Civil Rights of Afro-Americans in the US - Essay Example

Civil Rights People belonging to different races have been fighting for their rights in America and still continue todo so. It all dates back to 1865 Afro-Americans were given the right to vote and slavery was ended. Even though the laws were in place, people ignored them and it was difficult for the Afro Americans to continue their life with an equal social stand. They were treated as second class citizens. They could not raise voice for their right as mostly they were kept ignorant and even if they raised a voice, the action would be taken against them. This ensued a social unrest situation. The government reacted on their behalf and created a Congress for Racial Equality in 1942. This effort bought significant result in 1946 when busses were not allowed to be segregated any longer while crossing borders. Truman, the president of that time established a committee for the protection of civil rights. Shortly two years later discrimination in military was banned. Because of the fact that the government itself was working on civil rights and awareness was being created, in 1952 there was no unfortunate criminal incident that involved racism since 1881. Two years later government disallowed discrimination at school level. It was a phase shift for the white people to understand and accept the black people in their community. In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give her seat in a public bus to a white man (Willis n.d.). This created issues with the white community and the black people stood up for their rights and called for an actual implementation of all civil rights laws passed in the past. In 1957 the black community selected leader named Dr. Martin King Luther to present their demands to the government. The Little Rock High School did not allow the segregation of children due to which the Supreme Court passed a Bill declaring all such schools as unconstitutional. Then Federal Troops were used in different places to implement the law. Terrorist activities started resulting in bombing and killing black people and their children. The culprits were caught but they were not brought to justice soon. Riots began and people also protested peacefully. The result was that during sixties black people were allowed to vote openly. They also secured the right to marry in different races. Black people were given prominent positions in government offices. During the late 1960’s Martin Luther was assassinated. The fact that a lot of effort has been put to recognize the right of different races in the social and economic situation in the United States of America does not mean that the movement was successful. It is true that there are more black millionaires than there were in the past but the count of black people working is not very significant. This is an indicator that the movement failed and the economic system could not be formed in a way to accommodate equality based on race. In order to understand the plight of the black people in these times, we can assess it through a comparison of the quality of life that an average black child enjoys as compared to the Hispanic white children. The quality of life can be determined on three important parameters: the average income, life expectancy and the chances that a person gets in life. In all these dimensions, black children remain under privileged to date. They are nine times more likely to be a victim of homicide, five times more likely to be dependent on a single parent, mostly their mothers, 4.5 times more likely to live with some guardian, 2 times more chances that they are born to teenage mothers and that their parents have not even finished high school. There are times when people expect more from the civil rights movement to return than they expect. They need to understand that the civil rights protection movement is all about taking the extra privileges from white people that they normally receive due to no other reason but because of their color or race. It is about treating the black community equally and not granting them extra rights. Similarly recognizing the rights of women and intersex is about creating awareness and respecting their right to work and help in the betterment of the economy of the country (Intersex Society of North America). There are several reasons why America still needs civil rights movements. According to a report published in 2010 by the National Poverty Center, there are about 27.4 % blacks that meet the poverty line as compared to 9.9 % of whites. The count of children that meet the poverty line is even more alarming. There are 45 % of black children as compared to 12 % of white children that meet the poverty line. This report was issued by the Economic Policy Institute. Poverty is not the only reason. According to Harvard researchers, the difference in wages of black women and men as compared to white people is about 25 % - 30 %. Somehow the educational institutes could not be helped from remaining segregated. Only 57.3 % of the population is managing to graduate every year out of which 44.8 % comprises of black women and about 30 % comprises of black men. Black people do not enjoy the same health insurance benefits that white people do. Even doctors could not be helped from not discriminating patients inside their offices. An interesting revelation from a study at Ohio State University reveals that the count of blacks in slavery before the civil rights movement was less than the count of blacks in prison today (Oskin). A white man is about six times less likely to be caught in criminal activities. An even more interesting twist occurred in June 2013 when the Supreme Court declared a part of the voting right act to be unconstitutional (Feldrman n.d.). Such disparities are bound to increase racial tensions and will always invite mobs to raise voice for civil rights. The need of the hour is to recognize and understand that the civil rights is not just act for the Afro Americans but also for people who belong to other races. With so many races living together following different religions and customs, the civil rights movement provides a guideline to accept that supremacy is for none and that all are equal (Ezorsky 64). People should be distinguished based on their character and how good they are trying and not on the basis of their race, religion, sex or creed. People should realize that this is beyond asking privileges for a specific nation or depriving rights from another race. The government should play its role by allowing hiring based on merit and should not encourage companies or industries that are paying less to their workers based on a specific reason other than their talent, character or hard work. Strict action is required in order to abolish racism and make the civil rights movement effective. References:  Ezorsky, Gertrude, Racism and Justice: The Case for Affirmative Action, Cornell University Press, p 64, 1991. Feldrman, Noah. "The Civil-Rights Era Ended Today." Bloomberg. N.p., 25 June 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Oskin, Becky. "Why US Still Needs a Civil Rights Movement | LiveScience." LiveScience.com. N.p., 29 Aug. 2013. Web. 10 Nov. 2013. "What's the history behind the intersex rights movement? | Intersex Society of North America." Intersex Society of North America | A world free of shame, secrecy, and unwanted genital surgery. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Willis, Eleanor G. "97.03.10: American Women Who Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Explored Through the Literature of Eloise Greenfield." Yale University. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Read More