Finally, much of this social movement was rooted in critical theory: "a type of social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole, in contrast to traditional theory oriented only to understanding or explaining it. Critical theories aim to dig beneath the surface of social life and uncover the assumptions that keep us from a full and true understanding of how the world works" (Crossman, 2013)
The black soldiers returned home knowing that the way they had been treated when they went to war was not the way they wanted to be treated after they had fought the war and helped win it. As author Mary Dudziak notes, "In spite of the repression of the Cold War era, civil rights reform was in part a product of the Cold War" (Dudziak 12)
The law was a dismal failure, but Eisenhower also created a Civil Rights Commission, which was not a failure. In effect, the reports and studies they completed helped lead to the sweeping Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Graham 6)
However, President Truman instituted a civil rights plan in 1948, and it was part of the Democratic Party plank that year at the national convention. After it was approved as a "minority position," many Southern participants "bolted" the convention floor (McAuliffe 37)
And when Americans are sent to Vietnam or West Berlin, we do not ask for whites only. It ought to be possible, therefore, for American students of any color to attend any public institution they select without having to be backed up by troops" (White 15)
Today, in America, clear racial divides still exist. Every move forward in the struggle for equal rights, equal opportunity and equal justice came about after many blacks paid the ultimate sacrifice with their own lives (Bailey 2010, pp
If we as a people, then, cannot determine the conceptual definition of equality or discrimination, how can we determine the "successes" we have made as a society? Other researchers note that the fight for true equality, whatever that may really mean in a societal framework, in America, is just another portion of the "American Dream," that is more of a Utopian ideal than a reality. Some believe that the fight for racial rights have not resonated on the individual level in which they should but have been more successful when taking the form of broad, heterogeneous movements struggling for individual rights (Gage 2011, pp
Parks was arrested, tried, and convicted of disorderly conduct and the violation of a local ordinance. Upon hearing of the conviction, nearly 50 African-American leaders gathered and organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott to demand a more humane bus transportation system (Hare 2009, pp
For many, the election of Barack Obama signaled that the United States had become a truly post-racial society, but many academics dispute this idea, noting that influential racial theorists, scholarly studies, and anecdotal evidence to support the conclusion that white domination will persist into the future continues to exist and to dominate U.S. society (Hill 2011, pp
The term itself actually refers to the political struggles and reform movements between 1945 and 1970 to end discrimination against African-Americans and other disadvantaged groups and to end legal racial segregation, especially in the U.S. South (Jackson 2011, pp
C. causing significant damage and destroying many black businesses (Jenson 2011, pp
Supreme Court handed down its decision regarding the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, in which the plaintiffs charged that the education of black children in separate public schools from their white counterparts was unconstitutional (Kelly 2011, pp
Author Joel Kotkin, in his new book, The Next Hundred Million: America in 2050, offers a look at what the future of the country will look like in terms of race. In a CNN interview regarding the book, he noted: "I believe that the mixed-race population will grow the fastest because interracial relationships are increasingly tolerated and considered OK by a large percent of the younger generation" (Membis 2010, pp
Only in a select few states do issues of racism and discrimination find their way into national media stories and headlines, leading many to believe that in general, the American people, guided by the mistakes of the past, have learned to both live with and respect one another regardless of racial differences. However, many researchers believe that we will never truly reap the full successes of the Civil Rights Movement, because race-relations tend to be highly descriptive, tending to proceed without theoretical guidelines explicitly stated (Willie 1983, pp
Hate Crimes: Associated Threats, Personal, and Societal Like violence of all kinds, hate crimes are an unfortunate fact of living in a world that has become as diverse as society today. Although the election of President Barack Obama certainly opened a new era for racial equality, especially for high-ranking officials and business persons, this by no means created a platform for fewer hate crimes in the country (McGill Lawson and Henderson, 2009, p
This letter is not being written with resentment toward your company, but with the hope of understanding… We are asking that your company take a firm stand to eliminate discrimination. We firmly believe that God will give courage and guidance in the solving of this problem…" (Blair, et al
"By me penciling in equality," Jerrie recalled, "That was the only way that those little Black girls could ever be cheerleaders" (Loder-Jackson, 166). On the subject of the Civil Rights Movement and Birmingham, Max Krochmal explains that "…beyond the gaze of most historical accounts… countless working-class Black activists quietly engaged in a decades-long battle" for good jobs, the integration of public spaces, and the right to vote (Krochmal, 2010)
Loder-Jackson. Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Urban Review, Loder-Jackson asserts that African-American teachers "…instilled a strong sense of racial pride in their students" (Loder-Jackson, 2011, p
Indeed, part of the cultural heritage of the Black Church is to "…promote and encourage community activism," and of course great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King began his journey as a pastor in a Black Church (Swain, 2008, p
On the contrary, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was enacted as a remedial approach since it requires the provision of programs and services in addition to existing ones for such people. The statute not only requires additional schools for children with disabilities but also provides the schools with extra funding (Rosenfeld, n