With the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s and those not afraid to speak out against the unjust, such as Martin Luther King Jr., the fight against racism and segregation has made great leaps into the more accepting and integrated society we now enjoy. Government has worked tirelessly in promoting new legislation to ensure equal rights for all who live in America.
While laws are in place to protect the rights of minorities, even in today’s world racism still exists. This is due in part to society itself. There is still the teaching of prejudices that still run deep within society. Laws cannot be the solution to all our problems. Children are not born with prejudices, these are learned behaviors (Handy). Perhaps the best way to ensure equality in our future begins with what we teach our children. Education about what racism is and how to learn tolerance when young is key. Everyone should be vigilant in the quest to end poverty for all Americans. Insisting on legislation that insures equal opportunities for all is. Overall Martin Luther King Jr. perhaps summed it up best with his quote “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action.” (Brown) It is intriguing that these words spoken at a much different time are still relevant to us today and will be until racism is truly ended worldwide.
Works Cited
Handy, Dr. Christopher (2012) The Scars of Racism Public Domain Book New York. Print.
Brown, Waln K. (2011) I Have A Dream: The Story of Martin Luther King Jr. William Gladden Foundation. Print.
