One of the most important questions in my generation was “Can racial and economic justice be achieved without violence?” That is still a relevant question in today’s world as well. However, I am here to say yes; racial and economic justice can be achieved without violence. Racial and economic injustice occurred while I was in high religious order and we were able to stop these injustices without violence. We held non-violent protests all across South Africa and it ended up being successful for our country. When your enemy is using the tactic of violence to stop us from voicing our opinions on injustices, being violent right back would only cause more issues. So I firmly stand by my opinion that racial and economic justice can be achieved without being violent. Before I begin my argument that non-violence is the only solution to these injustices, I will give a few details about my background. “My full name is Desmond Mpilo Tutu and I was born on October 7th, 1931 in South Africa. I was born to a father that was an elementary school teacher and a mother who worked at a school for the blind. Even though I and my 3 siblings knew that there was segregation in our world, and our family did not have a lot of money, we still had a very happy childhood and made the most of it.”(Desmond Tutu) “Some of the things I loved to do was to read comic’s strips and plays from Shakespeare. Unfortunately, I ended up getting very sick with tuberculosis and throughout this sickness, it
In certainty, the model of racial equality has not always been performed, nor has it been fully accomplished in the world. This is because the acceptance in racial equality has been said to “counter” deeply rooted beliefs in racial inequality and political, legal, and customary practices of racial discrimination and oppression. Therefore, racial equality is stated in antiracist philosophy and in antiracist political mobilization.
Though the conclusion of the American Civil War in 1965 marked the end of slavery in the United States, African-Americans would not see anything resembling true freedom from the segregation and isolation imposed by slavery until very recently, and only after decades of difficult struggle. Some of the most important achievements occurred during the 1960s, when a generation of African-American leaders and activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and the Freedom Riders, fought against some of the last vestiges of explicit, institutionalized segregation, discrimination, and isolation in order to attain equality and civil rights. Only by examining the treatment of African-Americans throughout America's history can one begin to understand how the the ending of slavery, the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, and the contemporary issues facing the African-American community are inextricably linked. In turn this allows one to see how rather than existing as a single, identifiable turning point in the history of civil rights, African American's struggle for equality and an end to isolation must be considered as an ongoing project.
America stands for equality, freedom, and choice, but upon looking into the history behind America the everlasting struggle of racism, bigotry, and inequality are revealed. Through the 1950s to the 1970s, the fight for civil rights by African Americans was prominent throughout America. Schools, restaurants, and all public facilities were segregated, African Americans were blocked from voting through literacy tests and poll taxes, and The KKK, a white supremacist group, would lynch African American men. The need for the immediate cease of these practices and the desire for equality gave way to the Civil Rights Movement. Leaders and groups arose from this movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X, and the Black Panther Party. The overall goal was to achieve rights but there were two significantly different methods of achieving this goal, non-violent civil disobedience and “black power”. The shift from non-violent civil disobedience to “black power” was caused by the emotional toll of being complacent during personal attack and the truth that immediate change calls upon the use of force, and the result of the shift was the further spread of violence.
The idea of violence is instilled in everyone’s head in some way or another. From the time we are born we are equipped with the idea that we must react when we are upset. When someone affects us in a negative way, there is an idea in our minds that urges us to fight back or cause harm to that person. This idea of causing harm stays with us from childhood until we take our last breath. Since 2013, there have been 242 school shootings within America. Even worse, there have been over a thousand mass shootings in the country resulting in mass casualties. Most recently, one single man murdered fifty-eight people at a concert in Las Vegas, Nevada and injured over 240 others. Although the motive may have been different between these shootings, one thing remains the same for all of them, the act of violence.
“Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time. I have a dream.” – Martin Luther King Jr. It is because of the Brown vs. The Board of Education court case that allows the University of Texas at Austin, along with hundreds of universities, to be have a diverse student body. This case opened new doors to racial opportunities. What started off as a plea for equality, would change the world in its own way. Brown, who is not defined to one person but rather a group that wanted freedom of segregation from schools, would go against the Board of Education in a duel of words to bring an equal education towards all citizens. Tirelessly fighting against racial
I chose to read the article “Leveraging Conflict for Social Justice: How “Leadable” Moments Can Transform School Culture” by Enrique Aleman, Jr. The article discusses how an elementary school principle implements her vision of success within a school district that has a diverse group of students with low socioeconomical status. She envisions an environment where faculty, staff, students and parents are working together to create an idyllic school atmosphere. Whenever conflict manifests itself between key stakeholders the principle capitalizes on the instances as “leadable” moments associated with social justice. This case describes how a principle is tested by a teacher’s response to racist and bigoted language, and the implications surrounding the parents and district concerns regarding diversity and equal education opportunities for all students involved (Aleman, 2009).
For one, African American leaders in the ‘90s to the ‘20s attempted to end the disenfranchisement of African Americans, done through poll taxes and literacy tests, by advocating their cause in the more sympathetic North. Later, in the fifties and the sixties, these same goals, enlign poll taxes and literacy tests, were once again fought for by African American leaders, through advocacy and agitation. This shows a major similarity as they wanted to achieve the same things. Furthermore, during the nineties to the twenties, leaders of African Americans sought to end segregation in the South, as caused by Plessy v. Ferguson. Similarly, African American leaders from the fifties to the sixties also fought for the end of segregation, in cases such as Brown v. Board of Education. This shows a significant similarity in that both time periods’ leaders attempted to achieve the goal of ending
I stand here today to present you with the issue that needs to be addressed immediately: racial injustice and police brutality. America is base on the fundamental principle of equality and freedom to be individual. However, this cannot happen due to the unjust to we, the blacks. Our ancestors helped through the civil revolution, many great people- such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, President Obama that try to create equality for people. America is a place where people of different color love and accept each other despite their differences. Throughout history, black people being treated brutality that led to the death of many innocent blacks who were killed by police officers, and we need to put a stop to this. People will always hear that their black male or female were killed by a higher authority figure; however, they still face no consequences. Most of the time the police officers that are not held accountable for the killing of unarmed black males because no criminal charges are pressed against them. There are still police officers on the street, discriminating blacks because they do not believe that blacks are equal to them. Many police officers that will kill even a young black male or female and then get a away with it. Yes, all human lives are valuable, but today I am specifically addressing the black lives matter movement. Blacks lives matter movement is important because we are addressing the white supremacy in our nation. It is an cry out for help
The means of obtaining fair treatment for all people have always existed as a controversial topic and often lead to aggression from outraged and hostile activists.. Some egalitarian leaders pushed for their rights, exploiting any methods to gain their desired conclusion. For instance, W.E.B. Du Bois, an equal rights revolutionist during the early 1900s, advocated for these violent and forceful means, believing the end results justify the means (Gordon-Yarbrough). His opposite, Booker T. Washington exemplified the contrasting method of harmony and hard work to acquire a fair stance in society (“Booker Taliaferro Washington”). Both ideals have been used successfully to pursue equality. However a pacifistic method, rather than violence, achieved more effective results as verified by previous civil rights leaders’ successes, the people’s reactions, and modern cases of protest.
Despite everything we do, injustice can be found everywhere. It could be through a form of discrimation against race, gender, age or religion preference. In 1955, a woman named Rosa Parks descided enough was enough. “No.” this one word uttered by an African American who changed the public transportation and American society. Her refusal to give up her seat in the coloured section to a white passenger because the white section was full, her courage to stand up for herself and her race for not being treated equally and with respect and dignity brought hope to African Americans all over the world then and it still brings hope to people in my generation as a reminder telling us that we all have an opinoun and should not be afraid to express
Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, people of color did not have much say in society. Most African Americans acted as if they were deaf and blind puppets that had no reaction to anything that the White man said or did due to fear. Race was an important factor when determining an individual’s superiority. During the time of segregation in the United States people of color held positions in agriculture and domestic housework. Throughout the 1940s and 1960s sixty percent of female African Americans held jobs in domestic service (Thernstorm, 2016). Additionally, one out of seven men worked on farm, farming the land or harvesting crops (Thernstorm, 2016). Looking at the statistics many African Americans did not have the economic resources to the
Although some people believe the issues of Civil Rights, Equality and Racism have been solved in the United States of America, these issues have still not yet been achieved according to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream. This is evident due to interviews of people who were around at the time, the thoughts of the up coming generation, and the demographics of the African American people.
Civil Rights Movements have been an ongoing issue since the birth of the United States of America, even though 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”. Throughout the years some people were forced to endure the injustices which were common within racial relations, including mistreatment, harassment, assault, segregation, denial of civil liberties, and even killings. However, there were courageous people who choose to take a stand against inequality within our society. Three of the earliest Civil Rights Movement leaders to lead the charge against racial issues in America were Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. DuBois; all of whom contributed in the fight for racial equality in their own way.
By 1963, racial injustice in America was a central issue. The struggle for equal rights of African Americans has reached its peak in the 1960s. Two famous people for fighting against racism
Today many people believe that we have obtained racial equality. However there are multiple reasons and statistics that contradict those arguments . For decades African Americans has been deprived of basic rights, “If America had racial equality in education and jobs, African Americans would have two million more high school degrees…(Raines)”. There are many drastic racial gaps from education to owning property. Throughout America’s history blacks have been limited, when it comes to education, property, and other things. If people truly believe that after four hundred years of enslavement and limited rights, can be fixed within one generation they are wrong. The African American community has faced