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The American Civil War And The Civil Rights Movement

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In elementary school, students study the Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement. Teachers speak about slavery and racism as if it were a thing of the past; and juvenile minds are lead to believe that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has finally come true. But as these futile minds mature, they encounter different versions of this “dream”. Caucasian faces may live to believe the world is a blissful place, but scoff at the waitress who struggles to speak english. Brown faces may look at the homosexual couple in disgust, but grow accustom to the stares that come with wearing a hijab in public places. And black faces may ostracize the interracial couple in their circle, but learn the dangers of not removing their hoodies when they walk in a …show more content…

In other words, rather than overtly expressing racism towards African-Americans, people are now internalizing their views and projecting them elsewhere. This can be seen by white children leaving their racially diverse public school and going to private schools to achieve a “better education”; this can also be seen by the process of gentrification to “improve communities”. In reality states could better fund those public schools rather than invest in private corporations to create private schools, and districts could work to fund communities rather than kick out its residents and move in another demographic. Although the intention of better education or improved communities are not directly malicious, their ulterior motives are. They essentially create a divide between people of color and surrounding communities. The African-American population are separated from the general public, and made to feel lesser than. The same type of isolation was seen with the Jim Crow laws, the separation of one race from another, physically or mentally, will never create a sense of equality or justice. Instead, it creates a circle of the oppressed being abused by their oppressor.
At this time it is still important to realize that there are people who still do not see the negative affect this new

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