Social Movements and the Law: Talking about Black Lives Matter and #Metoo

Black Lives Matter and #MeToo are two of the most prominent twenty-first-century social movements in the United States. On the ground and on social media, more people have taken an active stance in support of either or both movements than almost any others in the country’s history. Social Movements and the Law brings together the voices of twelve scholars and public intellectuals to explore how Black Lives Matter and #MeToo unfolded--separately and together--and how they enrich, inform, and complicate each other. Structured in dialogues and punctuated with informative text boxes, illustrations, and discussion questions, this accessible guide to an increasingly influential area of the law centers rich intersectional analysis of both movements and prompts readers to undertake further reflection and conversation. At a time of heightened public attention to the broader implications of human social behavior and interaction, this book shows rather than tells how people with different perspectives can engage one another with open minds and generosity of spirit.

Lolita Buckner Inniss is the Dean and Provost’s Professor of Law at the University of Colorado Law School. She is the author of The Princeton Fugitive Slave: The Trials of James Collins Johnson and numerous other articles and book chapters, and is the United States Special Rapporteur to the International Academy of Comparative Law.

Bridget J. Crawford is a University Distinguished Professor at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. She is the coauthor of Menstruation Matters: Challenging the Law’s Silence on Periods and a co-convener of the U.S. Feminist Judgments Project.