Civil Rights Movement & Race in 21st Century

Civil Rights Movement Outline

This is an opinion based research paper but must be supported by facts.

Intro- Civil Rights-The Movement in the 21^st Century. What was it? The Struggle for equality continues. ½ page

Did We make progress?

NO

Look at research on public policies that Dr. King and his movement vowed to dismantle, e.g Education disparities,

Healthcare care disparities,

COVID in poor communities

Prison system,

Immigrations issues,

Racial Profiling, BLM,

Look at FBI statistics on Hate Crime in the past 5 years,

Post racial relations post Obama Presidency.

Look at my TV interview on the Dream.

Please watch and comment on my 5th Book and my take on African Americans in the 21st Century.

http://fox61.com/2017/01/14/the-stan-simpson-show-obamas-term-comes-to-an-end/ (Links to an external site.)

Please read and comment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/30/opinion/the-state-of-race-in-america.html (Links to an external site.)

Conclusion: ½ page

ANSWER

Black Lives Matter

Introduction

The Civil Rights Act condemning racial discrimination was signed in 1964, giving the American government power to bring racism to an end. However, several years down the line after our forefathers marched in the streets of Washington demanding freedom and other rights, the same issues are still a concern to date. People of color are still affected by healthcare disparities, education disparities, racial profiling, and immigration issues that need to be dealt with. The black lives matter movement has been compared to other movements from the 1950s. Movements from back in the years are similar to the Black Lives Matter movement because they all try to push for racial equality and social changes. They both engage in non-violent ways of expressing their demand for change. However, unlike the old movements that depended on a single voice to air their opinions, the likes of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, the Black Lives Matter movement involves a mass of social activists and individuals supporting the campaign. The movement has made it its responsibility to shine a light on these neglected disparity issues, mainly affecting the people of color.

The Black Lives Matter movement first started in 2013. It was pushed by an incident where an innocent unarmed African American teenager was gunned down in Florida. The movement was further fueled by another couple of incidences where innocent people of color were shot down, especially white police officers. Cases like these and other instances of violence, discrimination, or racism against African Americans have highly contributed to the growth and expansion of the movement. Over the years, the black lives matter movement is bigger than just a hashtag used in social media[1]. Although critics describe the movement as an anti-police movement, it only strives to reduce the rates of abuse on the people of color and the bad police policies like those of shooting unarmed civilians.

The contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. cannot go unrecognized in matters related to civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. He used peaceful protests to pursue equality for African Americans and justice for the poor in society and victims of injustice. He played a major role in the success of the voting rights act by making the 1963 March on Washington possible. Before the Washington march, King had organized a civil rights campaign in Alabama where transport buses were racially segregated. For instance, during this period, an African American woman was arrested for refusing to vacate her seat for a white man to sit. Her offense was referred to as civil disobedience and was a major reason for the bus boycott that followed.

Even with slavery coming to an end in the 19th century, African Americans have still felt oppressed and discriminated against years later. African Americans have been expected to use separate public facilities like schools and hospitals while those considered best were left for the whites. Wrong killings of people of color due to wrong profiling have been a concern among the African American population. Sentencing for a person of color was not the same when it came to a white man; people of color expect to serve longer jail terms than whites even when the offense committed is the same. In line with that, the prison system has been set up to favor the whites.

Up to as late as the 1960s, people of color still received their education in separate schools and were strictly prohibited in any higher education facilities. However, there has been positive progress since we still cannot conclude that we have achieved equal educational experiences for whites and people of color. A significant fraction of the minority students still go to schools set up purposely for the minorities. These minority schools face shortages of resources compared to predominant-white student schools; they lack qualified teachers on top of other essential resources. Suburban schools are estimated to charge twice as much for students as the public schools that most students of color attend.

Students are expected to better in population-controlled schools. However, most public schools which students of color can afford are usually densely populated. This denies the students enough student-teacher relationship, which is known to help the teacher understand and be able to help their student directly. On the other hand, students in suburban schools are not densely populated because they are not affordable for everyone. It is easier for a teacher to manage smaller numbers of students in these schools, and it reflects clearly in the results. In line with that, most public schools are not likely to hire highly qualified teachers than suburban schools, which can easily afford any teacher.

The general health status of the racial and ethnic minorities contributes to the health care disparity experiences for the African Americans. It is evident that the disparities experienced in the health system trace back to the historical inequalities that extend to the present day. The healthcare differences widen the gap between the general health status of the majority and minority races and ethnic groups. African Americans, for example, are denied equal access to quality healthcare services, insurance coverage, and qualified healthcare providers[2]. With this history came the mistrust; most people of color do not trust the American health system. For this matter, most African Americans rarely use medical facilities, especially those run by the majority racial group. This has a significant impact on the general health status of African Americans. The insurance covers given to the people of color are not as effective as those given to the whites. Some hospitals are strictly set up only to serve only whites and other high-end people of color, leaving the rest of the minority to the extremely congested public facilities.

Due to the congestion at these public medical facilities, the services cannot be as effective as in the suburban facilities. In these public facilities, the ratio of the medical care providers to the patients is not favorable. Due to matters like this, the people of color’s general health status is poor than that of the whites. For instance, the infant mortality rates amongst whites are way higher than those in the minority races and ethnic groups. Although the gap is still clear, he fights to make high-quality care a basic right across all races and ethnic groups.

COVID-19 is currently more of a crisis than a health concern. It is observed that the disease is highly prevalent in the less privileged minority communities than in affluent areas. Study has it that in the rise of the pandemic, the covid-19 cases were more in the less privileged counties of the United States. The deaths related to covid-19 were more in the less privileged areas than the urban areas. The differences influence the disparities in the prevalence of covid-19 in education, income, and exposure. The field of economics clearly defines the socioeconomic differences that exist in overall clinical outcomes. It is highly expected that people living in high-end communities be well educated, putting in a position to be aware of the seriousness of covid-19 and how to avoid it. Far from that, they can afford to self-isolate, unlike the less disadvantaged communities.

The poor are unable to avoid crowded areas, for example, because that is where most of the work, unlike individuals from suburban communities who most likely have private offices; people from poor communities are the ones who run jobs that cannot be done “from home.” Some of these crucial jobs include the grocery attendant, the gas station attendant, home healthcare providers, and hospital janitors. Most of these workers do not get the option of not going to work because they depend fully on these jobs; they probably don’t get appropriate protective gear at work which explains why they stand the high risks of getting infected.

The people of color represent a great percentage of the people in prison as compared to the whites. Far from racist policing practices, the people of color have been put through years of systemic legal injustices. It is accurate to assume that the United States operates on two different criminal justice systems: one representing the white and rich people, with the other representing the poor and the people of color. African Americans, for instance, are highly likely to be arrested than the white. As if that is not enough, they are also more likely to serve longer sentences than their white counterparts, even in scenarios where they are accused of the same felony. Unfortunately, people of color are highly likely to be charged with crimes that carry a minimum sentence. This explains why most African Americans are highly likely to spend a night or two in jail than whites.

Statistics carried out in 2010 revealed that out of three men of color, one of them was most likely to do time against one out of seventeen white men[3]. In 2018, statistics proved that African Americans represented only 12% of adults in the United States. However, 33% of the people who were incarcerated at this time were African Americans. On the other hand, whites represented over 60% of the total adult population in the United States, but only 30% of the adults in prison were whites. Although crime rates seem high in the less privileged communities due to the demands that come with it, the percentage representing African Americans in Prison is a bit high.

A crucial aspect of consideration in immigration issues is the role of law enforcers. The question raised is whether the police should be allowed to be a part of the immigration. For example, should they be given the powers to detain illegal immigrants? On the other hand, given the knowledge that immigration is not a criminal matter, maybe it should not be left in the hands of the law enforcers. Because matters such as these are left to be controlled by the police, some minority groups report harsh treatment. Because the police are left to deal with matters of immigration, immigrants who may be having problems with their legality may be unwilling to report matters of national security for fear of being questioned about their immigration status and that of people they may know.

Although America claims to have started a modern post-racial era, racial profiling still needs addressing. In most cases, the incidences of racial profiling are indirectly criminal profiling cases. For instance, African Americans are usually associated with crime and are most likely to be picked out as suspects than whites[4]. The rates of racial profiling are on the rise across the country, with several instances of unexpected interrogations, detentions, and random uncalled-for searches on people of color. People of color are often treated as suspects until confirmed innocent in the eyes of law enforcement. The right of equal protection and freedom against sudden searches and seizures is violated over and over across the country.

Although some cases of racial profiling may turn out fruitful and prevent a crime incident, the simple act of racial profiling tends to damage the overall relationship between these communities and the law enforcers. The trust required between the law enforcers and the people they ought to protect does not exist anymore. This tends to hinder community policing strategies as the community members may not be as cooperative, knowing they cannot count on the law enforcers to protect them.

Hate crimes are offenses that are motivated by bias towards race and ethnic differences. According to reports by the FBI, hate crime cases have been on the rise in recent years. In 2019, United States recorded over 50 deaths, more than twice the number recorded in 2018. This is an alarming increase rate, with over 20 people killed in a shoot-out targeting Mexicans in Texas. Study has it that African Americans are highly targeted in hate crimes as compared to other ethnic groups.

Following the footsteps of Martin Luther closely, President Barrack Obama became the first African American president of the United States. President Obama was voted in as president of the United States twice. The residents of America believed in him to deliver twice, of which he did not disappoint. Obama’s presidency remains historical and meant a lot in observing the power of democracy that Martin Luther had fought for. It gave African Americans hope, believing that their lives would change for the better because he was one of them, and he was in charge. Whereas African Americans were looking up to him for salvation, the whites saw him as a symbol of forgiveness and change for the better.

Like the whites did not receive the absolution they expected from Obama, the blacks too are not satisfied with the much Obama did; they feel he did not speak up for them for the 8years he was in the presidency. Some critics argue that racial issues worsened after Obama’s regime. It is correct to say that America has not yet attained the status of being a post racial state. However, Obama’s win confirmed that equality was possible in the long run although Obama’s regime ended without achieving that.

 The fact that the United States seems far from improving the race relations between blacks and whites is worrying. This is majorly due to the belief that whites are highly likely to receive fair treatment. A significant fraction of the blacks in the US still believe that the country will attain the long straggled for equality between blacks and whites. However, almost half of the blacks do not think things will ever get better for the blacks. On the other hand, 53% of the whites believe that a lot of work needs to be done for the country to achieve equality, while 38% of the whites believe enough has already been done[5]. The remaining fraction of the whites highly doubts change regarding equal treatment of the whites and blacks will ever come.

Conclusion:

Several years down the line, the same discrimination issues, high unemployment rates, more unsatisfactory working conditions, and low pay that faced the ancient African Americans are still a concern to date. The Ancient African fathers started the civil rights movements in the 1950s, and the right of equality and freedom they fought for has not yet been achieved fully. The healthcare system, education system, justice system, and other crucial systems in the US have been corrupted to work against the favor of black Americans. The contributions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. cannot go unrecognized in matters related to civil rights in the 1950s and 60s. He used peaceful protests to pursue equality for African Americans and justice for the poor in society and victims of injustice. The back lives matter movement has made it its responsibility to shine a light on these neglected disparity issues, mainly affecting the people of color. Obama’s presidency came as a hope for the black man, but that was not the case. There was little he could change as a person, but his presidency remains a historical gesture.

Bibliography

Balko, Radley. “There’s overwhelming evidence that the criminal-justice system is racist. Here’s the proof.” The Washington Post 18 (2018).

Clayton, Dewey M. “Black lives matter and the civil rights movement: A comparative analysis of two social movements in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies 49, no. 5 (2018): 448-480.

Coviello, Decio, and Nicola Persico. “An economic analysis of Black-White disparities in the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program.” The Journal of Legal Studies 44, no. 2 (2015): 315-360.

Howard, Gary R. We can’t teach what we don’t know: White teachers, multiracial schools. Teachers College Press, 2016.

Prather, Cynthia, Taleria R. Fuller, William L. Jeffries IV, Khiya J. Marshall, A. Vyann Howell, Angela Belyue-Umole, and Winifred King. “Racism, African American women, and their sexual and reproductive health: a review of historical and contemporary evidence and implications for health equity.” Health equity 2, no. 1 (2018): 249-259.

[1] Clayton, Dewey M. “Black lives matter and the civil rights movement: A comparative analysis of two social movements in the United States.” Journal of Black Studies 49, no. 5 (2018): 448-480.

[2] Prather, Cynthia, Taleria R. Fuller, William L. Jeffries IV, Khiya J. Marshall, A. Vyann Howell, Angela Belyue-Umole, and Winifred King. “Racism, African American women, and their sexual and reproductive health:

[3] Balko, Radley. “There’s overwhelming evidence that the criminal-justice system is racist. Here’s the proof.” The Washington Post 18 (2018).

[4] Coviello, Decio, and Nicola Persico. “An economic analysis of Black-White disparities in the New York Police Department’s stop-and-frisk program.” The Journal of Legal Studies 44, no. 2 (2015): 315-360.

[5] Howard, Gary R. We can’t teach what we don’t know: White teachers, multiracial schools. Teachers College Press, 2016.

To get your original copy of this completed paper, please Order Now