The available evidence indicates that the Civil Rights Movement back in the 1950s and 1960s effectively attained its goals and changed the U.S as a country. After the American civil war in the 19 th century, Slavery was abolished and the black people across the United States were granted freedom. However, the freedom of the people of color was limited to a few things as they were still restricted to engage in civil rights such as voting ( OpenStax, 2019) . In the 20 th century, discrimination and segregation against black people increased. The black community was denied the right to vote, to access public facilities such as motels and transport, the right to equal opportunities in education, employment and housing ( Luders, 2005) . As a result, the Civil Rights movement was created in the mid-20 th century to fight against discrimination and separation.
In his speech, I Have a Dream Martin Luther King, stated some of the major problems that were faced by the people of color in the U.S. However, King’s message was that he was optimistic that things would get better in the future. He said that he saw a nation that had no discrimination and segregation of the minorities in his dream ( King, 1963).
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The Civil rights Movement in the thus changed the politics and law of the country. A year after the famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech by Martin Luther King Jnr, the Civil Rights Act was signed into legislation ( Luders, 2005)) . The legislation marked the end of laws that supported racial discrimination. The Civil Rights Act thus prohibited racial discrimination. Hampton and Fayer (2011), notes that the Voting Right Act was signed into law in 1965 giving all Americans equal rights of voting. In 1968 the Fair Housing Act was signed into law that was against housing discrimination based on religion, sex, race or place of origin ( OpenStax, 2019) .
Although the Movement was unable to eliminate the big problem of racism in the U.S, the changes that occurred affected the social, economic and political lives of all minority groups. Employment and education discrimination and segregation were minimized, and people from minority racial groups had equal rights to access public facilities.
Effects That Civil Rights Movement Would Have On Minority Groups
The passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 affected all the minority groups in that they were allowed to access public places of accommodation ( OpenStax, 2019) . The Act also prohibited racial discrimination in employment and targeted programs with policies that supported discrimination and segregation by denying federal funding. The minority group members employed in private business were prevented from discrimination and were allowed to join labor unions.
According to Hampton and Fayer (2011), the Civil Rights Act gave the minority groups the power to access places that initially they would not have accessed without fear of being condemned by the majority white community. The Civil rights legislation meant that all minority groups had equal rights like the white majority did except for the voting rights. It also gave the minority racial groups the courage to use peaceful demonstration in the future to fight for their rights as it was evident that such rights bore fruits.
Today, the Civil Rights Movement would give the minority groups the power to air their grievances. Minority groups still face a wide variety of challenges today. However, because these groups lack proper representation in the government, their problems continue to persist. The movements would help minority groups to face their fears and address some of their predicaments through similar tactics and strategies.
Applicability of Civil Rights Movement Tactics and Strategies Today.
The tactics and strategies employed by the civil rights activists back in the 1960s would be applicable today on racial and ethnic conflicts. In the 1960s, the Civil rights activists used non-violent direct actions such as freedom rides and sit-ins. Street marches and demonstrations were used to pass information and to show the power of togetherness in fighting common evils such as segregation. Such actions were used to disrupt societal status quo that made it hard for the authorities to ignore the issues being addressed by the civil rights movement ( OpenStax, 2019) . Such tactics and strategies were used to pass grievances and the needed changes and they all proved effective.
Today, racial and ethnic conflicts can be addressed using similar methods. When the oppressed groups stand together it is possible to address the challenges through non-violent direct actions. For example, a common racial problem in the United State is police brutality against African Americans. The killing and physical assaults of African Americans by police in the past have been addressed through demonstrations and social media cooperation. Street marches and sit-ins are also applicable in places where a group of individuals feels oppressed. The effectiveness of these tactics and strategies today can be hindered by the presence of modern technology.
The relevance of 1960s Ideas in Modern Day.
The 1960s ideas still possess relevance in modern-day society. Although some of the challenges experienced in the 1960s have already been addressed such as the right to voting, some challenges such as lack of equal job opportunities still remain a problem. Some of the key ideas of the 1960s were to create a single nation where everybody would have equal opportunity to share the American Dream and have equal justice.
Discrimination is still a major challenge for minorities. Racism persists today in a small portion not like back in the 1960s. While street demonstrations might not be the best way to address these challenges people can push for the creation of anti-discrimination policies in various places such as workplaces, schools, in the transport sector and so forth. Equal opportunities and needs such as security and justice also need to be served equally without discrimination, thus, the need to address these problems in the society could use the same ideas that were used back in the 1960s ( Hampton & Fayer, 2011) .
Ways How Civil Rights Movement Would Impact Diversity In America Today.
According to Luders (2005), in the 1960s the Civil Rights movement was successful because the minority groups oppressed by the majority agreed to come together and fight for the same course. Since then, the minority groups in the United States have increased which have created diversity. In addition, groups such as the disabled, women, Indians, Asian Americans, gays, and lesbians, Chicanas and Chicanos have cropped.
The civil rights movement would impact diversity by inspiring movements to promote equality ( Hampton & Fayer, 2011) . The differences in the modern-day U.S creates diversity which is not welcomed by everybody. Some of the groups face discrimination and are judged and they face oppression in different ways. Civil Rights Movement would encourage these groups to use tactics and strategies such as sit-ins and marches to fight for their rights. Such a movement would also encourage the different groups to fight fears and express their needs to the society. The Civil Rights Movement did not fear being disregarded, judged or ignored but pushed for equal treatment of all people.
The Civil Rights Movement can also help in the development of modern-day activism. The presence of different groups in the U.S is a sign that there are multiple needs by these groups that need to be addressed. Thus the Civil Rights Movement would impact the cropping of the modern-day activists. Back in the day, people like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were known activists whose focus was to lead their people in fighting for equal rights in society ( Luders, 2005) . The same thing can happen today which can result in the birth of the modern-day leader activists for the various groups.
References
Hampton, H., & Fayer, S. (2011). Voices of freedom: An oral history of the civil rights movement from the 1950s through the 1980s . Bantam.
King Jr, M. L. (1963). ‘I Have a Dream,’Address delivered at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. King Papers. The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute , 28 .
Luders, J. E. (2005). Civil rights success and the politics of racial violence. Polity , 37 (1), 108-129.
OpenStax. (2019). U.S History. Retrieved from https://cnx.org/contents/p7ovuIkl@6.18:gMXC1GEM@7/Introduction
