The Ambitions of the Civil Rights Movement Went Far Beyond Affirmative Action – TIME
Affirmative action, Diversité et inclusion, Faire société, Le passé dans le présent, Représentations, Territoire et mémoire
Published in June 2023 by Time Magazine
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Brief overview
The Supreme Court’s recent decision to eliminate affirmative action marks a setback for racial justice, likely leading to reduced Black and Hispanic enrollment in higher education. However, it provides an opportunity to revisit more ambitious strategies for achieving full racial equality, a central goal of the civil rights movement.
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Highlights
- Affirmative Action’s Role: Affirmative action was a modest concession and not the ultimate goal of the civil rights movement, which aimed for full racial equality.
- The Freedom Budget: Proposed in the 1960s, it aimed to eliminate poverty, ensure full employment, provide public housing, expand education and job training, offer universal healthcare, and guarantee a minimum income.
- Challenges: The Freedom Budget and other ambitious plans were thwarted by the Vietnam War costs and rising racial backlash.
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s Vision: King’s Poor People’s Campaign sought to unite poor people across races to end poverty but was cut short by his assassination.
- Current Relevance: The wealth gap between white and Black households remains vast, indicating the need for more powerful measures than affirmative action. The civil rights movement’s comprehensive social welfare ideas remain pertinent today.
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