Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe
For those who have studied the black freedom struggle, it is a given that King’s legacy has not only been ‘whitewashed’ to neutralize its radical elements but also that this ‘sanitized’ version is used to undermine similar ones in the current movement for racial equality. This article, however, zoom...
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European Association for American Studies
2019-03-01
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| Series: | European Journal of American Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14395 |
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| author | Laura Visser-Maessen |
| author_facet | Laura Visser-Maessen |
| author_sort | Laura Visser-Maessen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For those who have studied the black freedom struggle, it is a given that King’s legacy has not only been ‘whitewashed’ to neutralize its radical elements but also that this ‘sanitized’ version is used to undermine similar ones in the current movement for racial equality. This article, however, zooms in on the ways in which today’s left-leaning black activists use the existence of this ‘sanitized’ version of King’s legacy to their advantage. Particularly the recent #ReclaimMLK campaigns in the USA and black engagement with King legacy projects in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands reveal how it can be used as a potent tool to justify contemporary protests. This provides valuable insights into the possible trajectory of 21st century black activism as well as the interrelation between the black freedom struggles on both continents. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-62a324ceedfe41b39cb9c33e0e0746b5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1991-9336 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-03-01 |
| publisher | European Association for American Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Journal of American Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-62a324ceedfe41b39cb9c33e0e0746b52025-01-06T09:08:58ZengEuropean Association for American StudiesEuropean Journal of American Studies1991-93362019-03-0114110.4000/ejas.14395Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western EuropeLaura Visser-MaessenFor those who have studied the black freedom struggle, it is a given that King’s legacy has not only been ‘whitewashed’ to neutralize its radical elements but also that this ‘sanitized’ version is used to undermine similar ones in the current movement for racial equality. This article, however, zooms in on the ways in which today’s left-leaning black activists use the existence of this ‘sanitized’ version of King’s legacy to their advantage. Particularly the recent #ReclaimMLK campaigns in the USA and black engagement with King legacy projects in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands reveal how it can be used as a potent tool to justify contemporary protests. This provides valuable insights into the possible trajectory of 21st century black activism as well as the interrelation between the black freedom struggles on both continents.https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14395civil rightsJr.Martin Luther King1968Black Lives Mattercollective memory |
| spellingShingle | Laura Visser-Maessen Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe European Journal of American Studies civil rights Jr. Martin Luther King 1968 Black Lives Matter collective memory |
| title | Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe |
| title_full | Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe |
| title_fullStr | Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe |
| title_full_unstemmed | Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe |
| title_short | Getting To That Promised Land: Reclaiming Martin Luther King, Jr. and 21st Century Black Activism in the United States and western Europe |
| title_sort | getting to that promised land reclaiming martin luther king jr and 21st century black activism in the united states and western europe |
| topic | civil rights Jr. Martin Luther King 1968 Black Lives Matter collective memory |
| url | https://journals.openedition.org/ejas/14395 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT lauravissermaessen gettingtothatpromisedlandreclaimingmartinlutherkingjrand21stcenturyblackactivismintheunitedstatesandwesterneurope |