Civil Rights and Women's Liberation

Compare and Contrast the Articles Dimensions of Citizenship and Struggles against Injustice - Redstockings

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Both articles indicate the struggles that the US has had as people fought for civil rights and the freedom of women. They both list different movements, actions and Acts that since been established to bring to an end racial discrimination, oppression against women and promotion of equity in the nation. Both articles discuss the groups and people involved in the fight for a better America.

The article, Dimensions of Citizenship, gives the life story of Pauli Murray who grew up in abject poverty but rose to graduate from a prestigious law school and join in the fight for civil rights and the freedom of women. While growing up, Murray witnessed the oppression of the Nazis in Germany and the Negroes in America. In 1938, her application to the University of South Carolina was rejected under state law due to her racial background. She turned into social activism to air her voice on racial segregation in the country. In her endeavors to fight for those who were oppressed, she caught the attention of Leon Ransom who helped her acquire admission and scholarship into Howard University to pursue law.

Murray's autobiography is filled with accounts of her fights to end racism and sexism in the US. She is remembered for singlehandedly linking civil rights to the quest for women's freedom. According to her, women were denied jobs, better wages and equality at their work places simply because of their gender. She recognized that men were given better treatment in every sector; economically, socially and politically. According to Murray, men were no better than women. She insisted that is women were given equal chances with men, they would do better. As a lawyer, Murray had an upper hand in fighting for people. Most of her cases involved defending women who had been ill treated at their places of work or at home. She was also highly involved in civic education as she sought to promote equality in the nation.

The article, Struggles against Injustice, narrates how one group, Redstockings involved itself in the fight for a better nation. The group believed that many voices are stronger than one voice. It operated without leadership as the members believed that the group would be stronger if it did not rely on a few individuals to make decisions. Most importantly, the group conducted itself in a democratic manner in its planning, decision making and actions. The fight social action that the group involved itself in was the Miss America protest. It sought to reach out to a wider audience, both man and women, and educate them on the oppression of women in the society. The protest was aired by various media houses, with the Daily News coming out to support their slogans.

The group came up with a manifesto that would act as the groups guide in its actions. The manifesto identified the main oppressors towards women as men. The group believed that male domination in the society was the main cause of women oppression either socially, economically or politically. The group sought to reach out to all groups of women despite their racial or social background. It believed that empowering women to believe in themselves was the first step to ending their oppression in the society.