
Today, African Americans still have a constant struggle for equality of civil rights. The unequal treatment of African Americans still remains as a major problem within today’s world. Nearly 50 years later after the Civil Rights movement in 1950’s, African Americans and minorities are still targeted cause of their race. The Civil Rights movement happened 1954-1968, similar to today’s civil issues, African Americans grew tired of the unfair and unequal treatment simply because of the color of their skin. According to Blacklivesmatter.com, the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) was created to advocate dignity, justice and respect towards the African American race. The BLM movement is the Civil Rights movement of my generation, considering the similarities in what they both fought for. The purpose of the Civil Rights movement was to establish equal treatment to people of all colors so that there is more peace throughout the community. When the Black Lives Matter movement (BLM) was created it seemed to become a repeat in our nations shaky history. African American lives today are treated as if their lives have no significance. It becoming known that the life of an African American is valued much less than the life of a Caucasian. 

The Judicial system being corrupted has been a reoccurring topic within the news today. There are many senseless killings of African Americans that have had the shooter set free or given insufficient time to serve. In 2012, an African American by the name of Trayvon Martin was gunned down by a man of a different race by the name of George Zimmerman. Providing evidence that the now deceased teenager was clearly unarmed, Martin was still put on trial for his own murder. Many people believed that this was never possible for a dead corpse to be put on trial for its own murder, however due the corruption in our present day judicial system, Martin committed a crime that night. Police brutality has also become a rising topic in today’s nationwide discussion about racial equality. Police officers have been constantly getting away with abusing their power when it comes to African Americans by their insensate killings. the BLM movement was created after the Trayvon Martin case because of the ruling of the court acquitting Zimmerman for all charges that he should have faced. 

Fredrick Douglas was an African American abolitionist and orator during the 1800’s. In his speech “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” many injustices that he discusses regarding the unfair treatment of African Americans and other minorities still happen today. Douglas chose to speak about this at a Fourth of July Oration because he knew it would best to get his voice heard at a national event. The Fourth of July is celebrate America becoming an independent nation, however in Douglas’s eyes his people were not free. Douglas once a former slave knew the exactly feelings his people and other minorities from being misread and treated unequally. 

While police brutality is one of many ongoing issues in today’s America, another issue racial inequality. Racial Inequality is when one person is denied an opportunity or treated a certain way because of the color of their skin. In this speech Douglass states “There are seventy-two crimes in the State of Virginia, which, if committed by a black man, no matter the level of education, subject him to the punishment of death, while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment.” (263). Douglass says this meaning that out of all the crimes you could commit in the State of Virginia, if you were an African American your sentence will be death regardless of the crime, while if you were white only two of the same seventy- two crimes could get you the death penalty. This is what Racial Inequality in America today can relate when it comes to African Americans. For example, in today’s society a white male is far less likely to be pulled over driving a brand new Mercedes than an African American driving the same car. In an article on newyorktimes.com by Charles Blow about The State of Race in America he states, “It is no surprise that whites and blacks would see racial issues and barriers to racial equality differently, or that difference would be manifest un the ideological divide between Democrats and Republicans” meaning that racial inequality is something that is taught growing up as the same going for Democrats and Republicans. The idea of trying to change the opinion of a someone who is a racial bigot is like trying to change the opinion of a Democratic or Republican during the presidential election.  This source also discussed the different views of blacks and whites on the black experience in America. The article brings up the workplace for an African American employee, and a white employee. Blow states on Newyorktimes.com, “blacks are more likely than whites to say that black people tend to get treated less fairly than whites in the workplace.” 

The people of America today will never see eye to eye when it comes to police brutality or racial inequality. The debate about whether one race is superior or inferior to the other is completely a waste of time and usually ends in a “he said, she said” argument. The purpose for Douglass’s historical speech was to bring to this attention to the oblivious about the racial injustices that his fellow people of color and people of all minorities in America to be treated like they were people and to eliminate the dehumanizing of minorities as a whole. Racial Injustices have always been a problem with in the middle to lower class, and is always overlooked as a social problem that will soon resolve on its own. Whether you believe it is a serious problem or not, it is a growing problem that will not be resolved on its own. People of today’s society should look past the color of one’s skin and judge people solely off of who they are as a person and what they value, not the color of their skin. An controversial topic of today that would represent the view of race in America will be the recently passed 2016 Presidential Election. The election was of two candidates, Hillary Clinton, and the now president- elect Donald Trump. There is an idea that the majority of people that voted for Clinton were African Americans and other minorities, while majority of the people that Voted for Trump where more of White Americans. Many of the people that voted for Trump are seen by some people as ignorant, or racist. However, race has no factor on who should lead the United States of America. Your vote should go to whoever you feel like is the best fit to be the face of this country.  As Americans we should come together, regardless of race or ethnic background, and look past the color of one’s skin and judge a person by their characteristics as a person. Fredrick Douglass’s along with many others have fought religiously and hard for racial equality not only for African Americans but for all minorities. America as a whole should take time to recognize that we are in course to repeat history and it will not be a good thing for our country to remain independent and strong when we ourselves can barely accept the fact that everyone is different and that we all are different in our own way.
