Collective Action for Social Movements
Collective Action Accomplished what an Individual could not
There is strength in numbers, or as you would have it collective action. Rosa Parks will be forever remembered as the African American woman who refused to give up her seat to her Caucasian counterparts. Still, the fact of the matter is that, perhaps, without her longstanding involvement with the NAACP she would not have been so inspired. But is Rosa Parks the mother of that movement? Just maybe, the rightful mother of that movement would be the pregnant mother- to- be who had refused to give up her seat the previous spring. Surely her inability to be the poster candidate did not stop the idea from being planted (Loeb, 2010).In addition, Parks involvement with the NAACP had caused her to gain knowledge of a previous bus boycott. Thus, without the support (collective action) of the NAACP, and exposure to her fellow civil rights fighters’ actions; Rosa Parks may not have been a name edged in history. It takes all the spokes in the wheel to give support or it may collapse, and the journey fails (Loeb, 2010). Even so, Rosa parks and all who assisted her was just a small part of the civil rights movement on a whole. What was accomplished could not have been done by one person or small group. It took collective action.
For example, social movements have more power than any one person. A social movement is a collective effort of social activists so to speak. From this base of social movement collective actions may be initiated to influence state, and federal decision makers. So, in this light, it was the collective efforts that cause laws to change; and, not any one unit per se. So too, it was collective efforts of various social movements that cause legislation of desegregation (Goldberg, 2010).
Ways in which Collective Action Caused these Movements to be Sustainable, or have Long-lasting Impact
Social movements are likely to have longer lasting impacts because of the magnitude of collective action. If a person takes on a cause but fail to generate the sufficient supporters, when he or she dies, the cause may die also. Thus, it is with the benefit of mobilizing, structuring, and training that social movement longevity is achieved. Since, these social movements are more likely to transcend time. Please pay attention! Take for example, the NAACP and its role in “Irene Morgan v Commonwealth of Virginia” (Hague, 2010, p. 341). As the story goes Morgan refused to give up her seat to a Caucasian couple for which she was arrested. She was traveling interstate. However, with the help of Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Morgan won the case. So, it was Morgan’s case that inspired the original freedom rides in 1946 (Hague).The Importance of Collective Acton to the Movement’s success
Moreover, the point is, had it not been for Thurgood Marshal and the NAACP, Morgan may not have even known how to address the court. As well as, the ability of the NAACP as an organization to address such issues; which in turn crafted the Rosa Parks incident nine years later. It is the movements’ ability to attract diverse groups that gives it long-lasting impact. Group involvement creates diversity which brings in like amount of knowledge. “Before decisions can be made and policies enacted on any given issue it must first garner the attention of political decision makers” (Johnson, 2008, p. 972). This is where groups like the NAACP come in, as in the case with Morgan. Groups like these can help set the agenda going forward.Therefore, collective action causes the movement to have long-lasting impact by employing the right members. By groups political involvement in taking important issues to congress they effect long-lasting changes. And, ultimately, because groups causes change where individuals may fail. In essence, groups help change unjust laws (Johnson, 2008). Let us do our bes t to apply these principles to the betterment of all. We can succeed as part of a collective action, or fail as an individual.
References
Hague, E. (2010). ‘The right to enter every other state’ – The supreme court and african american mobility in the united states. Mobilities, 5, (3), 331-347.
Johnson, E. W. (2008). Social movement size, organizational diversity and the making of federal law. Social Forces, 86 (3), 967-993.
Loeb, P. R. (2010). Soul of a citizen: Living with conviction in challenging times (2nd ed.). New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
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