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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
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In August 1908, a white mob attacked Springfield, Illinois’s Black community, destroying homes and businesses and lynching two Black men. National outrage over the violence helped spur the movement that created the NAACP the following year.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Nonviolent extremism is the expression of extremist ideas through nonviolent means, without the use of terrorism or political violence. It can be contrasted with violent extremism. Nonviolent extremism manifests from the same ideologies as violent extremism, including right wing extremism, left wing extremism, and religious extremism. Much of the study of nonviolent extremism focuses on its potential to produce or incite violent extremism.
The primary distinction between violent and nonviolent extremism is the act of causing physical harm in the name of extremist beliefs. However, the line between violent and nonviolent extremism is not always clear. The spread of extremist ideas may be seen as contributing to and participating in violent extremism as an act of incitement, even if the speaker is not the one directly carrying out violent acts. Some scholars maintain that incitement to violence is an act of violent extremism, while others insist that a clear line should be drawn between discussion of violent acts and active participation in violent acts.[1]
Violent extremists typically arise from nonviolent extremist groups, with the main disagreement being one of methodology rather than ideology.[2] Nonviolent extremists may still engage in extremist activity, including sharing violent literature, sending hate mail, or providing financial support to violent extremists.[3] Some extremist groups, such as Hizb ut-Tahrir, claim to be nonviolent while also justifying or endorsing acts of violence. Other groups, such as the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat and the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, engage in acts of terrorism despite being nominally nonviolent.[4]
Whether something constitutes nonviolent extremism may be contested. Some nonviolent groups, such as the Amish, meet many of the criteria associated with extremism, including a religiously motivated rejection of society, but are not typically associated with extremist ideas.[5] The act of self-immolation is considered extreme, but it is an act of violence that does not target the innocent as violent extremism does.[6]
While nonviolent extremism does not directly cause violence, there are concerns that it can inflict harm indirectly. The primary concern regarding nonviolent extremism is that it will foster violent extremism.[2] Some nonviolent extremists may also offer some level of support to violent extremists, even if they do not themselves engage in violence.[3] Daniel Chirot and Clark McCauley argue that the disgust response perpetuates extremism due to the mind's interpretation of contamination, establishing the foundation for both violent and nonviolent extremism from the same source.[7]
Nonviolent right wing extremism has been found to "contribute to a climate of fear of and animosity towards minority groups".[8] Left wing extremism is typically nonviolent, but the use of violent rhetoric by nonviolent left wing extremists has been linked to acts of physical violence and evasion of law enforcement.[9] Due to the existence of violent extremism, nonviolent extremism can sometimes seem moderate in comparison due to the "positive radical flank effect", where the violent nature of some extremists groups lowers the bar of what behavior is tolerated from extremists.[10]
Due to its negative implications, the countering of nonviolent extremism is seen as a major priority. However, the prevention of nonviolent extremism presents additional legal challenges for authorities that are not present in the prevention of violent extremism. While violent extremism involves illegal acts of violence, expression of nonviolent extremism is oftentimes protected by the right to freedom of speech in democratic countries, and the countering of nonviolent extremism has to be balanced with civil rights concerns.[8]
In the United Kingdom, counterterrorism measures have controversially emphasized catching and preventing nonviolent extremism as part of the CONTEST program.[11][12]
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
Nonviolent extremism is the expression of extremist ideas through nonviolent means, without the use of terrorism or political violence. It can be contrasted with violent extremism. Nonviolent extremism manifests from the same ideologies as violent extremism, including right wing extremism, left wing extremism, and religious extremism. Much of the study of nonviolent extremism focuses on its potential to produce or incite violent extremism.
Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shared social consensus) to be far outside the mainstream attitudes of society. It can also be used in an economic context. The term may be used pejoratively by opposing groups, but is also used in academic and journalistic circles in a purely descriptive and non-condemning sense. Extremists' views are typically contrasted with those of moderates. Political agendas perceived as extremist often include those from the far-left politics or far-right politics, as well as radicalism, reactionism, chauvinism, fundamentalism, and fanaticism. Extremist groups will differ in their preference for violent extremism vs. nonviolent extremism. Research specific to social media activities has shown that groups from different sides of the left and right political axis or of those that consist of an incumbent party and opposition party, are further apart in terms of ideology, with ideological distance strongly correlated with an extremism score.
Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), also known as Preventing Violent Extremism (PVE), and Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) refers to nonviolent (mostly non-military), proactive measures aimed at preventing or disrupting attempts by violent extremist individuals and groups to radicalize, recruit, or mobilize individuals. It also seeks to address the underlying conditions that contribute to radicalization and recruitment. CVE initiatives typically include policies and programs that expand opportunities for peaceful political, economic, and social participation, and that strengthen the capacity of communities and local authorities to make use of these options. Unlike counterterrorism (CT), CVE is not a securitized approach. Where counterterrorism is designed for law enforcement and militaries to use violent means to combat terrorism, CVE is designed to use peaceful, non-coercive methods. The difference also lies in the phase of the development of CVE programs, usually towards the beginning of the radicalization process. Key elements of CVE programs typically include community-based engagement and deradicalization initiatives aimed at vulnerable youth, measures to address extremist content online, and rehabilitation efforts for convicted offenders, often involving psychological and/or religious counseling. CVE is frequently framed within a public health approach, which identifies program targets at three levels: local communities, individuals considered at risk, and those already convicted of extremist offenses. Following the September 11 attacks, in both the United States and the United Kingdom, CVE has been criticized heavily as a smokescreen for the government to create a large security apparatus, and as an excuse to infiltrate local mosques and other religious communities.
Antifa () is a left-wing anti-fascist and anti-racist political movement. It is a highly decentralized array of autonomous groups in the United States. Antifa political activism includes nonviolent methods of direct action such as poster and flyer campaigns, mutual aid, speeches, protest marches, community organizing and digital activism. Some others use tactics like doxing, harassment, violence, and property damage. Supporters of the movement aim to counter far-right extremists, including neo-Nazis and white supremacists. Individuals involved in the movement subscribe to a range of left-wing ideologies, and tend to hold anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, and anti-state views. A majority of individuals involved are anarchists, communists, and socialists, although some social democrats also participate in the antifa movement. The name antifa and the logo with two flags representing anarchism and communism are derived from the German antifa movement. Dartmouth College historian Mark Bray, author of Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook, credits Anti-Racist Action (ARA) as the precursor of modern antifa groups in the United States. The American antifa movement grew after Donald Trump was elected president of the United States in 2016. Antifa activists' actions have since received support and criticism from various organizations and pundits. Some on the political left and some civil rights organizations criticize antifa's willingness to adopt violent tactics, which they describe as counterproductive and dangerous, arguing that these tactics embolden the political right and their allies. Both Democratic and Republican politicians have condemned violence from antifa. Many right-wing politicians and groups have characterized antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, or use antifa as a catch-all term, which they adopt for any left-leaning or liberal protest actions. According to some scholars, antifa is a legitimate response to the rise of the far right. Scholars tend to reject an equivalence between antifa and right-wing extremism. Some research suggests that most antifa action is nonviolent. Various right-wing groups and individuals have made numerous efforts to discredit antifa. Some have been social media hoaxes, many false flag operations by alt-right and 4chan users posing as antifa backers on Twitter; some hoaxes have been picked up and portrayed as fact by right-leaning media and politicians. On September 22, 2025, Trump signed an executive order intended to designate antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, after repeated calls by Trump and William Barr to do so. Academics, legal experts, and others have argued such an action exceeds the authority of the presidency and violates the First Amendment. Several analyses, reports, and studies have concluded that antifa is not a major domestic terrorism risk.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Brown v. Board of Education in 1954.
