Black Lives Matter and the Migrant People.

Hey guys, the quotes in this entry were taken from chapters 19 and 26, so if you haven't read those chapters I suggest you don't read this. I don't want to be responsible for giving away any part of the book that you may not have read.

So, throughout the Joad's and other migrant families' time in California, they have faced a large amount of oppression and hatred. They have been targeted by police for no reason other than that they are migrants. The police, and the state, do not want these people to settle down--they want to rid themselves of them because of a deeply burning hatred they have for the migrants. This is very similar to the ingrained anti-blackness we see in our society today, and though some may say other people of color cannot harbor anti-black feelings, that would be false. This shows that this is an issue deeply ingrained in all of society, not just the racial "elite."
However, there is one major difference between the migrant people and black people--the black community formed the Back Lives Matter (BLM) movement to raise awareness to the hatred. I thought the following quote really showed, in essence, why BLM was created. "Repression only works to strengthen and knit the repressed," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 161). This is what BLM did after the death, and posthumous trial of Trayvon Martin--they banded together. The black community was faced with adversity, and they worked together to raise awareness for their cause.
"...you see how how quick a deputy sheriff shoves you along...some says [they shove us along because] if we set in one place we'd organize," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 165). This is what the government in the novel was trying to avoid. They did not want people banded together, because together is when people's voices are heard. That is what Casy was trying to explain to Tom, in chapter 26. When they gave Casy/inmates bad food in jail, "One fell started yellin', an' nothin' happened....well, sir, then we all got to yellin'....Then somepin happened! They come a-runnin', and they give us some other stuff to eat," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 262). Here, it's showing how if unified, people will be able to make change. They will be able to speak up--they will have strength.
However, even though the black community stood together, hundreds of black people are still killed at the hands of cops and vigilantes each year. They are wrongfully beaten and convicted--the problem isn't being solved, people are being silenced. "...only means to destroy revolt were considered, while the causes of revolt went on," (Steinbeck, 1939, p. 161). That's exactly what happened with the migrants.  Nothing was done to help them, they were just silenced while the problem perpetuated and grew bigger.
In the end, this shows that coming together, and fighting for the same cause gives people a voice--gives people strength. That's what BLM is doing. They are coming together after being treated much like the migrant people in Grapes of Wrath. They're wrongfully convicted and being beaten for no apparent reason; however, the only difference is the black community was able to form BLM, while the migrants stayed separated. Overall, these both these people want one thing--liberation from oppression.