Ford School faculty by courtesy Christian Davenport writes in Business Insider that curbing police violence will require a sentiment more radical than what occurred at the end of the Civil Rights movement in the '60's. At that time, he says, "there was a sentiment that Black Americans had won, and it was then time for policymakers to take the baton put into action what protesters were fighting for."
Now, “there must be a ‘movement of movements,’ an all-encompassing effort to educate Americans, from top to bottom.”
The article, co-written with Sarah A. Soule of Stanford University, states, “It is not prudent to let people go behind closed doors and get to the serious business of governance without expanding the number of participants at the table and getting rid of the idea that only what takes place at the table is worth doing. We did this already and it did not turn out well. We need a new way.”
Their "movement of movements approach" (MoMa) “requires all hands on deck,” calling on not only politicians, advocates, and journalists to fulfil their traditional roles, but also on teachers and students, parents, artists, doctors and health care providers, clergy, researchers, graphic designers, and, yes, police.
They call on “all citizens (here and abroad) to take the Movements of Movements Pledge (#MoMaPledge): "We promise to devote a minimum of 10% of our time to learn about racism, coercion, and police violence, and use that knowledge to build an effective functioning democracy."
The full article can be read here.
Christian Davenport is a faculty by courtesy at the Ford School, Professor of Political Science and Faculty Associate at the Institute for Social Research, Research Professor at the Peace Research Institute Oslo and Elected Fellow at the American Association for the Arts and Sciences.
