With the recent passing of the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination there have been a few articles circulating that recognize his contributions to the betterment of society. One in particular by Amy Goodman in the Seattle PI brings special attention to King’s struggle to relieve poverty and promote economic equality. In particular she references a report made by Dedrick Muhammad of the Institute for Policy Studies entitled 40 Years Later: The Unrealized American Dream. Both authors address the fact that while our nation claims to be more socially conscious, we have by no means arrived at a point of equality, and it will take that reminder in the public mind to maintain a movement towards a truly free and equal society. Some of Muhammad’s findings state that if current rates and trends continue then, even though African American college graduation rates have increased 400% since 1968, it is estimated that it will take between 537 and 634 years for Blacks to reach wealth equality with Whites. It seems that the majority of white Americans reference the civil rights movement as the end of racism, and it is now the job of Blacks to make god for themselves. It may have been the end of formal institutionalized racism, but since the successes of the civil rights movement there are still racial prejudices hiding just below the surface of society that create inequality in employment and income. This makes it clear that true change is far from over, and as we discuss issues of domestic economic inequality it cannot be separated from the issues of race inequality. It is important to look back on what progress we have seen in the last forty years as a way to remember that the US is not yet a place of equality, but we can still take positive steps as a nation to get there.
