Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights Term Paper

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Updated: Mar 6th, 2024

Introduction

It can be argued that most of the significant gains in the struggle for civil rights movements are won by people rather than processes (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.24). Alongside inconceivable odds and often at great deal risk, activists in the freedom struggle have won victories that have positively impacted their own lives as well as those of their neighbors and future generations (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.24).

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There are various strategies (tactics) used by women in the struggle for civil rights including peaceful protest demonstrations, legal action against the authorities, work boycotts, bus boycotts, sit-ins, freedom rides to social movements among others (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.24).

Women in the struggle for civil rights normally mobilize thousands of people whereby they utilize this large group of individuals so as to carry out peaceful demonstrations (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.47). In order to mobilize many demonstrators, these women usually raise fund enough from individual donors, charity organizations, non-governmental organizations, companies as well as the government. The fund so raised through the above means is used to prepare these demonstrations. During the preparation process the women usually print t-shirts or other outfits which are written some of the things they feel are not okay with authorities. They also hold meetings with key stakeholders so as to arrange how these demonstrations shall be carried out. In some situations these women normally employ mean such as the media and other publicity protocols to announce to the general public when and where such demonstration shall take place. They also distribute t-shirts and other outfits to the demonstrators. After everything is set these women lead demonstrators whereby they march as big group through the common streets to the offices of the authorities so as to hand in their grievances, in most cases in a written document.

Women in the struggle for civil rights can also seek a legal resolve for a matter they feel is against the rights of civil society (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.49). Since all of them can not go to court of law to sue the authorities violating civil rights in question they choose a representative. In most cases one of them who is by profession a lawyer is chosen as a representative and in case where no member is competent enough to present them, these women look for legal services from a law firm whereby they assign an advocate a duty of representing them in a court of law. In this case, they file a case against the authorities who are violating civil rights. In their plaint the women give reasons as to why a certain policy in place is violating the civil rights. And in this perspective they demand the authorities to reverse some policies the authority has implemented or bar some policies from being passed which they feel are in violation of civil rights (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.49).

In other instants, women in the struggle for civil rights can also file a case in a court of law demanding the lawmakers to enact some policies of which they feel when passed will protect the civil society from some atrocities of the authorities as well as others (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.49). This normally happens when they find it essential to enact some new laws in the constitution or amendment the constitution in some way in order to protect particular civil rights.

In some cases women in the struggle for civil rights can as well lobby behind the legislators who in return take their grievances in the parliament (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.56). For this case the lawmakers debate the issues concerning the civil rights in question in an effort to determine whether it was necessary to create laws or review them with respect to the issues raised by women in the struggle for civil rights.

Women in the struggle for civil rights also call for work boycotts for their members as well as those they can influence (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.59). This is whereby these women call for a nationwide work strike for all of their members as well as those who follow their cause in demanding some rights from the authorities. This is in order to paralyze some activities of the authorities so that they the authorities can bow down to their demands. For instance, their teaching members can boycott going to classes hence paralyze teaching in schools and since, basic education may be provided free by government this can force the government to accept the demands raised by women in the struggle for civil rights.

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Another strategy used by women in the struggle for civil rights is sit-ins (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.58). This is whereby the members of such organizations go and sit for a long period in the compounds of the authorities’ offices. In this way the authorities will see them and look for way of solving their problems. This is because while sitting in the authorities’ offices they cause disruptions to flow of work in such offices and thereby forcing the authorities to accept their cries.

Further, women in the struggle for civil rights can attend national conferences while carrying placards displaying some information for the leaders to read (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.58). In this way those in the authority will see the message the organization wishes to pass to them and acts on it. Conversely, while in such national gathering, they can sit in specific place and while there, they can heckle a leader who tries to tell the audience something which is in violation of civil rights.

Another strategy used by women in the struggle for civil rights is to distribute leaflets carrying some information to those in authority in public gatherings. Here, these women use their members and the general public to distribute the said leaflets to many individuals those in the authorities included.

Women in the struggle for civil rights can as well compose a song on which its message is intended to bar or call for specific policies to be passed to advance certain civil rights. These songs are normally sung in the public or in national gatherings whereby the message contained in those songs shall be heard by those in the authority and hence act on it.

Additionally, women in the struggle for civil rights can also publish some leaflets, brochures, magazines and the use of the internet to advance their grievances to the authorities (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.58). In this way some prints will carry the message which they want to pass. The leaflets or brochures so printed can be distributed to the public, so as to communicate the message they want to pass.

Another tactic employed by women in the struggle for civil rights is hunger strike. This usually happens when some members of civil rights movement are in custody. Here, these members refuse to eat while in jail. This as a result forces the prison administrators and those in authority to accept their ideology on particular civil rights issues their organization wants to be implemented.

Another method that can be employed by women in the struggle for civil rights is freedom rides (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.65). This is whereby the organizer mobilizes a big group of people with the aim of riding motorcycles or bicycles as group in order to demand from the authority to act on particular policies which are in violation of civil rights. In many cases the participants of this freedom ride usually perform this activity in the popular streets whereby through interruption of smooth flow of traffic they make the authority understand their grievances.

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Social movements are other strategies used by women in the struggle for civil rights in order to check the government on how it handles civil rights issues. This is whereby individuals form a civil rights organization in which the core mandate of organization is to look into issues of civil rights with the aim of advancing them.

Summary

In a situation in which all other lenient strategies have failed to bear any substantial reforms women in the struggle for civil rights can call for mass action against the authorities violating civil rights (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.56). This entails mobilizing of multitude of people who march toward the office of the authorities with a purpose of removing the bearers of the said offices from their positions. In many cases this results in violent encounters between the participants of the mass action with police. This is characterized by running battles between the police and the demonstrators. The riots police in this situation use tear gas among other means to disperse demonstrators and the demonstrators respond by throwing stones at them (Collier-Thomas & Franklin, 2001 p.56). The riot police normally arrest many demonstrators together with their leaders in an effort to contain the rioting mob. At the worst the police can resolve to fire live at the rioters. This in many cases results to loss of lives and many governments and o international human rights organizations do not encourage this kind of action by the police.

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IvyPanda. (2024, March 6). Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-in-the-struggle-for-civil-rights/

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IvyPanda. (2024) 'Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights'. 6 March.

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-in-the-struggle-for-civil-rights/.

1. IvyPanda. "Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-in-the-struggle-for-civil-rights/.


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IvyPanda. "Women in the Struggle for Civil Rights." March 6, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/women-in-the-struggle-for-civil-rights/.

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