Resistance to Oppression Essay Example

Currently in the United States various forms of oppression afflict people of color everyday. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been trying to amend this problem since the early 20th century. Their organization has defined oppression as confining minorities to the lower limit and outer edge in political, social, and economic aspects of life (Martin). The first strategy of resistance their organization should try to incorporate is education. Lawrence Blum, a philosophical writer for racial resistance, highlights three big points in his essay "Three Educational Values For a Multicultural Society." He states that the problems in our society can only be overcome by first educating our youth in a different way that stresses antiracism, multiculturalism, and a sense of community (565). If the systemic structures of racism are to be overcome people need to be educated in a way that does not promote keeping oppression in place. The second strategy of resistance that the NAACP should adopt is coalition. Manning Marable, who wrote an essay called "Beyond Racial Identity Politics: Toward a Liberation Theory for Multicultural Democracy," stated that only by joining forces with other people of color can African Americans gain freedom from systemic oppression (717). By examining these theories in a closer context, it will be easier to see how these theories fit an overall resistance plan for the NAACP that will conform with how they define oppression. Since the NAACP defines oppression as the marginalization of people of color, the first step to getting them into the system is by abolishing the system from its foundation. By this I mean that the NAACP needs to work for changing the curriculum in schools to advocate the teaching of antiracism, multiculturalism, and a sense of community. Blum states that institutional and social racism need to be rejected (566). The social aspect refers to overt racist actions and attitudes,