This author says they are not, and we need to transform how discrimination is addressed.
CIVIL rights have transformed American society, and made it fairer and less divided, by outlawing overt racial discrimination and making bigotry socially unacceptable. That success has inspired a host of social groups to press for new civil rights.
But civil rights have barely made a dent in today’s most severe and persistent social injustices, such as the disproportionate incarceration of African-Americans, the glass ceiling that blocks career advancement for many women and high unemployment among the elderly; in fact, some of these problems have gotten worse despite civil rights laws intended to address them. Today’s most pressing injustices require comprehensive changes in the practices of the police, schools and employers — not simply responses to individual injuries.
The author questions the use of lawsuits as a vehicle for handling civil rights complaints (notice the discussion of Brown and the Seattle Supreme Court decisions). 2301 students should be aware of this policy after discussing civil rights in class. 2302 students should read this because it points out the role the Supreme Court has played in promoting civil rights at one point, and being more skeptical of them recently.
- In a related story: Female Wal-Mart Employees File New Bias Case.
