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Examination of Cultural Diversity in America Essay

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Cultural Diversity in America: Examination of African Americans and Asian Americans Many ethnic groups reside and persist in America. Minority groups are misunderstood and undervalued in today’s society. There are many cultures, history, social relations, religious traditions, and linguistic aspects enduring in our country because of our abundant diversity. Two minority groups that are misconstrued are African Americans and Asian Americans. These two groups of people have many differences, but also have a few commonalities. African Americans and Asian Americans influence society in the United States in multiple ways, for example specifically in educational settings. Unfortunately, the dominant group, Caucasians, have difficulties …show more content…

As time elapsed de jure segregation, also known as the Jim Crow system, began in the South that replaced slavery in the South. According to Healey (2012), “Under segregation, the minority group is physically and socially separated from the dominant group and consigned to an inferior position in virtually every area of social life” (p. 182). Under state and local laws, African Americans were considered inferior to Caucasians. All aspects of life were included in segregation such as schools, restrooms, parks, stores, and any public facility. The civil rights movement began to eliminate laws based on racial segregation. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that separate facilities are unequal; therefore, the laws were unconstitutional, which abolished de jure segregation (Healey, 2012, p. 233). During the civil rights movement there were many influential leaders such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. promoting nonviolent protests. Finally, in 1964 United States Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, or sex. This act was only the beginning as our nation is still trying to eliminate discrimination completely. These important historical events have influenced past and current African Americans. Asian

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