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MLK Jr. 50th anniversary: How far have we progressed in race relations?
Martin Luther King Jr. Monument in Washington D.C.—Photo by Joseph Earnest
by Joseph Earnest August 28, 2013
Newscast Media WASHINGTON—It was 50 years ago on Aug. 28, 1968, that civil rights leader Martin Luther King gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, that drew a crowd of over 300,000 to the Washington D.C., in an effort to address the inequality and discrimination faced by Blacks in this country.
Have things changed from the time the speech was given? In some areas yes, but in other areas they haven't. Opportunities have increased for many minorities due to laws that prevent employment discrimination against minorities, and access to educational institutions. The Civil Rights Bill was also passed as a result of the speech, yet the law and courts seem to apply different standards to Blacks and non-Whites.
Two people can commit the same crime, one is given probation based on race while the other does hard time. There is still a lot of work to be done in race relations in America, yet the hope comes from the younger generations—Generation-X (my generation) and Generation-Y. These two generations seem less regimented and less structured than the previous ones, due to the open-minded and objective approach they take in dealing with each other. Below is a video of King's speech:
MLK's famous "I Have a Dream" speech
A lot of non-Blacks may not be aware or perhaps deny that there exists an invisible "privilege" that they enjoy, and the laws actually demonstrate that these privileges gave most of them a head-start that Blacks were denied. This is particularly true when it comes to individual and property rights and also contract jobs.
The United State government realized that some people in power were depriving Blacks of their personal property and taking advantage of them in regard to signing contracts, real property, leasing and holding property. Something had to be done, because public servants and officers, particularly, have been known to violate the rights of non-Whites in this area.
Below is the law that says, "all" citizens shall enjoy the same rights as "White citizens", which means some citizens had less rights than others. The term "White" at the time, included Asians, Anglos and Hispanics. This signifies that non-Blacks enjoyed affirmative action long before it became available to Blacks. Why do you think some families own huge pieces of land that was purchased for pennies on the dollar that they can lease and get royalties, yet other families were denied the same purchasing rights of private property? Read for yourself below:
Title 42 United States Code §1982 states: "All citizens of the United States shall have the same right, in every State and Territory, as is enjoyed by White citizens thereof to inherit, purchase, lease, sell, hold, and convey real and personal property."
Next time you see someone living in the projects, while another is living on a 4,000 acre ranch that has been passed down for five or six generations, don't be too quick to judge the one with a lower standard of living. Perhaps if that person's parents were allowed to purchase private property and pass it down, maybe he or she wouldn't be living in the projects, but also enjoying royalties by leasing thousands of acres of land out, and would be living like a king.
The above-mentioned law, is the basis of civil rights lawsuits that are filed as a result of people's civil and individual rights being violated. However, you must know the law and your rights to make them work for you. You will be very fortunate to find an attorney who has your best interests at heart and is not just after your money or double-dealing on both sides of the fence. Most of these attorneys are taught to treat you like you are stupid, until of course they find out otherwise. If you have discernment, you can easily see through their treachery.
Unity between opposite genders and races
Once Blacks were classified as minorities and availed affirmative action that Whites enjoyed, then Hispanics did not want to be classified as White, but minorities. Asians followed suit and were classified as minorities, to get access to small business loans and contractractual undertakings.
White women also broke away and during the Womens' Liberation Movement in the 60s and 70s, they marched alongside Black men, because White women said they too were being oppressed, they were paid lower wages, and often encountered a glass ceiling despite their qualifications, skills and hard work. Today White women are also classified as minorities, therefore qualify for small business loans, contracts and so forth, by virtue of their minority status.
It is the reason why a lot of White women in positions of power, tend to identify with the struggle of Black men, because both groups have had struggles in the corporate world and academia, since both groups are perceived as threats, if they accumulate too much power, and are unable to be controlled by the powers that be.
This also explains why when some White women rise to power, they are almost instantly destroyed. Look at how they treated Hillary and destroyed her in 2008, when she was running for president. Look at what they did to Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann when they became rising stars. Look what happened to Martha Stewart and recently Paula Dean, when they built empires from scratch and rose to dominance.
As for what happens to Black men who rise to prominence and cannot be controlled, well, I think it is safe to say, what happened Martin Luther King speaks for itself.
Black women are the new White men
Interestingly enough, Black women have been protected by the system and do not face as much scrutiny as White women. That's the reason why you can go to any local city, state or federal office, you'll always see those jobs being held by Black women. Just go to your Department of Motor Vehicle office, you'll see Black women running the show. Go to your local courthouses, social security offices, health and human services, city council offices, almost all human resource jobs in city, county or state offices are held by Black women. These are jobs where Black women can't be fired, because the system protects them.
There is an invisible alliance between White men and Black women, that's why banks are more likely to give loans to Black women and deny White women loans, and also they are more likely to extend loans to White males and deny Black men. A study, that was done by University of Iowa says banks perceive Black women to be more hardworking and trustworthy than White women, and perceive White men in the same positive light. The study is obviously flawed because it was done using college students who have no corporate experience at all. (pop-up)
Two for the money
This means that if you are a White female or Black male, you have to be twice as good, twice as qualified, twice as intelligent, twice as skillful as your counterparts, in whatever vocation you undertake, due to the misperceptions of society, as demonstrated by the University of Iowa study that I suspect will soon be taken down due to its insulting and amateurish research. One has to ask oneself what the interest rates are that these loan companies are charging, to keep these people in perpetual debt.
Overall, if anything positive came out of the march to Washington 50 years ago, it is laws that protect minorities, and allow them to embark on greater aspirations, than they would have, if such laws did not exist. Add Comments>>
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