In all it’s cold, hard glory, equality has not always been apart of certain eras of humanity. Imagine one’s life without basic rights. Simply put, many decades have passed where the majority of people have not been served justice, or human rights. It has taken several groups of determined people, events and causes to get to where we are today. African Americans in particular could not use the same amenities, or go to the same places, it was pure segregation.…
She reminds her audience that, “we Democrats believe… that we can come out of a small town or a poor neighborhood and have the same chance as anyone else; and it doesn’t matter whether we are black or Hispanic or disabled or a [woman]” (Richards). With the support of the persona she established throughout her speech, Ann Richards convinces her audience that everyone deserves to be…
Where do We Go from Here Commentary After over a decade of the United Sates’ civil rights struggles, Selma and the Voting Rights Act One phase of development in the civil rights revolution finally came to an end. However, as the African Americans continue to demand for better jobs, housing and education equivalent to that of the whites, the next phase in the movement will bear its new challenges. In this extract from Where do We go from Here, Martin Luther King Jnr. urges the Black American society to continue to progress towards equality, and not let racial discrimination bring them to a halt. The theme of hope is strongly present in the speech, expressed through the multiple uses of imagery, rhetorical devices and allusions.…
I feel that through Sonia Sotomayor's personal memoir A Beloved World expresses how different viewpoints can play a major role in your success in this country. Although she doesn’t really cover racism much, or speak of how our society is one of bias, I feel that it is a significant underlying theme. Sonia was subjected to this racism several times, and despite being a Puerto Rican female in a society that is systematically racist, she rose above it to hold one of the most prestigious positions that you can in our country. This is no small feat, and required diligence, persistence, and maturity. She mentions that hurling insults back at those solves nothing, and you must rise above it to make true change.…
Racism is not a thing of the past; it is our unfortunate present and inevitable future. Oppression and bigotry are just as common in modern day society as they were in past generations and the effects they have on individuals are just as damaging as ever. Racism didn’t die out with the abolishment of slavery, nor did it magically disappear with the establishment of the African-American Civil Rights movement. So why, ladies and gentlemen, does the human condition remain the same as it was 60 years ago, when we know of the negative effects it has on minority groups?…
While writing the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers knew the importance of human rights for Americans. The ideals of equality for everyone were challenged as discrimination rose. The fight for equal human rights led to the Civil Rights Movement. During this movement, many prominent leaders led the way for change. In the writings, “Racism: The Cancer that is Destroying America” and “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, two emerging human rights activists present their perspective on eradicating racism in America.…
The first example from this semester 's reading that expanded my understanding of intersectionality is Andrea Smith’s (2015), Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide. One of the pieces of valuable information I learned during our study of Native American is that sexual violence is a tool of racism (p. 29) and that the United States government condoned abuse, rape and murder of Native Americans when they knowingly concealed guilty rapists and murders. A decision that rendered ultimately led to the offenders never being charged because “rape falls under the Major Crimes Act” tribes were unable to prosecute and were reliant on the federal government to seek justice (Smith 2015:32). Therefore, the federal government’s decision not…
Intersectionality happens when more than one form of oppression is affecting an individual. The oppressions overlap with each other. Intersectionality hides itself within our system which makes it harder to be noticed. Examples of oppressions that tend to intersect: sex, race, homophobia, and class. The overlap of oppressions creates an unfair and exclusive experience to those oppressed.…
She states how women of color not only face discrimination by the members of our society but our justice system turns a blind eye to cases that involve women of color. Crenshaw shares a story about a Latina who was in a abusive relationship and a shelter would not take her and her son in because she was illiterate but the son was willing to translate for her. She shows the problems that women face because that shelter was governmentally ran and even they didn’t take care of her in her time of need. Not only do colored women face discrimination by just being a woman or just being a colored individual, they create a unique intersection that makes a brand-new intersection. No white woman or black man will ever face the same discrimination that a colored woman would.…
These two examples prove that if society doesn’t approve of something, in this case African Americans and white Americans being equal that society will do anything to split these two races apart, no matter how close the two may be to each…
On April 12, 1963 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was arrest, for trying to bring unity to the city of Birmingham. That same day eight clergymen wrote a letter announcing to the community about the realistic approach to racial problems. “When rights are consistently denied, a cause should be pressed in the courts and in negotiation among local leaders, and not on the streets” (p. 7) Understanding that Dr. King is an “outsider” and “that these demonstrations are “unwise” and “untimely.” Judgement about his letter that not all laws are good. Race, justice and moderation is what Dr. King writes in his letter.…
Eliminating Race and Gender in the Fight for Equal Rights in Sojourner Truth’s, “Ar’nt I a Woman” and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s, “The Slave Mother” By applying the theory of Feminist Criticism to Sojourner Truth’s, “Ar’nt I a Woman” and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper’s, “The Slave Mother” one can identify several ways both poets are able to claim their authority over the language in their texts to expose the illogical reasoning of the antagonists -- those supporting the patriarchal state. By applying rhetorical literary devices as well as collectively using imagery, slang, and improper English both poets introduce several types of universally understood emotions which invite the sentiment of any human being, regardless of the entirely differing…
1. Analyze the achievements of the civil rights movements in the United States. Highlight at least four major challenges confronting women’s rights advocates during the formative years of human rights movements in America.…
Pat Parker’s poem “My Lover is a Woman” is about the narrator talking about the struggles she faces as both a lesbian and as a black woman. She talks about how when she’s with her lover, a white woman she is able to forget the discrimination that she faces not only from white straight people, but also from the black and queer communities, and even her own family. Near the end of the poem the narrator says that when she does think about the hatred of others, she has moments of doubt, of hatred, but then looks at her lover’s face and overcomes it all, no matter what other people have to say: “i remember every word taught me every word said to me every deed done to me & then i hate i look at my lover & for an instant…
Audre Lorde “Who said it was simple.” Quote: An almost white counterman passes a waiting brother to serve them first and the ladies neither notice nor reject the slighter pleasures of their slavery- (8-11 )…