Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream: Has the Dream Been Realized?
MLK Argument Essay Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered on August 28, 1963. MLK’s dream was complete equality for African-Americans in all aspects of life. This dream has not become the reality in America today; however, great strides have been made towards equality for African-Americans and tremendous improvements have been made since Dr. King’s speech was delivered. Two men arrested for the same crime. Two court cases. Two trials and verdicts delivered with a decision that could change their lives forever. The results are two very different sentences and consequences. The only difference in these court cases is the race of the felon. This is a harsh reality for the American justice system. After being convicted, “black offenders receive sentences that are 10 percent longer than white offenders of the same crimes” (Kerby). Racial injustices like this are still a major factor in American society.
Several facets of life display unequal treatment and perception of African- Americans. The economic divisions between white and black Americans are vast and shocking. The unemployment rate for Black men, 15 percent, is more than twice that of their white counterparts at 7 percent. African-Americans age 20-24 are even worse off with an unemployment rate of 23 percent (Norris 94-95). Even the children are affected by racial injustice; black children are much more likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty. Forty-five percent of black children are in poverty compared to 12 percent of white children (Plumer). These statistics show MLK’s dream has not yet been realized.
Dr. King explained that equality would not be reached if “the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.” However, these statistics have greatly improved if compared to the time period of the civil rights movement; in the mid-1960s, 41 percent of African-Americans lived below the poverty line contrasted with 25 percent today. In 1960, the
Several facets of life display unequal treatment and perception of African- Americans. The economic divisions between white and black Americans are vast and shocking. The unemployment rate for Black men, 15 percent, is more than twice that of their white counterparts at 7 percent. African-Americans age 20-24 are even worse off with an unemployment rate of 23 percent (Norris 94-95). Even the children are affected by racial injustice; black children are much more likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty. Forty-five percent of black children are in poverty compared to 12 percent of white children (Plumer). These statistics show MLK’s dream has not yet been realized.
Dr. King explained that equality would not be reached if “the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one.” However, these statistics have greatly improved if compared to the time period of the civil rights movement; in the mid-1960s, 41 percent of African-Americans lived below the poverty line contrasted with 25 percent today. In 1960, the
Cited: Kerby, Sophia. “The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States.” Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress, 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2014. Norris, Michele. “One Dream.” Time 26 Aug. 2013: 94-95. Print. Plummer, Brad. “These Ten Charts Show the Black-White Economic Gap Hasn’t Budged in 50 Years.” The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 27 Jan. 2014. West, Heather. “Prison Inmates at Midyear 2009— Statistical Tables.” Bureau of Justice Statistics. Bureau of Justice Statistics, June 2010. Web. 3 February 2014.