Discrimination: The Never Ending Narrative.

The main purpose for the creation and enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1994 was to end discrimination, based on employment, race, religion, sex, or natural color. This was seen as a very big achievement, considering how deep-rooted racism was at the time. White groups were strongly opposing integration forcing the African Americans to respond with protests in streets, which led to increased racial violence. Whereas the Transcription of the Civil Right Act came to fruition in 1964, areas such as discrimination, especially based on race and in public facilities still exist.  Moreover, today, the suppression of voting rights based on race is real and for sure does a great deal in harming American Democracy.

            Discrimination in public spaces is a norm in today’s society, especially based on an individual’s race. Even with the nation’s initiative dating back to 1960 to provide justice and equality to African Americans, nothing much has changed (Brinkley, ch 29, p786). Each day a new story comes up about a white person calling the police on black Americans for doing nothing except being black. The recent spate of white individuals that call 911 on African Americans, for reasons such as barbecuing, purchasing from Starbucks, and selling drinks in public space shows that a lot needs to be done. Undoubtedly, racism towards the black people has become rampant, and it relates to domestic alienation, dehumanization, terror, and criminalization, and sadly, people that hold power in most U.S. institutions support this. Achieving racial harmony requires the commitment to heed and follow to the Civil Right Act strictly.

As much as some individuals may term discrimination in the voting booth as a relic of the past, evidence indicates that racism persists and is very detrimental to the democracy of the United States. A variety of incidents that happened in a number of states brings to perspective the harsh realities that surround voters’ suppression based on race, which is contrary to the Civil Right Act. Anderson reiterates that “In 2016, pummeled by voter suppression in more than 30 states, the black voter turnout plummeted by 7%.” Several states like North Carolina, Indiana, and Georgia over the years have passed laws that contribute to the suppression of the voting rights of individuals based on race, which is a complete opposite from The Civil Right Act.

            Evidently, the rampant discrimination in public spaces and facilities, as well as voter suppression is a clear indication that discrimination based on race still exists. 50 years after the Civil Rights Act was enacted, uniting against racism is needed to change American society for the better.

Works Cited,

Anderson, Carol. “Voting While Black: The Racial Injustice That Harms Our Democracy”. Theguardian.com, 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/07/black-voter-suppression-rights-america-trump. Accessed 29 Oct 2018.

Brinkley, Alan. American History Connecting With The Past. 15th ed., McGraw-Hill Education, 2011, p. 786.