Practice Makes A More Perfect Union

The Civil Rights movement was a period of marches, protests, campaigns and more events aimed at achieving equality and equity that, successful or not, taught their own individual lesson. The oppressors and opponents of then and today learned that, even in the darkest of times, people can unite to fight for their rights. Many events were similar in the way that they met violence with nonviolence. These events taught that nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience can effectively challenge authority but still stick to the principles. Events like the Freedom Rides or the Children's March showed that there is power in numbers and when people can come together to fight for a cause that they believe in, the impact is unimaginable. Participants also showed that no matter your race, gender, or age, you can make a difference. Civil rights leaders educated and inspired their audiences, showing that the words or actions of one person can impact many others. One leader, however, taught one of the most important lessons to be learned from the Civil Rights movement. In his "I Have A Dream" speech at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. explained that people must not "engage in the luxury of cooling off or take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism" but keep going. The cause lives on and as long as people are still denied the equality and equity that they deserve, the fight lives on as well.

The Civil Rights movement definitely left its impression on America and serves as a great example because our country still struggles with equality and equity today. This country was founded on the ideologies of equality and opportunity but contradicts itself when institutional racism still exists, people are still discriminated against, and others are denied fair housing, health care, and other basic rights. When there is an achievement gap between the races, classes, or genders, somebody is receiving an unequal education. There is a Fair Housing Act in place but every year there are countless complaints of discrimination. Disparities in health are a major issue among minorities and a direct result of inequitable health care. Aside from race and class, people are also treated unequally based on sexual orientation, unable to marry somebody of the same gender. The Civil Rights movement certainly inspired many people and had many great achievements but to become a more perfect union, every individual should be granted equal treatment and access regardless of race, gender, class, or sexual orientation.

The events and ideas that made up the Civil Rights movement made an impact then and have made an impact now. Back when these events were breaking news and the acts brand new, things were subtly changing but the present stands as an example of how much a country can change in just under sixty years. Methods from the Civil Rights movement like sit-ins, marches, and more are popular today and used to bring attention to all kinds of causes because the movement proved how effective they can be. The laws established because of the Civil Rights movement are still in place and more have been made to assure equality and equity. Many of the ideas from then have become a reality today and the fight lives on to make sure people's civil rights are not violated. Today, you can look inside a classroom and see students of all different races then walk down the hallway and see these students interacting with one another, seeing each other for who they are, not the color of their skin. Sixty years from now, we will be even closer to a world that's equal, equitable, and post-racial and then those students will look back and see how much America has changed since 2011.