NCJ Number
129598
Journal
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: (Summer 1990) Pages: 273-285
Date Published
1990
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The civil rights movement has progressed over the years with legislative and attitudinal changes, but much remains to be done to achieve full civil rights for black Americans.
Abstract
The history of racial change for black Americans centers on the late Martin Luther King who advocated peace and economic equality. Despite changes to improve economic conditions, many Americans live in poverty and are unemployed. Poverty for black and Hispanic senior citizens has particularly increased, and the gap between rich and poor continually grows wider. Civil rights legislation passed in 1957, 1964, and 1965 provided Federal protection for blacks for rights which most Americans enjoyed. Even with this legislation, a black underclass still grows, primarily because of continued racism and an economic system dependent on class division. Many ethnic, racial, religious, and other groups in society have legitimate grievances, but a central moral dilemma of the United States is how it treats blacks whom it held in slavery. The law has a special obligation to blacks, as sole beneficiaries of the 13th amendment, when it comes to defining and remedying discrimination. According to an Urban League report, blacks lost ground in the 1980's. Leadership at the Federal level is needed to alleviate racial and economic injustice. 5 footnotes