Civil Rights Reflection

Over the course of the civil rights unit I have began to understand the way that minorities were treated. Before this unit I thought only Africans Americans were discriminated but I now realize that Latinos, Physically Handicapped, and Asian-Americans were also discriminated. Throughout the lessons, especially towards the end where we talked about MLK and Malcolm X, it became clear that if you need to make a point, follow what they did. They changed the way that society judged and viewed a whole race.

Today, America can still be seen with problems towards our minorities. For Example: If you are an African American you aren't given the rights that a white person is given. You are more prone to police brutality. An example of that is Oscar Grant of Oakland who was shot in the back due to a police officer, who claimed it was an accident. Because the police officer was white, he served only a few months when a black man could commit the same crime and go to prison for life.

Over the course of America's history we have struggled with equal rights for all people. From African Americans and Jim Crow Laws to Handicapped Rights. A way that most of the organizations used were non-violent protests. The protesters believed that if they used violent protests the government would look at them and think "Why should we give these savage people rights?" This form of protest proved successful but not 100% successful because today we still struggle with institutional racism.