Letter To African Americans

772 Words4 Pages
Dear Friend, Hello and how are you? I am writing to discuss the various experiences of African Americans throughout history and today. Because I am of that race, and you are not, I would like your honest opinion. Do you feel African Americans have been treated fairly throughout history? The history of African Americans goes back to the discovery of America; we were stolen from Africa and brought to America as slaves with the White Settlers (Schaefer, 2012). Even after President Abraham Lincoln issued the District of Columbia Emancipation Act and the Emancipation Proclamation, that freed the slaves, African Americans were still mentally enslaved. Some of us are still in mental captivity today. Throughout history, I feel African Americans…show more content…
I do not think he would have as much trouble being respected. Some people refused to call him “President Obama”; they refer to him as “Obama." There are some White people that do not like to see African Americans in power or have a high ranking position. The will disagree with everything they promote whether it is right and certainly if it is wrong. Take Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for example, Dr. King played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement that led to the desegregation of the South. There are some cities and states that refuse to have a street or even a park named after him. According to Schaefer, “Efforts to recognize significant figures in African American history have often been controversial. There are only 650 cities in 41 states that have renamed streets in honor of the late and great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” Oh my dear friend when will we all love and live as one as Dr. King wanted? Another issue my people haven faced for some time is racial profiling and here lately it has been on the hot seat! On August 9, 2014, (White) Officer Darren Wilson shot and killed a black unarmed teenager that sparked several protests and unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. While this is only one of several incidents, this sparked a national campaign,…show more content…
Laws are there to protect against unfair and unjust treatment; however, there are always loopholes when it comes to obtaining a conviction for White person. When the scenario is opposed, the conviction is usually excessive. Legislation to constrain race within prejudicial boundaries included Jim Crow Laws. Jim Crow laws were “Laws that enforced racial segregation in the South that required separation of whites from “persons of color” in public facilities, transportation, and schools.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015) During the Civil Rights Movement, many people fought to overturn this law. They protested, marched, wrote letters to Congress, wrote letters to the President, etc. On May 17, 1954, The US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools violated the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution. This decision declared that separate but equal educational facilities were unconstitutional. (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015) A form of legislation to alleviate race within prejudicial boundaries was the Voting Rights Act of 1965; this law prohibits racial discrimination in voting. This year commemorates 50 years since the infamous march in Selma, Alabama. People from across the nation joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in peaceful protest to grant African-Americans
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