Social Change Movement Examples

Social change movement is defined as the alteration of mechanisms within the social structure characterized by changes in cultural symbols, rules of behavior, social organizations, or value systems . In this context, the rule of behavior is the most readily recognizable aspect of social change attributed to an individual. Organized groups working towards a common injustice (such as police brutality), to create change (Arab Spring) or to provide a voice to those disenfranchised (civil rights movements) then become a formidable movement. Historical examples that have come to embody social changes they advocated for include Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. Contemporary examples of social changes include “Black Lives Matter” a movement aimed at ending police brutality in the U.S. and the Arab Spring which was a series of protests that began in Tunisia and spread to the Middle East and North Africa resulting in the ousting of rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen .

Rosa Parks was a black seamstress born in 1913 who helped initiate the movement for civil rights in the United States by refusing to give up her seat to a white man . At the time in Alabama, daily life was governed by segregation laws, which

For instance, while she is the most well known for her defiance, she was not the first African American to do this. There were two other women that did this before her but were rejected because they lacked certain traits. Her upstanding character, quiet fortitude and bravery lent the struggle an ideal candidate who community leaders felt would gain widespread grassroot support. It is then arguable that her being Rosa Parks and possessing her traits was central to igniting the social movement change. Her act of defiance leading to widespread boycotts also inadvertently made her the face and voice of the change. She had not set out to be a leader but her actions made her