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Civil rights: Policy solutions

The civil rights landscape in the United States has changed drastically over the last 60 years. As a result of the 1960’s civil rights movement, federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion or national origin.

However, civil rights remain a major issue in the United States. The reality is that the continuation of the racism, sexism and classism that has defined the United States’ past is still inexcusably present within our country’s institutions. Resources so easily granted to many are not available or easily accessible to many who need them the most.

Services meant to create a better quality of life for those in the U.S. — the criminal justice system, health care, schools, banks — were created during periods of time when outright discrimination and Jim Crow laws were still the reality.. Catering to the demographic of wealthy white men, or “status quo”, means that everyone else will suffer from either a lack of access to certain benefits of such institutions, or will not meet the criteria for eligibility in the first place. The laws may no longer be as forthright as Jim Crow, but the reality around us tells us the systems still often work for some and therefore, against, others.

Because of this reality:

  • Of all family structures, single moms represent the highest percentage of families in poverty, no matter race or ethnicity.
  • The poverty rate for African Americans (24.6%) is 10% higher than the national rate (13.2%).
  • As of 2005, 60% of inmates were people of color, despite making up approximately 12% of the general population.
  • Given their proportion within the U.S. population, African American males are 6 times more likely to be held in jails than white males.
  • Only 69.3% of Hispanics have health insurance, compared with 84.6% in the general population.
  • Children of all races and ethnicities, especially children of color, are always more likely to be poor and without health insurance.
     

The MCC Washington Office addresses theses civil rights disparities as they are bound within such systems through public policies. Relevant policy areas include:

  • racial profiling,
  • racial disparities in criminal justice (particularly regarding prisons, sentencing, the death penalty, and juvenile justice),
  • fair representation within the census process, and
  • restorative relationships with Native peoples, respecting sovereignty and historical trust agreements.