In the summer of 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I have a Dream” speech. He dreamed for a nation. He dreamed that America “would rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice.” America, however, never reached that “sunlit path of racial justice.” And the American legal system is where many of the racial injustices still perpetuate. The area in question is the incarceration rates for black Americans, which are astounding: One in every three black men will be incarcerated at some point in their life (Mauer, 79). And one out of every 18 black women will also be incarcerated in their lifetime (Mauer, 79). These are higher than any other race in the United States. This is not from a
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80 percent of the individuals sentenced under this statute are black, while two-thirds of the individuals who use crack-cocaine are white and Latino (Morris, www.civilrights.org). And according to an article in the Yale Law Journal, black people are arrested at higher rates than whites even though they “self-report drug use and drug dealing at a equivalent or lower rates” (Starr and Rehavi, 36). Moreover, the same study found even more convincing evidence: black men are “nearly twice as likely to be charged with an offense carrying a mandatory minimum sentence” (Starr and Rehavi, 28). These percentages being what they are, it is beyond dispute that racial biases influence how this law and other laws are applied. In August of 2010, with a stroke of luck, the Fair Sentencing Reform Act was passed and reduced the 100-to-1 disparities to 18-to-1 (Dorsey v United States). And the United States Supreme Court, in Dorsey v United States, held that if an individual had been convicted before the passage of the reform act, but was sentenced after the acts passage, then the individual would be sentenced under the new guidelines. This also helped combat the broad sentencing gaps in drug …show more content…
In his speech he said, “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” For African Americans this “bank of justice” still seems to have insufficient funds. The rule of law is continues to be applied in an unequal manner, and the campaign for civil right’s is ongoing. However, white Americans take a jaundiced eye towards these issues, and prefer to label them a “black problem.” But on the contrary it is an American problem. So let us not whistle and play twiddle-dee twiddle-dum with our thumbs. Dr. King had a “dream” for an equal America, and it is up to us, the future generation, to continue the work that lies in store to ensure that his dream becomes an everlasting
80 percent of the individuals sentenced under this statute are black, while two-thirds of the individuals who use crack-cocaine are white and Latino (Morris, www.civilrights.org). And according to an article in the Yale Law Journal, black people are arrested at higher rates than whites even though they “self-report drug use and drug dealing at a equivalent or lower rates” (Starr and Rehavi, 36). Moreover, the same study found even more convincing evidence: black men are “nearly twice as likely to be charged with an offense carrying a mandatory minimum sentence” (Starr and Rehavi, 28). These percentages being what they are, it is beyond dispute that racial biases influence how this law and other laws are applied. In August of 2010, with a stroke of luck, the Fair Sentencing Reform Act was passed and reduced the 100-to-1 disparities to 18-to-1 (Dorsey v United States). And the United States Supreme Court, in Dorsey v United States, held that if an individual had been convicted before the passage of the reform act, but was sentenced after the acts passage, then the individual would be sentenced under the new guidelines. This also helped combat the broad sentencing gaps in drug …show more content…
In his speech he said, “We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt.” For African Americans this “bank of justice” still seems to have insufficient funds. The rule of law is continues to be applied in an unequal manner, and the campaign for civil right’s is ongoing. However, white Americans take a jaundiced eye towards these issues, and prefer to label them a “black problem.” But on the contrary it is an American problem. So let us not whistle and play twiddle-dee twiddle-dum with our thumbs. Dr. King had a “dream” for an equal America, and it is up to us, the future generation, to continue the work that lies in store to ensure that his dream becomes an everlasting