Civil Rights Since Martin Luther King, Jr.

¶ … civil rights since Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. There are three references used for this paper.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis in 1968 as he was fighting for civil rights in America. Since that time, the country has seen changes in how minorities are treated.

Some of these changes have been positive, while others have had a negative effect on the progression of the civil rights movement.

Positive Changes

The Civil Rights movement has seen some positive changes since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. There are no longer segregated drinking fountains or waiting rooms in public areas. The Black community no longer fears being evicted from their homes because they chose to vote (unknown 1997).

Congressman John Lewis stated on the 40th Anniversary of the Civil Rights movement that "because of the work and sacrifices of many, we are a better people (unknown 1997)." He feels America is now a better country and there has been too much process in civil rights to return to the way it used to be.

Congressman Lewis also feels though there are still many barriers to overcome, equal justice is an obtainable goal and the movement has made great strides toward the struggle against discrimination (unknown 1997).

Still Reaching for the Dream

Dr. King had a dream that soon "little Black boys and girls and little White boys and girls, Jews and Gentiles, would walk together, play together in an atmosphere of brotherhood

Williams

1996)." He hoped that there would no longer be a gap between the rich and poor, or Black and White, but that everyone would know equality and justice (Williams

1996). Today, many feel this dream still hasn't been reached, but have not given up on the hope that soon it will be achieved and are working toward its fulfillment.

The "Million Man and Woman" march in 1996 was a positive effort by many people to continue the fight for equality and justice for all Americans. These people are working to stop the efforts of others who have been trying end the progress of Dr. King's work.

These supporters of the Civil Rights movement are working to remove "these evil elements from our society and from our nation (Williams 1996)" and uphold the principles of Dr. King.

The Death of the Movement

Some people feel the civil rights movement has died since the assassination of Dr. King. One of the main causes may be there are no leaders or organizations that are pushing for improved conditions for the black community. Many feel civil rights leaders have become ineffective for their cause. The movement "has not been able to effectively solve the issue of Black youth in prisons, or Black gangs, or even Black on Black crime (Williams 1994)."

Most people will argue that main problem is "Civil Rights ideologies, tactics and strategies have become outdated in the United States and throughout the world (Williams

1994)." The majority of leaders and activists have become secure with previous methods and have dedicated their lives to the struggle of the movement. There are those who feel that there must be changes made in order for the Civil Rights movement to have a future.

These same people point out that the Black community is no longer the uniform group it was during the sixties. There are now different classes of Black people who have various plans for their futures.

There are those who work in corporations, suppressing the Black community and hindering the Civil Rights progress, while claiming they represent the interests of the community (Williams 1994).

The Civil Rights Movement has been unable to achieve many of its goals such becoming self-sufficient economically, creating a voice for social change in politics or preventing police brutality since there is no specific role for the police in the Black community (Williams 1994). It has also been unable to deal with the exploitation of corporations or being confined by governmental power.