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Civil Rights
The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. " Is this really what America is about? Equality is all we hear when they speak about Civil Rights. No one really knows what it means to live equally, if we did, America wouldn't be in this mess. So what is Equality? The dictionary definition states that equality is the state or quality of being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value,rank, or ability. I define equality as the state of being equal no matter what the situation may be. Whether one is able or disabled, black or white yellow or green, poor or wealthy, we all should be treated the same. I think we all may agree on that. If one were to ask any human being whether civil rights is important to them, more than likely their response would be yes. Although people may not treat each other in an equal manner, they would like to be treated equally. Many Americans, mainly black Americans, fought for the opportunity to have an equal education. Both Obama's speech, "Address to Joint Session of Congress" and Bill Cosby's famous speech entitled "Pound Cake speech" speaks upon the epidemic of African-Americans of today not taking their education as seriously as their ancestors did. Furiously, Bill Cosby states the sky-rocketing dropout rates and emphasize the pain and suffering past generations has been through in order to the future generation to have what they (people of the past) did not. We (the people) are the future, it is the people's job to grab on to the opportunity given and not waste it in the streets. This generation and the future generations must understand that the civil rights movement is for people to have an equal chance at anything and it is ours and their right to grab it by the horn and never let go. "It is our responsibility to make this system work" says Obama. The reason towards Bill Cosby's anger is due to the lack of gratitude we have for our civil rights. The education system in the United States is by far the strongest in the world and the people today are not taking advantage. The minorities here in the United States are taking their civil rights for granted,when they don't realize how may people in other nations would die to be in their place Many of those not take advantage goes and gets angry at the ones who call themignorant for doing so when infact its true, they are ignorant. How can someone get made at another for calling them out on the truth? It is our obligation as young minorities to practice our civil rights. It is our duty to honer Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, or even Susan B. Anthony. We should make it our business to live their dreams. Now, when I said everyone should be equal earlier in the passage, I did not necessarily mean in every single aspect. After reading "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr, I realized and pictured an ideal equal world. An ideal world is not a place where everyone should wear a mask because one is prettier than the other. An ideal world would include people who doesn't care about she being prettier than her, but if she has the skills she should get the job. One must understand that everyone is their own person so competition and variety is natural. For instance, in a ballet, one dancer would stand out more than the other due to her talent. I believe talent is what set everyone apart from one another. Although that person is a bit more talented than the rest, that person should not be TREATED any differently. When it comes to being a living human being, I stress that every single last one of us should have equal opportunity. The poem "Lift Every Voice And Sing" by James Weldon Johnson speaks upon the faith many had that one day they will be victorious and their new day will begin. Johnson's poem emphasizes unity. If everyone works together to get a similar goal completed victory will be stumbled upon. Women have worked together to get their goal accomplished. Many women have been taken action to get recognition in the hopes of becoming equal to men. In Sojourner Truth's poem "Ain't I A Women? " she express the idea of woman power. Sojourner indirectly states anything a man can do a woman can do, sometimes even better. Women has been through many hardships in the past , especially African-American women. They have been brutally battered, raped, oppressed, etc and it was about time women get the respect and rights they deserve. Tired of living in the shadows of men, women took a stand. From 1848, the first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York to May of 1869 Susan B. Anthony's and Elizabeth Cady Stanton's foundation of the National Woman Suffrage Association then to hunger strikes, women have fought their way to equality. In spite of the fight women put up, they are yet to be viewed as being equal to men. It has been said that America will never be America again. America will never again be the land of the free when the first pilgrims settled here in hopes of practicing freedom of religion, and when everyone were equal because they were there for the same reason. Many poets including Langston Hughes have written of dreams that someday the people will "Let America Be America Again". Many people dream of a better America but not many try to make it real. Dreams are hopeless aspirations in hope of coming true one must take action.
No one really discussed the issue of civil rigts in race openly and frankly. Listen to Leonard Lopate's interview with William Julius Wilson they honestly discuss what is actually going on here in America when it comes to minorities in schools, jobs, and buildings. William Wilson emphasizes minorities' values and how they are being skewed. Wilson mainly addresses the streets of Harlem. It sheds light on the domination of lower middle class residents as well as people being helped by the government, meaning on welfare, food stamps, etc. He tells Leonard Lopate in order to free minorities of such statistics they must proof to themselves and some racist whites that they want it. If not, no one will ever take them seriously and lend them a helping hand by providing them with the tools and resources needed to be lifted of the ground.
Not only was Professor Gates discriminated upon, Black farmers are being discriminated as well. This year the U.S approved a $1.25 billion settlement due to the Agricultural department discrimination against them. It is shocking how the farmers we need to supply food for the nation are being pushed away because of the color of their skin. What would our nation do if there weren't any white farmers and we are suffering from famine, would America then loan the farmers the money? Questions like these should not be going through anyone's head, and because it is it is obvious that something is wrong. Why are Non-whites treated differently in almost every scenario? In North Carolina Blacks and Hispanics are being segregated from the white kids. All the Black and Spanish students are being transferred out the "White" schools. Education Secretary Arne Duncan sees that such acts are unjust and plans to enforce civil rights laws in all elementary schools, high schools , and colleges. A school is a school in my eyes, we all go there to learn so why separate people who are there for the same cause. No one wants to go to a school and learn first hand about racism, no one should have to go through life knowing they are about to go through hell because of their color. It makes no sense. We are all human. Civil Rights has always been an stretched issue in America. Tears and blood were shed to get the United States to where it is at today. Many take advantage of their opportunity and others do not. It is the American citizen's obligation to take charge and take what has been given to them. If one do so he shall truly live in the pursuit of happiness. As Americans we must put our best foot forward and make America an ideal world of what it means to live free in victory.
bmaxim0@aol.com
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Although Barack Obama was elected President of The United States in 2009, it doesn't necessarily mean the U.S has overcome racism. Going back to the abolishment of slavery, to the
Jim Crow Laws of the south, then to the civil rights movement, equality has been a major issue sweeping through our nation.
Scholar of African-American History, 
Today we are still in a Civil Rights battle.Black people are always being prejudged. One night after forgetting his key and trying to get into his home, Black Harvard
Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.was arrested by white police Sargent Joseph Crowley. Professor Gates was being profiled, little did Sgt. Crowley know that Gates was a
professor at Harvard University. After all was said and done, President Barack Obama invited both Gates and Crowley to the white house for a beer, this was known as