Comparing oneself to others in such terms as "Just as I am so are they, just as they are so am I," he
should neither kill nor cause others to kill.
8. Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 705
One going to take a pointed stick to pinch a baby bird should first try it on himself to feel how it
hurts.
9. African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Proverb (Nigeria)
One who you think should be hit is none else but you. One who you think should be governed is
none else but you. One who you think should be tortured is none else but you. One who you think
should be enslaved is none else but you. One who you think should be killed is none else but you.
A sage is ingenuous and leads his life after comprehending the parity of the killed and the killer.
Therefore, neither does he cause violence to others nor does he make others do so.
10. Jainism. Acarangasutra 5.101-2
The Ariyan disciple thus reflects, Here am I, fond of my life, not wanting to die, fond of pleasure
and averse from pain. Suppose someone should rob me of my life... it would not be a thing pleasing
and delightful to me. If I, in my turn, should rob of his life one fond of his life, not wanting to die,
one fond of pleasure and averse from pain, it would not be a thing pleasing or delightful to him. For
a state that is not pleasant or delightful to me must also be to him also; and a state that is not
pleasing or delightful to me, how could I inflict that upon another?
As a result of such reflection he himself abstains from taking the life of creatures and he
encourages others so to abstain, and speaks in praise of so abstaining.
11. Buddhism. Samyutta Nikaya v.353
A certain heathen came to Shammai and said to him, "Make me a proselyte, on condition that you
teach me the whole Torah while I stand on one foot." Thereupon he repulsed him with the rod
which was in his hand. When he went to Hillel, he said to him, "What is hateful to you, do not do to
your neighbor: that is the whole Torah; all the rest of it is commentary; go and learn."
12. Judaism. Talmud, Shabbat 31a
Sutta Nipata 705: Cf. Dhammapada 129-130, p. 478. Acarangasutra 5.101-2: Cf. Dhammapada
129-130, p. 478. Samyutta Nikaya v.353: The passage gives a similar reflection about abstaining
from other types of immoral behavior: theft, adultery, etc. To identify oneself with others is also a
corollary to the Mahayana insight that all reality is interdependent and mutually related; cf. Guide
to a Bodhisattva's Way of Life 8.112-16, p. 181; Majjhima Nikaya i.415, p. 465.
World Scripture - The Golden Rule Page 2 of 3
http://www.unification.net/ws/theme015.htm 3/18/2008"Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" Jesus said to him, "You shall love the Lord
your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and
first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two
commandments depend all the law and the prophets."
13. Christianity. Bible, Matthew 22.36-40
Matthew 22.36-40: Cf. Deuteronomy 6.4-9, p. 55; Leviticus 19.18, p. 173; Luke 10.25-37, p. 971;
Galatians 6.2, p. 974; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.2, p. 972; Sun Myung Moon, 9-30-79, p. 150.
World Scripture - The Golden Rule Page 3 of 3.


Wilson, A. (Ed.). (1991). The golden rule. In World scripture: A comparative anthology of sacred texts. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House. 
Used by permission. Wilson, A. (1998).World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House.

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