Jul 30, 2020
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 30, 2020) – This summer, the United States has seen nationwide demonstrations and protests in light of, among other things, the killing of George Floyd during an arrest in Minneapolis on may 25th. Local protests quickly spread across the country, and the New York Times cited polls that estimated, as of July 3rd, between 15 and 26 million people had participated at some point in the demonstrations, making them the largest in U.S. history.
On this week’s episode of Behind the Blue, UK Assistant Professor of History Dr. Eladio Bobadilla discusses these movements, and helps provide some context to what we’re seeing. “Historically, only sustained, prolonged, well-organized movements have accomplished meaningful political and social change,” explains Dr. Bobadilla, discussing the arc of social movements. “Successful movements take time, they take pressure, they take criticism, they take organization, and they take sacrifice. I think if I were to sum up the history of social movements, when a movement succeeds those are the elements that it requires.”
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