The fight for desegregation on public buses was started in Montgomery by Rosa Parks who is known all over the world today, the trend then spread and people fought for desegregation in other places as well. When Martin Luther King held his speech “I have a dream” in 1963, I believe he lighted a hope in many African Americans. (O’Callaghan p. 112-113)
Making the Civil Rights Act a law was the first real decision that should make black and white people equal, but even then, there had to be changes in peoples minds and not only in law.
With the black people taking the problems in own hands, 5000 of 50.000 officials elected in the US in 1985 were black. This gave the black people a bit more control and was another step in the right direction to equality. (O’Callaghan, p. 112-113)
Barack Obama is the first black man to be elected president of the US. Mr Obama got 99% of the black African American voters’ votes. He also got the majority of the young and educated whites, a majority of Asians, Americans of Hispanic origin, and Native Americans. Although he lost the overall white votes, this time the votes would last all the way.
In the last decades the African Americans have improved their social and economic standing significantly. Partly because of the legacy of slavery, racism and discrimination of the black people they still have disadvantages in economy, education and social life.
One of the most serious problems in the black people’s communities today is the poverty. The poverty leads to stress, health problems, low educational attainment and several other problems. (Wikipedia) In Gary, Indiana which is the city with the largest population of black people in the US, 84 per cent is black and 26 per cent of them are living under the poverty Level. In 2004, 24.7% of African American families lived below the poverty level. In 2007, the average African American income was $33,916, compared with $54,920 for white. (Wikipedia list)
The black people in America have come a long way during the recent decades, but despite of the law of full equality there still are big differences in both economy and social life between white and black people.
The fact that the current President of the US is a black man is a proof of the black people’s success. Although the major reactions to the choice of president, both positive and negative, in the US and in the rest of the world also shows that full equality is not yet reached.
References
O’Callaghan, Bryn. An Illustrated History of the USA (China: Longman, 2004)
Wikipedia Accessed on 27 April 2010
Wikipedia list over cities Accessed on 27 April 2010