It has been decades since the African-American community began the civil rights movement in the United States. The movement was created to improve the lives of black people by pushing for just and equal treatment. Many years later, has the movement reached its goal? Can African-Americans today exercise their civil rights?
At present, the plight of African-Americans in society is better compared to when the civil rights movement began. Nonetheless, some of the problems that troubled the African-American community in the past remain unaddressed. There is still much improvement to be made.
Civil rights refer to the assurances of freedom, justice, and equality” granted by the state to its citizens (Dorsen & Lieberman, 2008). It is the responsibility of the state to guarantee that all of its citizens have “equal protection under law” as well as “equal opportunity” to enjoy the benefits of their citizenship (Dorsen & Lieberman, 2008). A citizen’s sex, race or religion must not prevent the state from carrying out its responsibility (Dorsen & Lieberman, 2008).
In the United States, the civil rights movement began when people of color were deprived of their civil rights. African-Americans were discriminated against and unjustly treated as inferior to their white counterparts (Norrell, 2008). Initially, the movement was a response to the prevailing system of racial segregation, which began in 1877 and affected all aspects of society. Laws promoted this system by designating some places exclusively for either whites or blacks, including schools, parks, restaurants and even public transportation.
Segregation did not only mean physical separation; it also meant discrimination against people of color as some opportunities were only granted to white people. For instance, blacks were deprived of their right to vote. Other fields in which African-Americans experienced inequality include job opportunities, housing accommodations in hotels or restaurants and education.
Even during times of war members of the black community continued to face discrimination and were deprived any chance to lead (Norrell, 2008).
The beginning of the civil rights movement is still a subject of debate, but many sources affirm that it started in 1955 (Norrell, 2008). In December of that year, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old woman, boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama (Dove, 1999). Segregation was still in effect; blacks and whites sat in different areas on the same bus. At that time, Montgomery legislation required African-Americans to give up their seat to white passengers if the exclusive area for whites was already fully occupied. However, Parks did not leave her seat on that fateful night (Dove, 1999).
That simple act changed history. Parks was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white passenger (Dove, 1999). A few days later, the African-American community boycotted Montgomery buses. This served not only as a protest against Parks’ arrest but also against segregation laws in general. Later on, the Supreme Court deemed segregation unconstitutional and prohibited it on all means of transportation (CNN, 1997).
The civil rights movement continued to make progress in the 1960s. In 1964, the U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act (CNN, 1997). A year later, a Voting Rights Act was signed into law. African-Americans began to be elected to key positions in the U.S. government, including Thurgood Marshall, who became the first person of color to serve on the Supreme Court; Army General Colin Powell, who became the first black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and L. Douglas Wilder, who became the first African-American elected governor (CNN, 1997).
The situation of African-Americans today is drastically different from the past. Opportunities that were once inaccessible to people of color are now a thing of the past. African-Americans have found success in various fields, including sports, entertainment, and finance (Muhammad, 2008). Notable figures include AOL-Time Warner head Richard Parsons and former Merrill Lynch CEO Stanley O’Neal. Black individuals have also secured positions in government; Condoleezza Rice, a black woman, serves as Secretary of State while Senator Barack Obama is the Democratic candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential elections and may become the next American president (Muhammad, 2008).
While it cannot be denied that the African-American community today leads a better life than those who came before them, one is forced to ask, How far have we come in terms of civil rights?” The answer is this: we have indeed come far, but there is still a great distance to travel. Although discrimination against people of color has been dramatically reduced over the years, it has not been completely eliminated. Incidents such as Hurricane Katrina, the Jena 6 case and the rape and torture of a black woman in West Virginia are examples where racial discrimination still manifests itself (Muhammad, 2008).
In addition, the black community still lags behind in terms of employment, education and health. Throughout the country, there are more unemployed black Americans than whites. There are also more chances for an African-American to be incarcerated than to attend school. In terms of health, more people of color suffer from AIDS.
Nonetheless, violence remains one of the most evident proofs that show the hardships faced by African-Americans today. Just like during segregation times; violence is still prevalent in black communities; many African-Americans become victims of homicide (Muhammad 2008).
Indeed, we have come far in terms of civil rights for African Americans. The plight of colored people has improved immensely since the time of segregation due to the efforts of the civil rights movement. However, some past problems still remain. Until these are resolved, African American people will not fully enjoy the freedom, justice and equality that their country owes them as citizens.
References
- CNN. (1997). The Civil Rights Movement. CNN Interactive. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/mlk/links.html
- Dorsen, N., & Lieberman, J. (2008). Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555666/Civil_Rights_and_Civil_Liberties.html#s1
- Dove, R. (1999). Rosa Parks. Time Magazine. Retrieved August 21, 2008, from http://www.time.com/time/time100/heroes/profile/parks01.html
- Muhammad, D. (2008). Have We Really Come This Far? Globe Crime Series Blog Post.Retrieved August 21st ,2008 from http://globecrimeseries.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/have-we-really-come-this-far/
- Norrell,R.(2008)Civil Rights Movement in the United States.Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia.Retrieved August21st ,2008 fromhttp://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761580647/Civil_Rights_Movement_in_the_United_States.html#s1
