Some of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dreams Have Yet to Be Realized
Blacks still lag in key social and economic areas.
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African-Americans have made tremendous gains since the tumultuous sixties when they were forced to fight for the most basic of rights, such as a seat in any restaurant, a decent education and, more importantly, participation in the nation’s political system. And while much of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has been realized, if he were alive today, experts say, the civil rights icon would be dismayed by how much progress must still be made.(Photo: dpa/Landov)
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Equal Rights for All - "Dr. King’s leadership really brought equal rights and citizenship for African-Americans into reality. That is his major achievement and it had had spinoff effect, which led to the feminist movement, and Latinos, Asian-Americans and other minorities to seek their rights,” says San Francisco State University political scientist Robert Smith. But according to Peter Groff, who heads the U.S. Department of Education’s faith-based initiatives center, while African-Americans have made “tremendous headway” in overall equality, they continue to lag behind in key economic and social areas.(Photo: Getty Images)
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Economics - “Black folks are still suffering very much economically,” says Lincoln University political science professor F. Carl Walton. Those who grew up in the 70s were the first group to enjoy the educational, employment and political benefits of the post-civil rights movement, he explains, but a shifting political landscape and economic downturns have hurt African-Americans and other minorities the most, leaving urban communities very much in need.(Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
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Public Education - While segregated public schools are legally prohibited, San Francisco State University political scientist Robert Smith believes that, in many ways, schools are as separate and unequal as they were at the time of King’s assassination. That can be attributed in part to the fact that schools in Black communities have fewer resources, which creates wide achievement gaps. “But a large part of it is cultural. There are many Black communities where kids almost resist learning,” Smith says. “That would disappoint King, because while he’d think educational opportunities are not equal, they’re better than they were in the 60s and African-Americans are not taking advantage of them in the ways they did when there was actual segregation.”(Photo: G. Newman Lowrance/Getty Images)
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Higher Education - Significantly more colleges and universities have opened their doors to African-Americans, creating opportunities for them to pursue advanced degrees and work in every professional field. But it has come at a cost, says Lincoln University political science professor F. Carl Walton, as tuitions and other fees rise and state and federal financial aid programs decline. Most African-American students depend on aid, and rising costs may force them to give up their higher education dreams, he fears, particularly in a struggling economy, which makes it more difficult for people to find the jobs they need to repay student loans.(Photo: Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)
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