August 28 marked the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s phenomenal “I Have a Dream” speech. As millions all across America celebrate the anniversary of his iconic speech, it is a time to reflect on how far this country has come to achieving racial equality. Racism may not be nearly as explicit in society today as it was half a century ago, but there is still an undeniable separation within our nation.
The treatment of different minorities in King’s time was obviously different from today. Many non-whites were deprived of common privileges, such as voting and labor rights. In addition, they were openly discriminated against, treated brutally by the police, and segregated in restaurants, hotels, buses, and water fountains. In one part of his speech, King addressed that “the negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one,” which almost accurately reflected the degenerating condition of the African American lives at that time. Of course, after the civil rights movement, many positive changes have been enacted to our community and we are far more tolerant of different ethnicities than were the previous generations. American citizens are guaranteed the same rights regardless of the color of skin or ethnicity. African Americans also no longer face such shameful segregation.
Nevertheless, discrimination has not been completely eliminated. Examples of racial prejudices are seen in everyday life. The high percentage of African Americans stopped as a criminal suspect show racial profiling is prominent. According to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, 34 percent more African Americans are stopped more than Caucasians. Seventy-six percent more stopped African Americans and 16 percent more stopped Hispanics were searched than whites. This clearly shows that certain minorities are automatically deemed suspicious because of stereotypical image.
Racism also plays a major role in one’s social standing, employment, housing, and education. For example, African American households are still worth 22 times less than Caucasian ones, and Hispanic worth 15 times less. National Association of Social Workers revealed that the recent unemployment rate for Caucasians was 4.4 percent, as compared to that of other races, which ranged from 10 to 25 percent.
Furthermore, studies reveal that many people still hold racial intolerant views. A recent AP poll revealed that 51 percent of Americans explicitly expressed anti-black attitudes and 52 percent anti-Hispanic attitudes. It’s appalling to think that even after the Civil Rights movement 50 years ago, over half of the American citizens still have not been able to move away from their insulated view.
And maybe in such an ethnically diverse community like Diamond Bar, one may not openly see racial prejudices, but it is still present. A clique of a certain race generally does not disrespect other races, but certainly tend to possess a stereotypical judgment of other groups and typically base their friendships on these biases.
King’s dream in his speech was to see people of all different races and backgrounds come together as one. If the incredible orator were alive today, he certainly would have celebrated the strides made in the last five decades, but knew we could not stop here. He would have anticipated the day that all final bonds of racism were broken and America was the land of the free at last.
