Racial discrimination and inequality have a significant place in the history of the United States of America. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was triggered by discrimination and inequality experienced by the blacks in the US. The protests were influenced by the century-long efforts by black slaves and their offspring to resist the widespread ethnic harassment and eradicate the culture of slavery. The movements were headlined by key figures such as Martin Luther King, Jr., who in 1963 gave an electrifying speech highlighting the plight of the blacks ( Luther King Junior, 1964 ). In the address, Luther King demonstrated that African Americans were fed up with being racially abused and being the recipients of inequality. Fleming and Morris (2015) note that at the beginning of the 20 th century, WEB. Du Bois had projected that the new century's problems would be the color line. This came to pass the mid-20 th century, as was evidenced by the heightened Civil Rights Movement. Luther King’s speech fundamentally heightened the discussion on human rights even though it had black intonations. Indeed, the Civil Rights Movement not only did it substantially change America’s racial inclusivity projectile, but it had a positive impact on the welfare of minority groups. The approaches used during the 1960s equality campaign fit today are racial and ethnic conflicts, and they still have relevance to today's society.
The Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s, regardless of being an uncertain time for the blacks, it laid a foundation for their empowerment. The protests led to laws that aimed at ending black segregation, the suppression of African American voters, and inequality in the employment and housing sector. Luther King noted that a century after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, the blacks were not free. Luther talked of segregation and discrimination that African Americans experienced, which was worsened by their abject poverty despite the American society being exceedingly wealthy ( Luther King Junior, 1964 ). Irrefutably, the blacks were justified in their push for equality and justice. In 1964, one year after Luther King, Jr. read his speech in Washington, Freedom Summer was organized, which was a mass drive to register black voters in the south (Ware, 2013). An alliance of human rights groups spearheaded the registration. Also, interracial groups of college students enormously supported the vote registration amidst resistance from the Klu Klux Klan.
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Still, in 1964, the Civil Rights Act was legislated, which outlawed discrimination in social places such as hotels and theaters. The legislation also recommended that federal funds be withdrawn from government programs that supported discrimination. Last, the act provided for equal employment opportunities in the country ( Hersch & Shinall, 2015 ). The Equal Employment Commission was established to achieve this objective. The above measures are evidence that the Civil Rights Movements had positive results. African Americans could now access social places formerly reserved for whites, and they were assured of equal job opportunities with the whites. Although the act did not address voting rights for the blacks, the support from civil society indicated that soon they African Americans would be allowed to vote freely. President Lyndon Johnson to entrench voting rights signed into law the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Coleman, 2015). Under this law, states were prohibited from imposing regulations that would deny citizens regardless of their ethnicity an opportunity to vote. One can acknowledge the potency that the Civil Rights Movement had to pave the way for a more inclusive American society.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 did not only address the issues facing the blacks, but it was an umbrella regulation that ensured that all minority groups in the US had equal standing as the majority of whites. Hersch and Shinall (2015) recollecting President Obama's word concerning the act writes that although the regulation did not have an immediate impact on all groups, today, opportunities for all in education and other spheres are available. Across the continent, minority groups developed a more audible voice compared to years before the enactment of the law. Although the blacks majorly steered the Civil Rights Movement, discrimination, inequality, and injustice were meted against all the minority groups. After signing the, all the minorities were brought on board since it did not solely apply to African Americans. In eleven sub-elements, the law sought to improve access to civic duties, public housing, employment, and general of persons discriminated in terms of color, religion, and race, among others (Hersch & Shinall, 2015). The act did not select beneficiaries irrespective of whether one was white or not. It worked to level the playing ground such that each citizen felt accommodated in American society. The law did not attempt to dilute the privileges of the whites; rather, it aimed at giving other ethnicities an equal chance to enjoy inalienable human rights and American resources.
The tactic, strategies, and ideas applied during the Civil Rights Movement are still relevant to today’s American society. Regarding tactics, the protests assume a range of tactics to voice their agitations. A key strategy was nonaggressive direct action. The blacks, thus, were able to disrupt the status quo in the American administration. This made it difficult for those in power and the majority to ignore their complaints. For example, the blacks organized sit-ins, which pushed for changes in local policy. On the other hand, direct action protests culminated in the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Hersch & Shinall, 2015). Although American society has undergone a series of changes, peaceful protests and sit-ins are still viable ways in which people can agitate for their rights. According to Fisher et al. (2019), peaceful protests and sit-ins have considerable potency when used to pass society's grievances. In the US today, numerous protests are held in a day to push the federal and local administration to institute measures to solve different problems facing the citizenry. Last, concerning the ideas of the Civil Rights Movement and their applicability to modern-day society, one acknowledges that the US is far from achieving ethnic inclusivity. Nevertheless, the same ideas which were applied about 60 years ago are still relevant today, albeit with a bit of modification to fit the 21 st century society. For example, the use of social media and the internet can be integrated into peaceful protests to champion equality issues.
The role of the civil rights movement, as mentioned above, is still viable in 21 st century America. Although America has come a long way in terms of equality, racial inclusivity, and violence to minority groups, there is a need to step up efforts to keep these social vices in check. Rickford, (2016), writes that the nonwhites still experience inequalities in domains such as education and employment, among others. Although efforts by the likes of Luther King, Jr. were largely effective, modern human rights activists ought to increase the tempo of their campaigns. As Luther King, Jr. noted that until the American society allows freedom to be enjoyed by all, irrespective of their age, gender, or ethnic background, people should not relent from agitating for what is right (Hersch & Shinall, 2015). With blacks and other minorities facing oppression from governmental organs such as the police, it is not the time to shelf the use of nonviolent protests. Peaceful campaigns seek to establish a more inclusive American society. America is a highly diverse country, and it is upon the government their political agenda notwithstanding to ensure that the rights of all people are secured, including those that pertain to peaceful picketing.
In conclusion, the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s was instrumental in shaping America's modern society. The movement led by people like Martin Luther King, Jr. agitated, for the rights of the blacks, such as equality, inclusivity, voting, and employment opportunities. The campaign was mostly successful, with several legislations being passed to ensure that the blacks were treated the same as the whites. Nevertheless, up to today, the aspirations of those steering the movement have not been fully realized. Therefore, it is not preposterous to conclude that civil rights movements are still useful in modern society.
References
Coleman, K. J. (2015). The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview. Congressional Research Service’s Report. July 20, 2015.
Fisher, D. R., Andrews, K. T., Caren, N., Chenoweth, E., Heaney, M. T., Leung, T., ... & Pressman, J. (2019). The science of contemporary street protest: New efforts in the United States. Science advances , 5 (10), eaaw5461.
Fleming, C. M., & Morris, A. (2015). Theorizing ethnic and racial movements in the global age: Lessons from the Civil Rights Movement. Sociology of race and ethnicity , 1 (1), 105-126.
Hersch, J., & Shinall, J. B. (2015). Fifty years later: The legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management , 34 (2), 424-456.
Luther King Junior, M. (1964). I Have A Dream," Dr. Martin Luther King Junior [Ebook] (2nd ed.). Rockville: Montgomery County Public Schools. Retrieved from www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/uploadedFiles/schools/leems/news/Full-text-I-Have-a-Dream-.pdf
Rickford, R. (2016, January). Black lives matter: Toward a modern practice of mass struggle. In New Labor Forum (Vol. 25, No. 1, pp. 34-42). Sage, CA: Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications.
Ware, L. (2013). Civil Rights and the 1960s: A Decade of Unparalleled Progress. Md. L., Rev. , 72 , 1087.
