Civil Rights

When most people think about civil rights, they picture a struggle that happened in the past. Everyone is familiar with the civil rights movement in the United States. Through the leadership of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, and many others, as well as the tireless work of thousands upon thousands of people, blacks were, for the first time in American history, able to get equal rights. They received the right to vote, the right to eat at white owned restaurants and use the same facilities and, perhaps most importantly, the right to integrated schooling.

What many people don't understand is that the struggle for equal rights goes on. There are many communities in this country that do not always receive adequate civil rights protections. As a matter of fact, practically every minority community suffers from this to some degree. African Americans have been increasingly troubled by the problems of racial profiling. Police officers will often selectively pull over and harassed motorists based on their race. Civil rights lawyers are there to protect people who have been unfairly selected for police harassment.

Even more striking is the persecution of those groups that have never been protected by any sort of civil rights act. Homosexuals in this country are still persecuted in many different states. In addition to not being allowed to marry as they choose, they often are given no legal protection against unfair firing based on their sexual orientation. They are not allowed to join the army unless they are secretive about their sexual identity, and face routine discrimination in many public places.

Fortunately, civil rights law is alive and well in this country. We have a fine tradition of lawyers out there fighting for equal rights for all people. As long as women still face a glass ceiling, African Americans are still harassed by police and robbed of their votes, and homosexuals are still denied the right to marry, there will be a body of civil rights professionals working to change things. A lot of people think that the struggles take place in some high, elevated realm, but they don't. They start with ordinary people like you and me. If you think that your right has been violated, you should contact a lawyer and see what your options are. You might make things better, not just for yourself but for your whole society. Sometimes all it takes is one voice.