On the morning of August 28, 1963, John Fitzgerald Kennedy I woke up sad. Despite efforts to stop it, a march of as many as 250,000 people gathered in the heart of Washington. racial equality in some United States of America fragmented by discrimination and ethnic discrimination.
From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Rev. Martin Luther King jr. He gave one of the most famous speeches in history, which later became the cornerstone of the movement. human rights African Americans. “I dream that my four children will one day live in a country where they will be judged not by the color of their skin, but by their personality traits.” saying, “The radical distribution of political and economic power of racial injustice.
The four words of this rhetorical landmark —“I have a dream” (I have a dream) – 60 years later it still thunders. This Saturday, tens of thousands of people gathered in the same place to condemn the activist’s dreams are at stake. The organizers explained that the action was not a commemoration, but a “continuation” of the road.
action and reaction
King’s iconic speech paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended racial discrimination and banned various forms of discrimination. discrimination by then it had denounced the African-American population. But he wrote that his objection to the system made him “dangerous enough to be shot”. James Baldwin. On April 4, 1968, King murdered In Memphis he supported the strike of the city’s black garbage collectors.
American democracy has come a long way since then, but every advance has produced a backlash. At a ceremony last weekend, King’s relatives denounced the setback. United States of America. Just two months ago, the Supreme Court banned universities and higher education centers in the country from prioritizing education. racial minorities to guarantee their access to more diverse classes. The same court, in conservative hands, also dismissed lawsuits against the Mississippi law that restricted the voting rights of some of the African-American population.
systemic racism
60 years after King’s dream, racism it remains embedded in the depths of the system and takes many forms. In 2018, whites represented 60% of the country’s adult population, and blacks 12%. Despite this, white families appear to be ten times richer, while African Americans are twice as wealthy. poverty (with a quota of 19.5%) and the disproportionate rate of inmates in prisons is six times higher.
Racial inequality also costs lives. in 2020 FBI 10,299 complaints of hate crimes were registered; This is the highest figure in the last twenty years. More than one-third of these victims were the African-American community. It also represents 26% of deaths. police violenceThis figure nearly triples the number of white victims. This atrocity has also led to greater organization and cooperation in civilian denunciations, as the movement has shown. Black Lives Matter.