The various organization formed by persons with common interests in the US play a vital role in educating citizens and influencing the change of various laws. Most times, organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) act in the best interest of the public.
MADD has been at the forefront of educating the public and pushing for legislation that seeks to reduce the number of road accidents caused by drunk driving. It is also involved in curbing underage drinking. As part of educating the public, MADD undertakes various sensitization campaigns that seek to discourage impaired driving. The programs include the Tie One on for Safety campaign and designated driver program that urge individuals to commit to driving while sober (American Addiction Centres, 2020). MADD has also been pushing for legislation at state and federal levels such as the adoption of sobriety checkpoints. At the federal level, MADD (2019) is currently advocating for the enaction of a law that calls for the installation of advanced alcohol detection technology in all new vehicles.
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NAACP and LULAC have been involved in the advocacy of the rights of colored individuals, mostly African Americans, and the Hispanic Americans, respectively. The two organizations have been at the forefront of advocating for equality amongst all persons regardless of race, ethnicity, or nation of origin (LULAC, n.d.- a; NAACP, n.d.- b). Their campaigns have been directed towards political, education, health, housing, economic, and civil rights advancement amongst their respective groupings (LULAC, n.d.- a; NAACP, n.d.- b). As part of educating the citizens, the organizations are involved in various sensitization and empowerment campaigns. These programs include voter registration, health fairs, and scholarship programs (LULAC, n.d.- a). The organizations have been using various ways to push for law changes. The methods used include litigations in courts, congress lobbying, and peaceful protests (Ward, n.d.; LULAC, n.d.-b). These measures have helped change various discriminatory laws such as segregation in schooling and the right to vote (LULAC, n.d.-b; NAACP, n.d.- a). The organizations are actively involved in the fight against racial discrimination and discriminatory immigration policies. These organizations are very crucial in ensuring the voice of the minorities in the US is voiced.
Constitutional democracies honor the freedom of civic groups. Such governments do not infringe on the rights of various family, religious, and other established organizations (Center for Civic Education, n.d.). They acknowledge and protect the integrity of such groupings giving rise to civil societies devoid of government interference. On the other hand, authoritarian and totalitarian governments exert a lot of influence on civic groups. Authoritarian governments involve a rule by one central power, which regulates the operations of all other groups. Thus, authoritarian governments may allow civic groups to exist, but the groups are strictly censored. Such governments weaken the civic groups and ensure they do not engage in political dissent (O’Driscoll, 2018). Totalitarian governments go to the extreme of controlling both the public and private lives of the citizenry. Such governments destroy social capital by politicizing different spheres such as religion, social organizations, and education. The result of such actions is apathy and mistrust amongst the people (Zlatareva, 2008). Individuals fear to engage in collective efforts as is the norm in civic groupings.
References
American Addiction Centres. (2020). Effectiveness of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) . Alcohol.org. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.alcohol.org/teens/mothers-against-drunk-driving/ .
Center for Civic Education. Constitutional Democracy . Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.civiced.org/resources/publications/resource-materials/390-constitutional-democracy .
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). (n.d.-a). Frequently Asked Questions . LULAC. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://lulac.org/about/faq/ .
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). (n.d.-b). Legislative Platform . LULAC. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://lulac.org/advocacy/legislative/ .
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). (2019). MADD Helps Pass Lifesaving Laws in 2019 | MADD . MADD. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.madd.org/madd-helps-pass-lifesaving-laws-in-2019/ .
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). (n.d.-a). NAACP | NAACP Legal History . NAACP. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.naacp.org/naacp-legal-team/naacp-legal-history/ .
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). (n.d.-b). NAACP | What is the Mission of the NAACP? NAACP. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.naacp.org/about-us/ .
O’Driscoll, D. (2018). Civil Society in Authoritarian Regimes. K4D Helpdesk Report. Brighton, UK: Institute of Development Studies
Ward, E. National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) | Learning to Give . Learningtogive.org. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/national-association-advancement-colored-people-naacp .
Zlatareva, M. (2008). Promoting Civic Engagement in a PostTotalitarian and EU Accession Context: A Case from Bulgaria [Ebook]. United Nations Development Programme Oslo Governance Centre The Democratic Governance Fellowship Programme. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.undp.org/content/dam/aplaws/publication/en/publications/democratic-governance/oslo-governance-center/ogc-fellowship-papers/promoting-civic-engagement-in-a-post-totalitarian-a-case-from-bulgaria/PromotingCivicEngagement.pdf
