509 - Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements Invited Session. New Directions in Black Movements: Structure, Leadership, and Black Twitter

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Description

The Movement for Black Lives gives sociologists a unique opportunity to examine a new era of black anti-racist activism. Unlike movements of the past, where women's and LGBTQ experiences of racial inequality were rarely central to the movement's narrative, activists in the Movement for Black Lives have been adamant about bringing their experiences front and center. This era has been characterized by looser, decentralized networks with many of the well-known movement representatives being under 30, women, and/or queer. Social media networking has been key to its creation and maintenance, with activists creating and disseminating their own images, videos, and reports from the frontlines of protests through platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Vine, and Periscope. This panel features the work of 5 scholars and activists who explore the impact of social media on contemporary organizing as well as the contours of non-traditional movement leadership and structure.

Sub Unit

• Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements

Session Organizer

• Kiana Cox, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Presider

• Kiana Cox, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Panelists

• Rose Brewer, University of Minnesota

• Diane Burkholder, One Struggle KC

• Natalie Patricia Byfield, St. John's University

• Candice C. Robinson, University of Pittsburgh

• Aisha Ariantique Upton, University of Minesota

Discussant

• Crystal Marie Fleming, SUNY Stony Brook