The structure of society—whether political, social, economic, religious, or familial—can be described as built upon structures of acceptable blame. But what happens when we can no longer persuade each other about where blame for particular actions should land? What happens when the expected scapegoats refuse that role and bystanders question their support of sacrificing “the usual suspects”? René Girard, master theorist of scapegoating and victimage, would characterize this era as one of s...

While much focus has been placed on Black Lives Matter activism in response to police and civilian murders of Black men and women, the contributors argue that Black activism in this era has addressed a broader range of issues in a wide array of settings, both on the street and inside institutions and communities. This Era of Black Activism includes chapters on this era of Black activism from 2000-2022. It describes how previous activism has influenced this generation, while showing innovat...