To end discrimination in housing, education, employment, and lending, non-discrimination laws needed to be enacted and scrupulously enforced. ![]() The primary goal of desegregation was to abolish the unfair exclusions and prohibitions of Jim Crow, a social system that gave whites privileges and advantages they did not merit, deprived blacks of rights and opportunities they deserved, and generally stigmatised black people as inferior. Moving toward racial equality required a concrete policy of desegregation. Private individuals and associations must be made to follow suit - at least when individuals’ basic liberties or vital socio-economic opportunities are at issue. It is not enough that the state refrain from treating some citizens as if they were civic inferiors unworthy of equal concern and respect. Second, government should ensure that no one’s basic rights are curtailed or general life prospects reduced because of the racial prejudice of others. Justice does not permit second-class citizenship on the basis of race. First, each citizen, regardless of his or her race, should enjoy equal civic standing and the equal protection of the law. ![]() He understood the former as a demand of social justice that could be described in terms of two principles. King was committed to the fundamental ideals of racial equality and integration. Quality education for all children, decent and well-paying jobs for adults, and the eradication of slums for the benefit of the poor require great resources. In response to this resistance, King reminded us that meaningful attempts to bring about a just society have unavoidable costs. are uneasy with injustice but unwilling yet to pay a significant price to eradicate it.” As King wrote, “The great majority of Americans. An equally if not more difficult obstacle was that most whites, even many who rejected racism, resisted racial justice measures that might have a personal cost. King argued that racist opposition was not the only reason these disparities had yet to be met with an adequate response. Nevertheless, troubling racial disparities - in income, education, wealth, employment, health, and poverty - caused by continuing discrimination and centuries of gross mistreatment and abuse, remained unaddressed. King thus proclaimed in his book Where Do We Go from Here? that many whites had come to accept racial equality, at least in principle, and to reject de jure segregation and discrimination. The 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act helped to break through the legal barriers to black inclusion in American social life, to curb discrimination and to empower blacks politically. Under constant assault by racist ideology, blacks struggled to maintain self-respect and self-esteem. They were victims of police brutality and vicious acts of domestic terrorism. Blacks did not have equal citizenship because they were denied the rights to vote and hold public office. A great many were socially marginalised and isolated in slums. Blacks were mostly poor despite living in a society with tremendous wealth. Life chances for blacks were severely diminished, “crippled” by racial segregation and widespread discrimination. described the racial realities of his day with characteristic force and eloquence.Īlthough slavery in the United States had ended one hundred years earlier, he declared, black Americans were still not free. Let's support one another and be united.In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. Reach out to your friends who are of a different race and have lunch and open conversations. Support positive interactions, give shout-outs to those who promote unity, and be aware of fake news. Stop spreading or supporting hate by listening to propaganda and spreading social media posts that raise anger. Start by showing empathy, being understanding and listening. Only by doing so can we hope to achieve true equality for all. It's important to have open and honest conversations about race so that we can continue to move forward as a country. There are many examples, both big and small, that show that race relations are still not where they should be. Despite all the progress that has been made, there is still a lot of work to be done when it comes to race relations. It's a topic that has been around since the beginning of our country, and it doesn't seem like it will disappear any time soon. Race is one of the most sensitive topics in America. The goal is to raise awareness to the importance of racial harmony and understanding. The day was started by the Bahá'í National Spiritual Assembly in the United States in 1957, but it was known as Race Amity Day until 1965. Race Unity Day, also known as Race Amity Day, is observed the second Sunday in June.
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