
The second paragraph of The Declaration of Independence begins “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all me are created equal” (US 1776). As much as people believe this statement is true, it has been proven multiple times throughout history that all men are not created equal. Even though there have been efforts to create equality, such as the 12th, 13th, and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution, true equality between the races has yet to exist. In 1966 Stokely Carmichael gave a speech at University of California-Berkley entitled “Black Power.” In his speech, Carmichael discusses the problems with segregation, just as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech from three years earlier, proving that the Black community was still fighting for basic rights through the 1960s. In “The Fight against Racism Continues,” an article from Tikkun Magazine and published by the Duke University Press, it is argued that society cannot cease to fight in order for Black people to gain the equal rights that they deserve, another point Carmichael strongly defends in his speech. Although this country’s two most sacred documents claim that all people are equal, both “I Have a Dream” and “The Fight Against Racism Continues,” show that both before and after “Black Power,” respectively, Black people are still fighting for the basic rights that most people take for granted.

In his famous speech “I Have a Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. emphasized that although the Emancipation Proclamation freed the slaves 100 years earlier, Black people were still not free, and they were still “crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination” (King, 1963). Dr. King gave his speech during the march on Washington in 1963, amidst the turmoil of the Civil Rights movement in America. Even though America was just about one full century removed from the end of the Civil War and the termination of slavery, the Black population was still treated as second-class citizens. Segregation was widespread, with different bathrooms, water fountains, stores and even schools for Black and White people. Even after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in professional baseball in the 1940s, segregation was still a very real problem. By separating the races, a sense of inequality is created between the races because one race is always treated better and valued more than the other. Dr. King is far from the only man to believe in this movement, and after this speech in 1963, the Civil Rights movement gained much more support and many new advocates. 

Given only three years after Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous speech, “Black Power” has many of the same themes as “I Have a Dream,” and encourages Black people to rise up and fight for the integration that Martin Luther King Jr. yearned for as well as the rights that integration symbolizes. Although Carmichael agrees that integration should happen, he has his own beliefs on the topic. Carmichael argues that integration is rather one-sided, and is more relatable to the idea of “‘[Black people] do what [White people] tell [them] to do and then [White people will] let [Black people] sit at the table with [White people]’” (Carmichael 317). Carmichael stands behind his argument of the biased integration system and instead of idly letting it happen, makes a call to action. He states that Black people “must now set up criteria and that if there's going to be any integration, it's going to be a two-way thing” (317). Even though integration was a step in the right direction at the time, Carmichael still believes that it did not help racial inequality as much as society thinks it did. However, Carmichael is still convinced that true integration will lead to equality. He says “Integration is a man's ability to want to move in there by himself” (317). He goes on to explain that no matter if a Black man wants to live in either a white neighborhood or the slums, it is his right to do so. There should be not be a group of White people telling him where he can or cannot live because of the color of his skin. When problems like this are eliminated in society and all people of all races have freedom to live where they want, eat where they want, etc., Carmichael suspects then that society will have racial equality. Although integration is a big step in the process of solving inequality, it is not the only problem that Carmichael declares needs to need solving.

In the article “The Fight Against Racism Continues,” it is evident that Black people today are still being mistreated and are not being provided with the basic rights that most people have taken for granted their entire lives. The article, released by Tikkun Magazine and published by the Duke University Press in the winter of 2015, discusses many racial inequality issues that the Black community in this country faces on a day-to-day basis, even so many years after the Civil Rights movement. The main allegation in this article is that all of society, not just Black people, must not cease fighting in order for Black people to gain the equal rights that they deserve. Somewhat recently, a large number of Black people over a variety of ages have been victims of police brutality, and often times these police officers have killed these innocent black civilians and received no criminal punishment. However, the article does not only explain the issue of racial inequality in this country, but also provides solutions on ways to, slowly but surely, create true equality in this country. Tikkun suggests that if society were to “… [Enact] severe penalties against any police and their supervisors who engage in or tolerate racist behavior,” then the number of these deaths and beatings and mistreating of black citizens will come to a halt (Tikkun, 2015). By creating a society where these atrocities occur, another large step towards equality is taken. Tikkun also suggests educating students about contemporary racism and the history of racism in grade school, just as the school system teaches the Holocaust. Both events exemplify the terrible ill treatment of a sizeable group of people, just because of a certain characteristic; just now it is race as opposed to religion. The article also suggests re-instating affirmative action, once again giving minorities a fighting chance to be accepted to colleges, universities, and graduate schools. By taking the actions Tikkun suggests into effect, society would be furthering the ideals of equality passed on by Carmichael in 1966.

Even though the article was released 49 and 53 years after “Black Power” and “I Have a Dream,” respectively, the main argument is for all intents and purposes the same; Black people do not have the basic rights they deserve to have and all people need to take action in order to create true racial equality. In the 1960s, racism was still a large problem in America, and therefore the speeches given by Dr. King and Carmichael were given to a mostly black audience. Now, however, the supporters of racial equality come from all races, and must continue to do so. Tikkun claims, “Affirming that Black lives matter involves mourning Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Trayvon Martin, Oscar Grant, Aiyana Jones, Rekia Boyd, and all the other Black people who have been killed by the police, but it does not end there. It requires all groups to act in solidarity, connect with Black activists, disrupt the status quo, and create liberatory spaces for healing and dreaming” (Tikkun, 2015). By having all races come together to fight inequality and racism, Carmichael’s wish is fulfilled. At the end of his speech, Carmichael asks, “We are concerned with getting the things we want, the things that we have to have to be able to function. The question is, Can white people allow for that in this country? The question is, Will white people overcome their racism and allow for that to happen in this country?” (Carmichael 326). This question is still relevant in the present and has yet to be answered with a resounding yes. However, by undertaking the actions that Tikkun has suggested, and by working tirelessly, this question can, and will, be answered with a colossal and emphatic yes, and true and total equality will be achieved.

The Civil Rights Movement was at its peak in the 1960’s, but it is obvious that the Civil Rights Movement did not accomplish the equality that it set out to create. Even 50+ years later, it is imperative that society stands up and fights for racial equality in this country and succeeds in granting Black people the rights that the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence have guaranteed people with in the late 1700s. As Americans, and as people, everyone should always set out to better not only themselves, but their country as well. Equality is a problem that needs solving as quickly as possible, and is the first step towards a better country. This country is the “Land of the Free” and considered to be the “Home of Democracy” but it cannot really be called either when a large percentage of its citizens are grossly mistreated, and have been for hundreds of years. If people want America to actually be everything it is imagined to be, then the first step is making a country in that all people, no matter what race, are equal. 
