"Rosa Parks was an inspiration to all of us. Her courage helped to bring about the civil rights legislation that has transformed the lives of millions of men and women in this country for generations to come." Gerald A. Reynolds, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Civil Rights have been at the very core of the United States of America since its very beginning. Today in 2005, with Rosa Park's death, we are reminded of the relatively recent events that led to the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 60's. She came to be known as the "mother" of the civil rights movement when she refused to give her seat in an Alabama bus to a white man. Her subsequent arrest was the spark of the massive movement that was led by Martin Luther King Jr. demanding equal rights for all Americans. This was the beginning of a fight against racial segregation and discrimination in the US, concluding with the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act.
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that any American is protected against any sort of employment discrimination based solely on race, national origin, sex, and religion. This law clearly states that no one can be denied of a job, promotion, compensation, job training, or any other benefit because of the person's race. Title VII warns employers against making decisions to hire someone based on stereotypes about a specific abilities of an ethnic group. It also prohibits any policy that is not related to the job, and excludes minorities from a fair chance to obtain the job.
Although the civil rights movement happened around 50 years ago, the topics of racial discrimination and civil rights are still largely debated today. It is mainly debated especially in terms of affirmative action that aims to give minority children a chance to advance if they are able to obtain better education and jobs that were once denied to their ancestors. However, there are still many cases reported today about racial discrimination in the work place. In 2004, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) received 27,696 charges of racial discrimination. This shows an increasing trend in racial discrimination filings by 125% since the mid-1990's. The EEOC received $61.1 million in monetary benefits for hurt employees, excluding the benefits obtained in litigation.
The civil rights apply for all Americans regardless of the color of their skin, and not only for employment issues. There are civil rights issues in many other areas of our everyday lives. There is much discrimination found in housing such as redlining that refuses mortgage and home insurance to areas with poor financial risks, home improvement scams, racial violence and hate crimes, police abuses, school financing, bilingual education, minority business enterprise set-asides, and economic development for minority communities.
Civil rights are one of the foundations of the American Constitution. It is in the interest of all to maintain these civil rights and liberties and to denounce anyone who violates them. There are many dedicated lawyers committed to defend these rights and maintain justice in order to maintain an open society. People should be respected for their inherent value as people, regardless of any difference in race or sex, national origin or religion.