TOW #22 - Still Waiting in Selma - Written

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/07/opinion/still-waiting-in-selma.html?ref=opinion

This was an interesting article from the New York Times about African American rights, a theme that I've chosen after tumblr's #blackout on Friday, promoting equality and the end of racism. The article itself was about the voting process and African American citizens, primarily in the town of Selma, known from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. It details the racism and restrictions for voting that exist, and the fact that African Americans do not receive the equal treatment that they've been promised in the past. It also emphasizes how slow progress has been, especially with all the current events with police brutality and discriminatory practices. The article describes some of the discrimination that exists to this day, such as with the changes to the voting laws, with the new voter ID law that would discriminate against minorities and poor people who don't have government ID, which the authors claim is similar to the literacy test and poll tax tactics that were used in the past. They also describe the lack of representation in the government and the essential segregation that exists in the school system. They use statistics as well as personal experience in order to support the argument - the number of African American representatives, the number of voters, and poverty levels. For personal experiences, they use the example of the segregated school. They also used the examples of all the different forms of legislation relating to voting rights, and voting equality that's been a goal for a very long time. The article was really interesting in highlighting the progress that has been made, but also the progress that will still need to be made, and how causing change will not be an easy process. It reminds us where we started from, where we are now, and where we need to be in order to achieve the equal treatment promised to everyone.