Civil rights and genuine equity

photo by Steven Walker l Unsplash

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman..” 

—Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Two Americas

by Louisa Mancey, WE In The World

In 1967, during the height of the fight for Civil Rights and equity for all, Dr. Malcom Luther King Jr gave a talk called the Other America. In this, he highlights some of the challenges to bring about genuine equity when the realities of Americans were so vastly different that it was hard for those living on the other side to appreciate the conditions for others, even those within their own communities and neighborhoods. In many talks like this, he paints a stark and brutal image of the lives of many people from many backgrounds and ethnicities that may not seem so different from those struggling for survival today, particularly those from the black community. 

Since that time, there have been many hard-won victories in and out of the courts for civil rights and equity. America is celebrated all over the world as leading the fight for equal rights and opportunities for all. Despite this, however, the evidence still shows two Americas living side by side with a wealth gap that is persistent and has not closed since it was first recorded in the 1960s. The fight for civil rights and ‘genuine’ equity is not over. The standard set by MLK is truly a lofty one that continues to inspire this fight for everyone to have the opportunity to experience a life of genuine equity.

A talk on genuine equity

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