Civil Rights, Equality, and Social Movements

The struggle for equal rights is still ongoing. Minorities face many struggles in acquiring social, political, and economic equality. While de jure discrimination is easier to combat, de facto discrimination is very difficult to erase. The legacy of Jim Crow and other discriminatory practices can be seen today. The criminal justice system is heavily biased against minorities through both systemic and individual prejudices. For instance, Black defendants are more than 30% more likely to be sentenced to prison for the same crime committed by a similarly situated White defendant. This impacts opportunities not only for the individual, but also for their community and family. Minorities Make up approximately 30% of the population but make up around 60% of the prison population, even though minorities are no more likely to commit crimes than their white counterparts.