social movements, Democracy, & Free speech

The term civil rights movement describes both organized social movements and ad hoc mobilization and social action that advocate for equal treatment and protection under the law. In the 1970s, many civil-society organizations, groups, and individuals participated in the fight for equal treatment in Norway. The US Civil Rights Movement (ca. 1954-1968) was a multi-faceted political context with diverging strategies and viewpoints, spanning from philosophies of non-violence to Black-Power, self-defense, and militancy.

Global Protests. A Global Civil Rights Movement?

Protest is a crucial and legitimate form of political participation, collective action, and a political language of free speech. In the US and in nearly every region of the world, citizens have protested the killing of George Floyd (46) and demanded justice for African-Americans and victims of racism, police violence, and inequality in the US around the world.

Protests and demonstrations are exercises of free speech and democratic principles. In these acts of political mobilization communities and citizens control the power to define issues. The use of posters, costumes, speeches, singing, chanting, music, drumming and other instruments/objects to are crucial expressive strategies that people use to promote their unfiltered messages the fellow citizens, the government, and the world.

rediscovering the story of Civil Rights in Norway

In Norway, the protest We can’t breathe. Justice for George Floyd 5.6.2020 (organized by African Student Association and Arise) is part of a long tradition of political engagement for antiracism and structural inequality.

On October 5, 1976, immigrant organizations, workers, and antiracism allies organized a demonstration against racism and discrimination in Oslo. The important issues of the day were equal treatment in housing, employment, the media, and obtaining resident and work permits. In 1975, the Norwegian parliament, Stortinget, implemented “Innvandringsstopp”— halting immigration, reportedly to limit labor immigration. For “foreign workers,” this legislation also threatened the possibility of family reunification. The 1976 demonstration in Oslo protested this policy and the emerging racism and structural inequality in Norwegian society.

The power to define—Self, Society & history

The power to define the facts, experiences, and history that constitute one’s view of self, society, and daily life is essential. Definitional power can influence how individuals relate to belonging, self-representation, and inclusion in society. There are many stories to rediscover, document, and teach about the civil rights movement in Norway.