Anti-American Hate Crimes
The history of hate crimes against African-Americans can date back all the way until slavery. However, I will discuss those more recent within the last 50 years.
During the Civil Rights Movement some of the most violence acts against African Americans occur. 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed African Americans in Confederate states still dealt with inequality, segregation, oppression and race-inspired violence. In fact legally by way of the “Jim Crow” laws, African-Americans were not allowed in classrooms, bathrooms, theaters, train cars, juries, legislature (History.com Staff, 2009).
Fed up with the injustice many civil rights activist chose way of nonviolent protest to achieve equal rights. Famous calm acts include
Rosa Parks taking the front seat on a bus to Martin Luther King’s Million Man March and famous “Free at Last Speech”.
Fast forward roughly 50 years and unfortunately like many other victim groups of hate crimes, nothing has really changed for African-Americans. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting in 2014, of all the various types of hate crimes 47 percent were racially motivated and 66 percent of those victims were African-American. Shockingly, not all attackers are of an opposing race or background. 52 percent are white but more than one-fifth are African-Americans (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2015).
From the times African-Americans have been in the United States, they have been looed at as less than and unworthy of obtaining equal rights. Although they have achieved those rights it is believed that African-Americans have remained the highest victims of racial hate crimes because they are still struggling to fit into society. With the election of President Obama, the first African-American President, many thought the change would be night ad day. The night President Obama won a few attacks occurred targeting African-Americans by those who were upset with the results.
Today, one of the most popularized activist groups, Black Lives Matter formed after the multiple killings of young black males in the United States, starting with Treyvon Martin in 2012. The highly publicized case and decision stirred up emotions in the African-American which led them to speaking out and fighting back.
Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and racism toward the African-American community. The group regularly protests police killings of black people and larger issues of racial profiling, police brutality and racial inequality with 30 chapters established since 2014.
During the Civil Rights Movement some of the most violence acts against African Americans occur. 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed African Americans in Confederate states still dealt with inequality, segregation, oppression and race-inspired violence. In fact legally by way of the “Jim Crow” laws, African-Americans were not allowed in classrooms, bathrooms, theaters, train cars, juries, legislature (History.com Staff, 2009).
Fed up with the injustice many civil rights activist chose way of nonviolent protest to achieve equal rights. Famous calm acts include
Rosa Parks taking the front seat on a bus to Martin Luther King’s Million Man March and famous “Free at Last Speech”.
Fast forward roughly 50 years and unfortunately like many other victim groups of hate crimes, nothing has really changed for African-Americans. According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting in 2014, of all the various types of hate crimes 47 percent were racially motivated and 66 percent of those victims were African-American. Shockingly, not all attackers are of an opposing race or background. 52 percent are white but more than one-fifth are African-Americans (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2015).
From the times African-Americans have been in the United States, they have been looed at as less than and unworthy of obtaining equal rights. Although they have achieved those rights it is believed that African-Americans have remained the highest victims of racial hate crimes because they are still struggling to fit into society. With the election of President Obama, the first African-American President, many thought the change would be night ad day. The night President Obama won a few attacks occurred targeting African-Americans by those who were upset with the results.
Today, one of the most popularized activist groups, Black Lives Matter formed after the multiple killings of young black males in the United States, starting with Treyvon Martin in 2012. The highly publicized case and decision stirred up emotions in the African-American which led them to speaking out and fighting back.
Black Lives Matter campaigns against violence and racism toward the African-American community. The group regularly protests police killings of black people and larger issues of racial profiling, police brutality and racial inequality with 30 chapters established since 2014.