The Black and White Train of Equality

In 1865, slavery in the United States was officially over with the ratification of the 13th amendment. Also in 1865, the “black codes,” were initiated in the former confederate states following the end of the Civil War. The laws were designed to control the labor and behavior of newly freed former slaves, effectively replacing the social controls of slavery. The codes were passed by state legislatures in the South under President Andrew Jackson’s Reconstruction policies. The codes did allow for Black people to buy and own property, marry, make contracts, and testify in court, the primary purpose was to restrict Black people’s labor and activity. In the 1870’s there was a minstrel character named “Jim Crow,” that then became a derogatory racial slur, and then the identifier for the extensive system of laws and practices designed to disenfranchise and oppress black people. Key aspects of the Jim Crow system included: Legal Segregation mandating separate public facilities for black and white people, such as schools, hospitals, and public transportation, under the “separate but equal” doctrine established by the Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson. The “separate but equal,” Jim Crow laws lasted from approximately 1877, until 1964 and 1965, when the Civil Rights act and the Voting Rights acts were passed. When President Kennedy was in office, the term “affirmative action,” was first used, mandating that government contractors take steps to ensure equal employment opportunity. In 1965, President Johnson built upon this by requiring federal contractors to take affirmative action to ensure equality in employment regardless of race, religion, or national origin. In 1978, per a Supreme Court ruling, that ruled racial quotas are unconstitutional but allowed race to be considered as one factor among many to promote diversity. That was 28 years ago. There are some in the black community, if not many, that feel the train of racial equality is still moving on the tracks, and although progress has definitely taken place, there is still more tracks to move on before we hit the station. There are some in the white community, if not many, that feel that after all of this time since slavery and Jim Crow, with the passage of the 1964 civil rights act, the train of racial equality has reached the station of equality. Both sides are going to have their different perspectives, opinions, and experiences, which will be the complete opposite of the other, but wouldn’t it be great if we really are at a point, where race is no longer a word, or a conversation. It’s not so much what opportunities are available or not, it will come down to one’s lifetime of experiences, and how one truly feels about society when it comes to race. This is not something you can force. Hopefully, with the passage of time and the changing of certain elements in our great society, whether that be one’s perspective or a certain policy, we will finally get to the point where, not only did we reach the station, but we also witnessed trains become obsolete.