Alienated Activism: Cycles of Black Contention and the Practice of Radical Politics

The Black Lives Matter movement is one of the most consequential social movements of our time, mounting the largest mass protest in American history in 2020.  Black people were motivated to action despite their alienation, which comprises experiences of anti-Blackness, police violence, and state neglect. We can understand the 2020 uprisings as emerging from years of sustained, on-the-ground organizing and political education across localities. Political scientist Elizabeth Jordie Davies will investigate how Black Americans’ alienation from the state informs Black political education, and ultimately, radical political action. She will conduct a mixed methods study, including archival research, interviews, and content analysis of news coverage of BLM advocacy.