Martin Luther King: Equality Or Discrimination?

Equality or Discrimination?
There have long been prejudice and discrimination against different races, especially people of African origin. But there have always been those who are courageous, fearless, and willing to do anything necessary to fulfill their dreams, such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, and Mahatma Gandhi. Today I am here to talk about Martin Luther King and his dream for an equal world. I want to show that despite some progress over the past five decades, African Americans have not yet achieved full parity with white U.S. citizens.
Martin Luther King, Jr., was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. His father and grandfather were both Baptist ministers. Dr. King was always an intelligent man and
even as a little boy he questioned racism. He graduated from high school when he was 15 years old and then went on to get a Ph.D. in Philosophy. He later became a pastor in the Baptist church in Alabama. He took part in many bus boycotts and protests, and started to give speeches for which he became well known. Dr. King’s most famous address is “I Have a Dream,” which he delivered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., in 1963.
In this speech, Dr.
King expresses that black people are very close to their goal of racial equality and they cannot give up. He also states that they cannot give less than what they are giving. He offers them hope, lighting a fire in their hearts and promising that even when he was not there they could keep moving forward. Afterwards he speaks of the equality of all human beings, whether white or black. As guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, everyone should be able to have “life, liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Then he presents his dream, that someday everyone will be equal, that all human beings will be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their
skin.
Unfortunately, today we do not live such a life. We have not fulfilled Dr. King’s dream. There is still significant inequality in this world, not only racial, but also religious, political, gender, and sexual. There is still racism and there is no need to go to the United States to find such discrimination. Right here in Puerto Rico, many people discriminate against Dominicans and other dark-skinned people. This is shown in many ethnic jokes, slurs, insults, and the common belief that “we” are smarter and more civilized than Dominicans.
Now back to the main question, is Martin Luther King’s dream being lived? There have certainly been many advances like the abolition of the Jim Crow laws in the 1960s. Such anti-black laws created “equal, but separate” public spaces, such as schools, parks, accommodations, and transportation facilities, and prevented blacks from exercising their right to vote. For example, blacks and whites could not eat in the same establishments, could not drink water from the same fountains, could not go the same bathrooms, and could not seat in the same part of buses.
Since the mid-1960s, black and white people have increasingly integrated in schools, jobs, and sports.
In 1955, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. As a result, blacks were able to attend better schools and universities. More than one third of African Americans are now professionals and managers. Also, many black athletes have crossed the color line in college and professional teams in baseball, basketball, and football. According to traditional white supremacists, the mixture between races was going to destroy America. But substantial racial integration has happened and nothing was destroyed except the ideas of
racists.
However, many things have not changed. School integration has increased very little since the 1960s. Many African Americans continue to live in ghettoes. Blacks are three times more likely than whites to be poor. Police brutality affects blacks more frequently than whites. Blacks receive longer sentences than whites for the same crimes. Young African Americans are seven times more likely to be in jail than whites. Stereotypes about blacks’ way of talking and dressing are widely promoted by the media. Interracial marriage is still rare. Blacks are not well represented in many sports such as hockey, tennis, golf, and swimming. Finally, a black president has never been elected in the United States, even though Barack Obama now seems like a strong candidate.
In short, racial discrimination still prevails over equality in the United States. Dr. King’s dream of a country free of racial differences in housing, education, wealth, and justice has not been achieved. Instead, there has been minor progress toward his goal. American society remains deeply divided by color.
How can we move forward if we do not stop spreading racial jokes? How can racial integration proceed if we continue to live in segregated neighborhoods and study in separate schools? How can we allow blacks and whites to lead separate but unequal lives? Why do we still judge Senator Obama by the color of his skin and not the content of his character, like Martin Luther King said? And when are we going to stop all of this?