Racism
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
The Declaration of Independence
The legal barriers to racial equality have significantly decreased and the racial exclusion from the benefits of society and the right of citizenship is no longer nearly total, as it once was. But discrimination still limits the opportunities and stifles the hope of many minority groups, in the U.S. as well as around the world. At this moment in our nation´s history, it is critical that we start remedying the effects of discrimination. We find that many successful civil rights remedies, voting right laws, which have begun to take part in the Congress and state legislatures, have come under attack from conservative polititians. Affirmative action, for example, wich has created an increasingly diverse workforce, has also been a victim of strong criticism.
There are several minority groups which have been the most affected, and are frecuently being denied of their unalienable rights written in the above statement of the Declaration of Independence. Within these we find several that will be discussed in this proyect: blacks, American Indians, Latinos, Asians, women, and homosexuals. These groups are faced with strong discrimanting issues every day, and as long as our society is ridden with race-based problems, we will need race-based remedies. And while we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go.
In 1963 the civil rights reformation was speed up by Martin Luther King Jr. As the speech, of "I have a dream" was performed in washington, on August 28. By this time discrimination, social issues, and violence, such as the Ku Klux Klan, was already present. We must sadly confront the issue that his dream, hasn´t become a reality yet. Although there are laws meant to end racial discrimination, in what concerns legal rights, education and jobs, we still find it more than present.
Martin L. King´s widow, Coretta Scott King, believes "We have made signifgicant progress in reducing social segregation however, …sores of poverty, racism and violence continue…" statistics show that the progress made by Black Americans has come to be rather slow. "The percentage of families receiving income in each range, computed from 1986 dollars, show that since there is more poverty and more affluence, wider income gap exists between the blacks and whites in American society. " ( NY Times Feb.29/88 pg.34) Three-fourths of the black males held jobs as service workers, material movers, and asserablers, all of which are manual labor jobs, with low wages.
Blacks are not only encountering discrimination in their jobs and economic status, they are also facing discrimination by the television media. Movies are very much responsible for stereotyping blacks as violent, ignorant and racist. "In such movies as Hard Cover and Point Blank have shown black people as a group infatuated with guns and drugs." One African American stated in an Oprah Winfrey´s video "take a thousand black men. One of them will do something unjust. The others abide the laws like everyone else. People only see the bad side of the black race. " Most of what people think about blacks, comes from being infiltrated either through the media or by tradition. Perhaps if people were constantly being shown the good side of Black America, they might begin to think differently.
There are several groups that have been created in benefit of the blacks, and for the protection of their rights. Among these we find, the NAACP.
The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the oldest, largest and strongest Civil Rights Organization of the United States. The principle objective of the NAACP, is "to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of the United States."
The NAACP, was founded on 1909 in New York City by a group of black and white citizens wanting to straighten out social injustices. It consists of more than 2,200 branches that cover all 50 states, The District of Colurabia, Japan and Germany. This association for 89 years has made it´s way through political pressure, marches, demonstrations and through the courts. Fighting several important court cases has brought significant consequences in what concerns the fight for equal rights ( ending discrimination through legal action). Among some we find, Guinn vs. United States in which the supreme Court in 1910 brought down some old traditional clauses of state constitutions as an "unconstitutional barrier to voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment . In 1917, the Court declared as unconstitutional a Louisville ordinance that requiered blacks to live in certain sections of the city, thus challengingresidential segregation through city ordinances. And in 1923, the court declared that exclusion of blacks from a jury was inconsistent with the right to a fair trial. " (http:// www.naacp.org/about/factsheet.html) The association has kept it´s fight, demonstrating that although the changing process is slow, fighting through legal action has been efective and will, with time, fullfill the right of a full constitution guarantee for the rights of the minority groups.
The NAACP, has brought numerous changes through public pressure, and by increasing people´s conciousness. For 89 years they have restlessly fought to end racial discrimination and stereotypes, to change attitudes and laws for the good, peace and unification of all americans, seeking to banish misunderstandings, prejudice, hate and separatism. Today, after continuos struggles "we affirm our commitment to the true American Dream, an integratied society rich in diversity and open equally to all.." Blacks are protected under the civil rights act of 1964, which otlaws discrimination in public places, job affairs and federal funding, by the Civil Right acts of 1968, nobody can refuse to sell property or other gooRAB because of race, color or religion, and by the fifteenth ammendment which gave them the right to vote. This was very important because it was the beginning of political power for the blacks.
The purpose of affirmative action is to find a way to deal with the exclusion, by the system, to individuals, based on their race, color or gender from opportunities to achieve, develop and contribute. Affirmative Action tries to offer discriminating minorities an equal opportunity of education, health, employment and economic status.
Asians have had to face discrimination, prejudice and hate crimes, despite their large gains made while in the U.S. This discrimination is not a new issue, asians have faced it since the 19th century when, the Chinese men whent to America to work on the railroaRAB and gold mines. These Chinese workers were acused of taking away jobs from whites, and for trying to work less, while wanting to gain more. This led to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. It was the first time legislation was passed concerning the exclusion of immigrants from a particular country. Today Asians in the U.S. do not support the proposition 187 although it has not yet been implemented, "which woul limit lor halt access of illegal immigrants to education, health care and other services."
Many Asian American hold important political office in cities and states where their nurabers are significant. Their income (median household imcome) are higher because of several income carriers within one household. Asians have the highest median school years finished among the entire U.S. population. This represents the striving and the effort made by this group in what concerns educational achievement.
Asians have also been victims of television media discrimination. In KTVU, you said it, an asian boy, under the name of Max, expressed his feelings towarRAB the discrimination in what concerned a broadcast about the widespread decrease in enrollment in UC campuses on Blacks and Latinos. He asked the KTVU director why had he left out the Asians? " Everyone assumes the rest are whites. This is very unfair and a complete discriminatory practice to exclude, Asians, and Asian-Americans in your studies and surveys. This is everyday and each time you guys show a comparison it is always between Blacks and Latinos. What´s wrong with you people? "
In conclusion, one is able to see that the Asians in the U.S. will continue to prove themselves and strive to succeed, despite discrimination and the hatred they have and will be victims of. The only way to solve our problems including our racial ones, is to tell the truth. We should celebrate the fact that Asians have succeeded. We should try to ensure that all people no matter what their race, gender or skin color is, have the opportunity to succeed.
American Indians are yet another minority suffering from discrimination and unjust treatment by the legal sysytem and the government as well as by society for a very long period of time.
"We are engaged in a struggle for the liberation of ourselves as people. In this, there can be neither success nor even meaning unless the struggle is directed toward the liberation of our land, for a people without land cannot be liberated. We must reclaim the land, and our struggle is for the land-first, foremost and always. We are people of the land" This has been a strong form of discrimination towarRAB the American Indians. They have been taken away the land for numerous amounts of years so that it can be used by the whites. It is precisely because of the degree of this situations that several organizations aroused, such as the American Indian Movement (AIM), the International Indian Treaty Council, and Women of All Red Nations. Their principle objective has been the reaffirmation of the treaty rights of North American indiginous nations, and the struggle for their land.
American Indians have also been victims of discrimination in schools and universities. They have been hurt by the mascot stereotypes. An example of this is clerly seen at the Erwin High school, were Erwin´s girl teams are called "Squaws"which translated in some Native American languages may mean prostitute or may refer to a woman´s genital area. The protesters, holding placarRAB and some wearing indian cloths and syrabols, blamed the board merabers for perpetuating a syrabol that is sexist, racist and that is seriuosly offending American Indians.
"America was built on indian graves, this is not about being politically correct, it is about showing some basic human decency. "Two Eagles said.
Although the American Indians are a very small minority, they too have suffer the consequences of discrimination, specially in what concerns their land and some abuse and mocking by society involving indian languages, and syrabols.
Georgina C. Verdugo, a regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDAFE) expressed her concerns about the discrimination against the Latinos in the U.S. MALDAFE is a 25 year old non-profitable national organization. It has worked through advocacy and legal action in the protection and advancement of the civil rights of nearly 25 million Latinos in the U.S. concentrating in several specific factors like, education, employment, immigrant´s rights, political access, and language discrimination.
Affirmative Action which was discussed earlier, was proposed thinking specially in Latinos and the issue of immigration.it´s resolution win would have seroius implications for this fast growing minority. Clearly a country must provide a proper education, job and buissness oportunities to well prepared minorities, thus it´s economic and financial health depenRAB on it too. When a country is suffering an economic crisis, mayorities have suffered it too, fearing to loose their jobs and to not be able to maintain their families, this situations have been specially hard on latinos in the U.S. This is due to the fact that Latinos face higher unemployment rates, lower education attainment, disproportionate concentration in low paying jobs and unstable economical industries, more layoRAB, income discrepancies among other things. Although Latinos have the highest labor force participation rate of all the other groups, their unemployment rate is twice as higher as it is por whites. Latinos as well as Asians have achieved their success by means of their own hard work, despite the difficulties of discrimination and legal attacks and consequences. Latinos find themselves protected under the "14th ammendment´s equal Protection Clause, strict scrutiny requieres that race-based legislative classifications be narrowly tailored to achieve acompelling govermental purpose." ( http://www.house.gov/judiciary/2115.htm )
It is clearly seen how Latinos and other minorities have suffered from denial of jobs and housing to exclusion from restaurants, banks, and other comercial and public services. Latinos also fall under the anti-immigrant proposition 187 mentioned earlier. It is wrong for one to think that this society is conformed with Latinos and Whites, this society is conformed by one whole community, and it will not prosper until unification is achieved.
For homosexuals, surviving in society has been probably one of the hardest tasks. Homosexuality faces severe conflict with the North American values and religious beliefs, as well as in other cultures were it seems to be even more unacceptable. It is thought to intervene in established family, gender roles, and to tear down the family ties. There are numerous theories about homosexuals including a vision of one´s rebellion against family, cultural traditions and beliefs, and even as a white-person phenomenon and/or a result of a decadent, Western urban society. With this a first example of discrimination is seen, a homosexual does not necessarily need to be white. A gay pٌerson of colour may find itself discriminated in both societies, making this, it´s development process more complicated. In mayor cities there are a variety of organizations destined to the protection of homosexual rights, either they be gay African Americans, gay Latinos, or gay Asians.One mayor organization is the ACLU. The ACLU is a non partisan organization that was founded in the 1920´s. It believes that the only way to protect freedom is to fight for the idea that every individual, no matter how unpopular desrves the same rights, that "liberty is preserved only if principle stays ahead of politics of the moment" ( http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html )
The goal of the ACLU gay and lesbian project is to achieve equal treatment and dignity for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In all fielRAB including, jobs, housing, hotels, restaurants, public places, an equal treatment by the government and the protection for homosexual couples and their families. This organization as the others, work by means of legal action, filing lawsuits and cases that will bring significant effects on the lives of all homosexuals, and bisexuals. Unlike others, this organization strongly works in thefield of education. What is meant by this is that they work in educating the public, legislators, policy makers and opinion leaders, through books, papers, articles and media campaigns. At the moment the project is concentrating in five main areas. Discrimination, family relaytionships, including marriage, lesbian and gay teens and young adults, laws which criminalize sexual intimacy, and expression and association. Discrimination in sexual orientation is still the priority of the project. "the project has been foghting anti-gay ballot initiatives with tactical advice and campaign materials aswell as with lawsuits, fighting the military´s "don't ask, don´t tell "policy first in Congress then in the courts, and fighting discrimination in jobs and housing with new laws and aggressive litigation." (http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html ) an example is seen with Robin Shahar, a woman that was fired from her job by her boss Michael Bowers, who said she couldn´s be an effective lawyer because she and her partner were about to have a commitment ceremony. The project took the case to federal court, proving that lesbians and gay men have the same right to maintain relationships as everyone else.
Approximately 20 states still have laws that punish some forms of sexual intimacy, some only between merabers of the same sex. This laws are more affecting in what concerns parenting, denying the possibility of adoption by gay men and lesbians, and by the planning of the police departments to carry clandestine operations to capture homosexuals. The ACLU files more briefs in the Supreme Court than anyone except the federal government. "When Romer vs. Evans, the challenge to Colorado´s anti-gay initiative, reached the Court, the Project was co-counsel and made sure that the Court received the best arguments from the nation´s leading experts. The Project has been the primary drafter of the core constitutional arguments used to attack the military´s restrictions on service by lesbian and gay men."
Since 1993, a ruling made by the Supreme Court, that said that the state failed to recognized gay marriages denied some citizens a right that others have. This ruling set "preemptive legislating "in the nation. "Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, wehich denied federal recognition of homosexual marriage and alowed states to ignore same-sex unions licensed elsewhere. At least 30 states banned gay marriages since."http://www.mercurycenter..com:80/premium/nation/docs/gay05.htm
President Clinton has acknowledege that "homosexuals in the United States still possess the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which must be protected by law regardless of their sexual orientation." in common North American society, homosexuals are being reffered to as "ill"or "perverted"thus not receiving the equal status of those who are "normal"or "straight" It is hoped that
Homosexuals have found themselves being strongly discriminated in the military as well. "U.S. District Jugde Saundra Brown Armstrong struck down the two year old law, saying it "impermissibly relies on irrational prejudices "and ordered the military to reinstate 1st. Lt. Andrew Holmes of the California Army National Guard.
Homosexuals have aslo had a very negative relationship with the church, this may strongly affect them because it is another mean by which they are being attacked and discriminated.
President Clinton´s protection of the homosexuals by law may bring enourmous changes in their life style, concerning the issue of discrimination and their status in society.
Women have also suffered strong discrimination by society throughout history. History has shown women being banned from voting, education, political, employment, and health care rights. It wasn´t until the 1960+s that women were aloud to vote in some nations. A convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women was held by the united nations. "Nothing that the universal declaration of human rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex."
Discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect of human dignity. Women may be able to equaly participate in every aspect of life as men. They should be given equal political, economical, social and cultural life. The prosperity of a nation is also dependable on the development of women because their contribution to the procreation and holding together the families. Maternity, the upbringing of children, and the assumption of both roles in the family, is never fully recognized, instead it is ignored and sometimes critizised. It is a concern that in times of poverty, women are the most affected due to that ther have the least access to health, food, education, training and oportunities for employment and other neeRAB.
Women had been discriminated until very recently in the are of sports, not being able to participate in the olimpic games. With the resolution 1092 (1996) on discrimination against women in the field of sport and more particularly the Olimpic Games. 1. "the Asserably is concerned about the many instances of discrimination against women wishing to practice sports, and more especially about the policy of discrimination with regard to their participation in the Olimpic Games. At the Barcelona Olimpic Games in 1992, 35 countries had no women athletes in their teams, and one of those teams even refused to walk behind a spanish woman athlete at the opening ceremony"http://stars.coe.fr/ta/ta96/ERES1092.HTM
Women have had generally fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Historically women have been viewed as not only physically but intellectually inferior than men. In the 20th century however, women have gained the right to vote and have increased their employment and educational opportunities. Psycological tests have now proven that women are more resistent to pain and to many diseases enabeling them to live longer.
During the 1960´s several federal laws improving the economic status of women were passed. The Equal Pay act of 1963, which requiered equal wages for men and women performing equal work, The Civil Right Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination against women by any company with 25 or more employees, a Presidential Executive Order in 1967 which prohibited "bias against women in hiring by federal government contractors"
There have been several organizations that have helped in the protection of rights of women. Equal Employment Opportunity Comission founded in 1970, The settlement-house movement,and the Hull House in Chicago in 1989, inspired by Janes Adams. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) the National Organization for Women (NOW)in 1966.
Abortion has been a very controversial issue in history. It has brought up many organizations pro and con that either fight for protection or for creating laws and cases that promote the banning of it, in several states. The U.S. federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) was created originally on the basis of organized crime. But in 1986 the National Organization of Women (NOW) used RICO to file a lawsuit against Operation Rescue, The Pro Life Action League and other anti-abortion groups. "the latter groups had blockaded a nuraber of abortion clinics in Delaware and Wisconsin. NOW lost the case at the Seventhy Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1993 the case was appealed to the US Supreme court and they won the case.
In late 1998 Jan to early Feb they conducted a poll on abortion. The somewhat loaded statement was "I agree with the pro-life movement. Abortion is wrong and deserves criminal penalties. "strongly agree 40% agree 7 % undecided 2 % disagree 8 % and strongly disagree 41 %. tHis poll suggests that abortion is still a highly controversial isuue. "the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on noveraber 3, 1998, that Wisconmsin´s ban on certain types of late-term abortion cannot be enforced pending a trial.""
In what concerns Gay and Lesbian marriages, there has also been a lot of controversy. Bills t prohibit same sex marriages passed the senates of Illinois and Alaska last Thursday, with some saying it was discriminatory and others that it would help strengthen traditional families. The bills would state that only marriages by a man and a woman are legal. Several organizations are openning lawsuits vs. the state in order to tear it down. "To create a climate that makes it OK to discriminate, single out, hate or revile is the wrong way to go. "Ellis said "you cannot build up on one group by tearing down another.." homosexuals have to be granted with the same rights as heterosexuals, even if some part of the society doesn´t agree. The ACLU also takes part in this issue. The project represents homosexuals that whant to be legally recognized as either co-parents, couples, or want to adopt. Since the 1970´s the ACLU supported the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. The ACLU strongly opposed the Defense of Marriage act, and it has opposed every state law meant to prevent lesbians and gays to marry. The project has been involved with policies that recognize domestic partnership, and has brought cases that will hopefully have a strong impact on homosexual marriage.
Discrimination has strongly affected most minority groups in some way or another preventing their complete debvelopment and progress in a massive amount of areas. We should all strive for achieving unification and justice; for someday reaching Martin L. King´s dream. And having the possibility to give every individual the same opportunities, and fulfill the above statement of the Declaration of Independence.
Bibliography
1. http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html
2. http://www.oxy.edu/~suarez/legitimacy.htm
3. http://www.tufts.edu/departements/fletcher/multi/texts/BH769.txt
4. http://stars.coe.fr/ta/ta96/ERES1092.HTM
5. http://www.aclu.org/issues/racial/hmre.html
6. http://religioustolerance.org/hom_chur.htm
7. http://www.religioustolerance.org/abo_rico.htm
8. http://www.ohiolife.org/aborters/jessen.htm
9. http://www.cais.com/agm/main/new/wisconsin-tro.html
10. http://www.aclu.org/issues/racial/isre.html
11. http://bayinsider.com/ktvu/aboutktvu/letters/discrimination.html
12. http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~kdedyk/midtermp.html
13. http://www.house.gov/judiciary/2115.htm
14. http://www.naacp.org/about/factsheet.html
15. http://www.mercurycenter.com:80/premium/nation/docs/gays05.htm
16. http://main.nc.us/wncceib/ACT81198.htm
17. Newsweek May 11 1992, pp.45-51
18. New York Times Feb. 29 1988, pg.34
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
The Declaration of Independence
The legal barriers to racial equality have significantly decreased and the racial exclusion from the benefits of society and the right of citizenship is no longer nearly total, as it once was. But discrimination still limits the opportunities and stifles the hope of many minority groups, in the U.S. as well as around the world. At this moment in our nation´s history, it is critical that we start remedying the effects of discrimination. We find that many successful civil rights remedies, voting right laws, which have begun to take part in the Congress and state legislatures, have come under attack from conservative polititians. Affirmative action, for example, wich has created an increasingly diverse workforce, has also been a victim of strong criticism.
There are several minority groups which have been the most affected, and are frecuently being denied of their unalienable rights written in the above statement of the Declaration of Independence. Within these we find several that will be discussed in this proyect: blacks, American Indians, Latinos, Asians, women, and homosexuals. These groups are faced with strong discrimanting issues every day, and as long as our society is ridden with race-based problems, we will need race-based remedies. And while we have come a long way, we still have a long way to go.
In 1963 the civil rights reformation was speed up by Martin Luther King Jr. As the speech, of "I have a dream" was performed in washington, on August 28. By this time discrimination, social issues, and violence, such as the Ku Klux Klan, was already present. We must sadly confront the issue that his dream, hasn´t become a reality yet. Although there are laws meant to end racial discrimination, in what concerns legal rights, education and jobs, we still find it more than present.
Martin L. King´s widow, Coretta Scott King, believes "We have made signifgicant progress in reducing social segregation however, …sores of poverty, racism and violence continue…" statistics show that the progress made by Black Americans has come to be rather slow. "The percentage of families receiving income in each range, computed from 1986 dollars, show that since there is more poverty and more affluence, wider income gap exists between the blacks and whites in American society. " ( NY Times Feb.29/88 pg.34) Three-fourths of the black males held jobs as service workers, material movers, and asserablers, all of which are manual labor jobs, with low wages.
Blacks are not only encountering discrimination in their jobs and economic status, they are also facing discrimination by the television media. Movies are very much responsible for stereotyping blacks as violent, ignorant and racist. "In such movies as Hard Cover and Point Blank have shown black people as a group infatuated with guns and drugs." One African American stated in an Oprah Winfrey´s video "take a thousand black men. One of them will do something unjust. The others abide the laws like everyone else. People only see the bad side of the black race. " Most of what people think about blacks, comes from being infiltrated either through the media or by tradition. Perhaps if people were constantly being shown the good side of Black America, they might begin to think differently.
There are several groups that have been created in benefit of the blacks, and for the protection of their rights. Among these we find, the NAACP.
The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the oldest, largest and strongest Civil Rights Organization of the United States. The principle objective of the NAACP, is "to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of the United States."
The NAACP, was founded on 1909 in New York City by a group of black and white citizens wanting to straighten out social injustices. It consists of more than 2,200 branches that cover all 50 states, The District of Colurabia, Japan and Germany. This association for 89 years has made it´s way through political pressure, marches, demonstrations and through the courts. Fighting several important court cases has brought significant consequences in what concerns the fight for equal rights ( ending discrimination through legal action). Among some we find, Guinn vs. United States in which the supreme Court in 1910 brought down some old traditional clauses of state constitutions as an "unconstitutional barrier to voting rights under the Fifteenth Amendment . In 1917, the Court declared as unconstitutional a Louisville ordinance that requiered blacks to live in certain sections of the city, thus challengingresidential segregation through city ordinances. And in 1923, the court declared that exclusion of blacks from a jury was inconsistent with the right to a fair trial. " (http:// www.naacp.org/about/factsheet.html) The association has kept it´s fight, demonstrating that although the changing process is slow, fighting through legal action has been efective and will, with time, fullfill the right of a full constitution guarantee for the rights of the minority groups.
The NAACP, has brought numerous changes through public pressure, and by increasing people´s conciousness. For 89 years they have restlessly fought to end racial discrimination and stereotypes, to change attitudes and laws for the good, peace and unification of all americans, seeking to banish misunderstandings, prejudice, hate and separatism. Today, after continuos struggles "we affirm our commitment to the true American Dream, an integratied society rich in diversity and open equally to all.." Blacks are protected under the civil rights act of 1964, which otlaws discrimination in public places, job affairs and federal funding, by the Civil Right acts of 1968, nobody can refuse to sell property or other gooRAB because of race, color or religion, and by the fifteenth ammendment which gave them the right to vote. This was very important because it was the beginning of political power for the blacks.
The purpose of affirmative action is to find a way to deal with the exclusion, by the system, to individuals, based on their race, color or gender from opportunities to achieve, develop and contribute. Affirmative Action tries to offer discriminating minorities an equal opportunity of education, health, employment and economic status.
Asians have had to face discrimination, prejudice and hate crimes, despite their large gains made while in the U.S. This discrimination is not a new issue, asians have faced it since the 19th century when, the Chinese men whent to America to work on the railroaRAB and gold mines. These Chinese workers were acused of taking away jobs from whites, and for trying to work less, while wanting to gain more. This led to the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882. It was the first time legislation was passed concerning the exclusion of immigrants from a particular country. Today Asians in the U.S. do not support the proposition 187 although it has not yet been implemented, "which woul limit lor halt access of illegal immigrants to education, health care and other services."
Many Asian American hold important political office in cities and states where their nurabers are significant. Their income (median household imcome) are higher because of several income carriers within one household. Asians have the highest median school years finished among the entire U.S. population. This represents the striving and the effort made by this group in what concerns educational achievement.
Asians have also been victims of television media discrimination. In KTVU, you said it, an asian boy, under the name of Max, expressed his feelings towarRAB the discrimination in what concerned a broadcast about the widespread decrease in enrollment in UC campuses on Blacks and Latinos. He asked the KTVU director why had he left out the Asians? " Everyone assumes the rest are whites. This is very unfair and a complete discriminatory practice to exclude, Asians, and Asian-Americans in your studies and surveys. This is everyday and each time you guys show a comparison it is always between Blacks and Latinos. What´s wrong with you people? "
In conclusion, one is able to see that the Asians in the U.S. will continue to prove themselves and strive to succeed, despite discrimination and the hatred they have and will be victims of. The only way to solve our problems including our racial ones, is to tell the truth. We should celebrate the fact that Asians have succeeded. We should try to ensure that all people no matter what their race, gender or skin color is, have the opportunity to succeed.
American Indians are yet another minority suffering from discrimination and unjust treatment by the legal sysytem and the government as well as by society for a very long period of time.
"We are engaged in a struggle for the liberation of ourselves as people. In this, there can be neither success nor even meaning unless the struggle is directed toward the liberation of our land, for a people without land cannot be liberated. We must reclaim the land, and our struggle is for the land-first, foremost and always. We are people of the land" This has been a strong form of discrimination towarRAB the American Indians. They have been taken away the land for numerous amounts of years so that it can be used by the whites. It is precisely because of the degree of this situations that several organizations aroused, such as the American Indian Movement (AIM), the International Indian Treaty Council, and Women of All Red Nations. Their principle objective has been the reaffirmation of the treaty rights of North American indiginous nations, and the struggle for their land.
American Indians have also been victims of discrimination in schools and universities. They have been hurt by the mascot stereotypes. An example of this is clerly seen at the Erwin High school, were Erwin´s girl teams are called "Squaws"which translated in some Native American languages may mean prostitute or may refer to a woman´s genital area. The protesters, holding placarRAB and some wearing indian cloths and syrabols, blamed the board merabers for perpetuating a syrabol that is sexist, racist and that is seriuosly offending American Indians.
"America was built on indian graves, this is not about being politically correct, it is about showing some basic human decency. "Two Eagles said.
Although the American Indians are a very small minority, they too have suffer the consequences of discrimination, specially in what concerns their land and some abuse and mocking by society involving indian languages, and syrabols.
Georgina C. Verdugo, a regional counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDAFE) expressed her concerns about the discrimination against the Latinos in the U.S. MALDAFE is a 25 year old non-profitable national organization. It has worked through advocacy and legal action in the protection and advancement of the civil rights of nearly 25 million Latinos in the U.S. concentrating in several specific factors like, education, employment, immigrant´s rights, political access, and language discrimination.
Affirmative Action which was discussed earlier, was proposed thinking specially in Latinos and the issue of immigration.it´s resolution win would have seroius implications for this fast growing minority. Clearly a country must provide a proper education, job and buissness oportunities to well prepared minorities, thus it´s economic and financial health depenRAB on it too. When a country is suffering an economic crisis, mayorities have suffered it too, fearing to loose their jobs and to not be able to maintain their families, this situations have been specially hard on latinos in the U.S. This is due to the fact that Latinos face higher unemployment rates, lower education attainment, disproportionate concentration in low paying jobs and unstable economical industries, more layoRAB, income discrepancies among other things. Although Latinos have the highest labor force participation rate of all the other groups, their unemployment rate is twice as higher as it is por whites. Latinos as well as Asians have achieved their success by means of their own hard work, despite the difficulties of discrimination and legal attacks and consequences. Latinos find themselves protected under the "14th ammendment´s equal Protection Clause, strict scrutiny requieres that race-based legislative classifications be narrowly tailored to achieve acompelling govermental purpose." ( http://www.house.gov/judiciary/2115.htm )
It is clearly seen how Latinos and other minorities have suffered from denial of jobs and housing to exclusion from restaurants, banks, and other comercial and public services. Latinos also fall under the anti-immigrant proposition 187 mentioned earlier. It is wrong for one to think that this society is conformed with Latinos and Whites, this society is conformed by one whole community, and it will not prosper until unification is achieved.
For homosexuals, surviving in society has been probably one of the hardest tasks. Homosexuality faces severe conflict with the North American values and religious beliefs, as well as in other cultures were it seems to be even more unacceptable. It is thought to intervene in established family, gender roles, and to tear down the family ties. There are numerous theories about homosexuals including a vision of one´s rebellion against family, cultural traditions and beliefs, and even as a white-person phenomenon and/or a result of a decadent, Western urban society. With this a first example of discrimination is seen, a homosexual does not necessarily need to be white. A gay pٌerson of colour may find itself discriminated in both societies, making this, it´s development process more complicated. In mayor cities there are a variety of organizations destined to the protection of homosexual rights, either they be gay African Americans, gay Latinos, or gay Asians.One mayor organization is the ACLU. The ACLU is a non partisan organization that was founded in the 1920´s. It believes that the only way to protect freedom is to fight for the idea that every individual, no matter how unpopular desrves the same rights, that "liberty is preserved only if principle stays ahead of politics of the moment" ( http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html )
The goal of the ACLU gay and lesbian project is to achieve equal treatment and dignity for lesbians, gays, and bisexuals. In all fielRAB including, jobs, housing, hotels, restaurants, public places, an equal treatment by the government and the protection for homosexual couples and their families. This organization as the others, work by means of legal action, filing lawsuits and cases that will bring significant effects on the lives of all homosexuals, and bisexuals. Unlike others, this organization strongly works in thefield of education. What is meant by this is that they work in educating the public, legislators, policy makers and opinion leaders, through books, papers, articles and media campaigns. At the moment the project is concentrating in five main areas. Discrimination, family relaytionships, including marriage, lesbian and gay teens and young adults, laws which criminalize sexual intimacy, and expression and association. Discrimination in sexual orientation is still the priority of the project. "the project has been foghting anti-gay ballot initiatives with tactical advice and campaign materials aswell as with lawsuits, fighting the military´s "don't ask, don´t tell "policy first in Congress then in the courts, and fighting discrimination in jobs and housing with new laws and aggressive litigation." (http://www.aclu.org/issues/gay/aboutgl.html ) an example is seen with Robin Shahar, a woman that was fired from her job by her boss Michael Bowers, who said she couldn´s be an effective lawyer because she and her partner were about to have a commitment ceremony. The project took the case to federal court, proving that lesbians and gay men have the same right to maintain relationships as everyone else.
Approximately 20 states still have laws that punish some forms of sexual intimacy, some only between merabers of the same sex. This laws are more affecting in what concerns parenting, denying the possibility of adoption by gay men and lesbians, and by the planning of the police departments to carry clandestine operations to capture homosexuals. The ACLU files more briefs in the Supreme Court than anyone except the federal government. "When Romer vs. Evans, the challenge to Colorado´s anti-gay initiative, reached the Court, the Project was co-counsel and made sure that the Court received the best arguments from the nation´s leading experts. The Project has been the primary drafter of the core constitutional arguments used to attack the military´s restrictions on service by lesbian and gay men."
Since 1993, a ruling made by the Supreme Court, that said that the state failed to recognized gay marriages denied some citizens a right that others have. This ruling set "preemptive legislating "in the nation. "Congress passed the Defense of Marriage Act, wehich denied federal recognition of homosexual marriage and alowed states to ignore same-sex unions licensed elsewhere. At least 30 states banned gay marriages since."http://www.mercurycenter..com:80/premium/nation/docs/gay05.htm
President Clinton has acknowledege that "homosexuals in the United States still possess the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, which must be protected by law regardless of their sexual orientation." in common North American society, homosexuals are being reffered to as "ill"or "perverted"thus not receiving the equal status of those who are "normal"or "straight" It is hoped that
Homosexuals have found themselves being strongly discriminated in the military as well. "U.S. District Jugde Saundra Brown Armstrong struck down the two year old law, saying it "impermissibly relies on irrational prejudices "and ordered the military to reinstate 1st. Lt. Andrew Holmes of the California Army National Guard.
Homosexuals have aslo had a very negative relationship with the church, this may strongly affect them because it is another mean by which they are being attacked and discriminated.
President Clinton´s protection of the homosexuals by law may bring enourmous changes in their life style, concerning the issue of discrimination and their status in society.
Women have also suffered strong discrimination by society throughout history. History has shown women being banned from voting, education, political, employment, and health care rights. It wasn´t until the 1960+s that women were aloud to vote in some nations. A convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women was held by the united nations. "Nothing that the universal declaration of human rights affirms the principle of the inadmissibility of discrimination and proclaims that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth therein, without distinction of any kind, including distinction based on sex."
Discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect of human dignity. Women may be able to equaly participate in every aspect of life as men. They should be given equal political, economical, social and cultural life. The prosperity of a nation is also dependable on the development of women because their contribution to the procreation and holding together the families. Maternity, the upbringing of children, and the assumption of both roles in the family, is never fully recognized, instead it is ignored and sometimes critizised. It is a concern that in times of poverty, women are the most affected due to that ther have the least access to health, food, education, training and oportunities for employment and other neeRAB.
Women had been discriminated until very recently in the are of sports, not being able to participate in the olimpic games. With the resolution 1092 (1996) on discrimination against women in the field of sport and more particularly the Olimpic Games. 1. "the Asserably is concerned about the many instances of discrimination against women wishing to practice sports, and more especially about the policy of discrimination with regard to their participation in the Olimpic Games. At the Barcelona Olimpic Games in 1992, 35 countries had no women athletes in their teams, and one of those teams even refused to walk behind a spanish woman athlete at the opening ceremony"http://stars.coe.fr/ta/ta96/ERES1092.HTM
Women have had generally fewer legal rights and career opportunities than men. Historically women have been viewed as not only physically but intellectually inferior than men. In the 20th century however, women have gained the right to vote and have increased their employment and educational opportunities. Psycological tests have now proven that women are more resistent to pain and to many diseases enabeling them to live longer.
During the 1960´s several federal laws improving the economic status of women were passed. The Equal Pay act of 1963, which requiered equal wages for men and women performing equal work, The Civil Right Act of 1964, which prohibited discrimination against women by any company with 25 or more employees, a Presidential Executive Order in 1967 which prohibited "bias against women in hiring by federal government contractors"
There have been several organizations that have helped in the protection of rights of women. Equal Employment Opportunity Comission founded in 1970, The settlement-house movement,and the Hull House in Chicago in 1989, inspired by Janes Adams. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) the National Organization for Women (NOW)in 1966.
Abortion has been a very controversial issue in history. It has brought up many organizations pro and con that either fight for protection or for creating laws and cases that promote the banning of it, in several states. The U.S. federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) was created originally on the basis of organized crime. But in 1986 the National Organization of Women (NOW) used RICO to file a lawsuit against Operation Rescue, The Pro Life Action League and other anti-abortion groups. "the latter groups had blockaded a nuraber of abortion clinics in Delaware and Wisconsin. NOW lost the case at the Seventhy Circuit Court of Appeals. In 1993 the case was appealed to the US Supreme court and they won the case.
In late 1998 Jan to early Feb they conducted a poll on abortion. The somewhat loaded statement was "I agree with the pro-life movement. Abortion is wrong and deserves criminal penalties. "strongly agree 40% agree 7 % undecided 2 % disagree 8 % and strongly disagree 41 %. tHis poll suggests that abortion is still a highly controversial isuue. "the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on noveraber 3, 1998, that Wisconmsin´s ban on certain types of late-term abortion cannot be enforced pending a trial.""
In what concerns Gay and Lesbian marriages, there has also been a lot of controversy. Bills t prohibit same sex marriages passed the senates of Illinois and Alaska last Thursday, with some saying it was discriminatory and others that it would help strengthen traditional families. The bills would state that only marriages by a man and a woman are legal. Several organizations are openning lawsuits vs. the state in order to tear it down. "To create a climate that makes it OK to discriminate, single out, hate or revile is the wrong way to go. "Ellis said "you cannot build up on one group by tearing down another.." homosexuals have to be granted with the same rights as heterosexuals, even if some part of the society doesn´t agree. The ACLU also takes part in this issue. The project represents homosexuals that whant to be legally recognized as either co-parents, couples, or want to adopt. Since the 1970´s the ACLU supported the rights of gays and lesbians to marry. The ACLU strongly opposed the Defense of Marriage act, and it has opposed every state law meant to prevent lesbians and gays to marry. The project has been involved with policies that recognize domestic partnership, and has brought cases that will hopefully have a strong impact on homosexual marriage.
Discrimination has strongly affected most minority groups in some way or another preventing their complete debvelopment and progress in a massive amount of areas. We should all strive for achieving unification and justice; for someday reaching Martin L. King´s dream. And having the possibility to give every individual the same opportunities, and fulfill the above statement of the Declaration of Independence.
Bibliography
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3. http://www.tufts.edu/departements/fletcher/multi/texts/BH769.txt
4. http://stars.coe.fr/ta/ta96/ERES1092.HTM
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16. http://main.nc.us/wncceib/ACT81198.htm
17. Newsweek May 11 1992, pp.45-51
18. New York Times Feb. 29 1988, pg.34