The Struggle Against Racism And Discrimination In America: From The Past To Nowadays

Social issues will forever be a problem for America because of the differentiating political opinions. Many factors can contribute to one’s opinions: where you grew up, when you were born, who your friends were, etc. A person cannot be born a racist and cannot be born to discriminate. These concepts have to be influenced and taught from individual’s surroundings. Race is a major issue, such that as time progresses, it has become a barrier that some can see past, but for many race and color drive their emotions, control their opinions, and justify their actions. Although society has learned from some past mistakes, racism and discrimination are significantly present today.

Beginning around 1877 through the mid-1960s, the establishment of the Jim Crow laws restricted African Americans’ individual rights and freedom to gain the same educational and economical opportunities as whites. These laws enforced the oppression of blacks in the South to be at a lower economic and social position than whites. In public facilities, Jim Crow signs labeled and divided “Colored Only” and “Whites Only”, which included restrooms, transportation systems, drinking fountains, churches and restaurants (White Only). Also, the laws denied blacks freedom of speech and the given right to take part in the U. S. government. Although segregation laws were a form of constitutional racism, the majority of white Americans encouraged them, therefore the Supreme Court of 1896 approved them as constitutional.

In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was filed suit by representative-plaintiff Oliver Brown because his daughter, Linda Brown, was denied for being dark-skinned at an all white school. The Federal district court ruled that segregated schools had a negative impact on black students, but found it legal since discriminated school facilities had equivalent buildings, teachers, transportation and curricula. The Browns stated the segregation of schools could never be equal, even if the facilities were similar, and brought their case to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court of 1954 consolidated all the filed cases under the name of Brown v. Board of Education and ruled that “separate, but equal” segregated public facilities were unconstitutional and violated the “equal protection clause” of the 14th Amendment. As a result, African American school enrollment increased, but school desegregation slowly progressed. With active court demands on federal civil right laws, Brown had marked the beginning of establishing equal opportunities for African Americans.

In the 1960s, African Americans and whites were still segregated in schools, public transportation and restaurants, which prevented many African Americans from receiving equal consideration for employment and education. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) recruited students across the nation to organize sit-ins at “Whites Only” counters and silently protest against the Jim Crow Laws in Greensboro, North Carolina (Civil Rights Greensboro). Within two months, the sit-ins had quickly spread across the country to 69 other cities, and 2000 students had been arrested. The local black community as well as Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent figures and organizations supported the movement. Ella Baker of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) advised the students to keep the organization separate from the SCLC because it was important to recognize the fact that the students themselves should be able to set goals and choose the direction of the student movement. SNCC was based around the optimism in the 1960s that youth could be a real force for change.

Subsequently, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) taught African American students new tactics of resistance, which started the Freedom Rides (The Freedom Rides). Many of the Freedom Riders were black and white American students who rode and challenged segregation on interstate buses in the Deep South. Yet, their resistance resulted in witnessing their Greyhound bus on fire as they sat on the ground and endured brutal beatings and imprisonments. John Lewis, a participant of the protests, stated, “police placed all of us under arrest, and not a single member of the white group, the people that were opposing our sit-in, was arrested”. Responding to the Deep South, President John F. Kennedy was compelled to fully support the Civil Rights Movement, and mandated 400 federal marshals to protect freedom riders, and ban the segregation of interstate travel.

Around the same time, Martin Luther King Jr. was a prominent advocator in publicizing and prevailing desegregation during the sit-ins and the March on Washington, but was arrested and sentenced for 4 months hard labor. However, the Kennedys arranged for him to be released on bail. President John F. Kennedy won black votes for his actions with King and the Freedom Rides, and was elected President. An executive order was issued by President John F. Kennedy, which included “affirmative action” that promoted equal employment opportunities. After President John F, Kennedy passed, President Lyndon B. Johnson then established the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to legally break the barriers of injustices.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination employment based on race, color, religion, and gender. It secured the rights of African Americans to seek equal access to public facilities and enforce their constitutional right to vote. These events are important to recognize because they were the foundation for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After enduring so much pain and suffering, African Americans deserve moral justice and the opportunity for equal rights. No person should be put at a disadvantage due to the color of their skin, and to restrict an individual from education, work, and life is just unacceptable. It is important to acknowledge the key public figures, for the sacrifices and devout effort to make a change. MLK, President JFK, President Johnson, Rosa Parks, and most importantly the citizens are the reason for such a prominent act.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 made one of the biggest differences for the civil rights of African Americans, and was a precedent for conflicting future court cases. A key concept of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is affirmative action. Affirmative action provides minorities the opportunity to attain diversity within schools and in the workforce to create enough equal opportunity to compete. Following the change of racial segregation, highly selective college admissions prominently factored diversity in their admission process to accept more minority applicants due to the Supreme Court decision of the 1978 University of California v. Bakke case. The case of University v. Bakke was a complicated case because the plaintiff argued that he was denied admission because of his race. Few judges ruled “that any racial quota system supported by government violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964”.

Affirmative action in college admissions focused on minimizing white injustices and broadening opportunities for racial minorities. This decision led to the Supreme Court’s decision of Grutter v. Bollinger. In 1997, Barbara Grutter is a white graduate from Michigan State with a 3. 81 grade point average and 161 LSAT score and was a qualified student when applying to University of Michigan’s Law School, but her application was rejected. Grutter filed against the Law School in the United States District Court, but the Court ruled that a “rejection is based automatically on any variable, such as race, and all factors must be considered in an application to obtain a diverse student body. The Supreme Court believed it was constitutional for the University of Michigan to consider other qualified applicants with more diverse backgrounds. Similarly, the University of Texas’ admissions program, the Top 10 Percent Program, guarantees admission to the top 10 percent of graduating seniors in every high school in the state. The remaining spots are fulfilled by students based on their race, community service, leadership and family circumstances.

In 2008, Abigail Fisher, a white woman, claimed that she was rejected from the University of Texas because of her race. During the Fisher v. Texas case, the Supreme Court upheld the affirmative action program and believed it promoted racial understanding and broke the barriers of racial stereotypes. Regardless of race, affirmative action enhances qualified low-income minorities to attend universities. The 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, reported to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, “Given the dearth of black and Latino Ph. D. candidates in mathematics and the sciences, for example, a scholarship program for minorities interested in getting advanced degrees in these fields won't keep white students out of such programs, but can broaden the pool of talent that we need to prosper in the new economy”. Although not considered a Supreme court case, a recent scenario that quickly caught my attention dealt with the idea of freedom of speech. In 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick faced a racist backlash from the National Football League (NFL) fans by kneeling during the national anthem before games.

According to fans, he did not signify America’s ideals and representation of “patriotic” Kaepernick’s objective was to stimulate discussion about the disregarded topic: racial inequality and police brutality. However, President Donald Trump condemns professional athletes for “disrespecting our flag” by kneeling, sitting, or raising their fists during the national anthem. At a rally in Huntsville, Alabama, he shouted, “Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a b**** off the field right now. Out! He’s fired. ” According to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it “forbade discrimination on the basis of sex as well as race in hiring, promoting, and firing, ” therefore allowing Kaepernick his inalienable right to speak and engage in public protest. More recently, football fans around America began burning their Nike protests in disgust of the decision to use Kaepernick as the new face of Nike. There were two outcomes to this bold business move: the first involves the attraction of the younger generation with the publicity increase, and the second would be the complete backfire and gain the disapproval from original nike fans. With many differentiating opinions about Kaepernick, two political sides formed. Those that were extremely Republican hated the idea of an African American man, who “disrespected” America by kneeling during the anthem, being the face of Nike. As a response, viral videos appeared of individuals burning Kaepernick jerseys, Nike products, and reactions regarding their feelings and beliefs.

Many professional athletes stood by Nike and remained allies for Kaepernick. Lebron James, a major athlete signed to Nike, wore a Kaepernick shirt and stated, “I stand with anyone who believes in change. ” James has been a very outspoken voice for social issues and has been loyal to his beliefs and his company. He vowed to stand with Nike, “all day. Every day”. As professional athletes, people always acknowledge their actions and they look up to these role models. Athletes have the power to influence fans, and this is an important responsibility because they can really make a difference for social issues. “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything”. This is the campaign for the 30th anniversary of Nike, and it embodies the progression of Civil Rights Act of 1964. Through so much suffering and sacrifice, African Americans had to earn rights that should have been granted to them since birth. It is ridiculous to think that a person should be treated differently because of race or gender. Each person has the right to have their own opinion, but it doesn’t give them the right to discriminate nor disrespect someone.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 created a more equal platform for society and a change for the betterment of America. However, it didn’t completely abolish the idea of racism, discrimination, and segregation as a whole. Sadly, race will always play a factor in societal issues, and there is much more to learn and overcome before America can be “great” again.