NAACP Towards Equal Rights

NAACP Towards Equal Rights

Introduction

American civil rights movements have undergone plenty of changes over the past century. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been crucial in various fronts of enhancing the Blacks community civil rights in America. This has been made possible through various influential figures in the NAACP, the various programs that it carries, and the choice of cases that it has supported through the law process. There is a need to note that there were some notable internal conflicts, but they did not have much of an impact on the operations of the organization. We shall analyze the impact that the NAACP has had on the civil rights of African Americans.

Presentation of Data

Background

The NAACP is over a hundred years old having been formed in 1909. This makes it one of the oldest civil rights organizations in the US. The major players at the time of its conception were White and Black activist responding to the widespread discrimination of the African American community members. The precursor to the group was the Niagara movement which was founded in 1905. The Niagara Movement had a little legislative impact but played a crucial role in the formation of the NAACP. The main event that led to the birth of the NAACP is the racial prejudice case reported in Illinois at Spring Field (Watson, 2007). The NAACP had a mission to secure the rights of the colored people in American society at the political, educational, social, and economic levels.

The NAACP looked to dissociate itself with the radical and violent tactics that were used by many of the organized groups in the fight for civil rights at the time. Cook (1998) notes that the organization did not wholeheartedly embrace the nonviolent direct action that some of its key members proposed. This led to some of its internal conflicts. The NAACP applied the tactic of supporting civil rights demonstrations that were taking place at the time. Additionally, the group would engage in cash bail-outs of arrested protestors. This would also extend to the legal representation of some of the members. This was one of the key area s that the NAACP had a great impact on its fight for racial justice.

1. The Fight for Equal Educational Opportunities
2. Brown v. Board of Education

This is was a significant legal case for the US educational system. The precipice of the case was in Topeka, Kansas, where a black girl was denied access to school-based on her skin color. The girl had to take a school ride to a blacks segregated school that was miles away. The girl and her family lived in a neighbourhood where there were other students in the area facing similar challenges. The girl’s parent – Oliver Brown – and other residents went to court to contest the education system’s segregation policy.

The NAACP offered one of its best lawyers, Thurgood Marshall, as a representative of Oliver Brown. Thurgood Marshall was one of the instrumental chief council members of the NAACP at the time. Marshall dedicated his career in law for the fight for equal rights (Richard, 2004). The case was lost at the district level but was appealed at the Supreme Court. The rule of the Supreme Court affirmed that the racial separation of students is unconstitutional (Warren, E. & Supreme Court Of The United States, 1953).

Prior to the case, there was the claim that black and white schools were equal but separate. However, this was not true. Many of the black schools were seriously underfunded and lacked the necessities for quality education. Some of the missing amenities include running water, adequate lavatory facilities, and in some instances electricity. In Delaware, the white students had well-equipped schools while black students went to a one-room school that had no equipment (Khan Academy, n.d.).

One of the key effects of the case was the desegregation of schools. This was a court order in which public schools were to desegregate at deliberate speed. This integration was important for the black community. According to psychologists at the time, the segregation of white and black students made black students feel unworthy of the same education as white children, and as a result, there was the reinforcement of inequality resulting in racism and other racial prejudiced practices.

1. Meredith v. Fair

James Meredith filed a case against the members of higher learning education in the University of Mississippi. Meredith had been granted admission to the institution but was later revoked on the realization that he was an African American. The NAACP played a critical role in the successful decision in support of Meredith (Gafford, n.d.). Through the President, Jack Greenberg, and the NAACP LDF team, the case was argued that the reasons brought forward against his admission were unlawful and purposefully segregated him based on race. The Court held that Meredith had a right to be admitted to the state school.

1. Fight for Equal Employment Opportunities
2. Griggs v Duke Power

The Griggs v Duke Power case was a major milestone in the workplace environment of the African American people in the US. The case was crucial to the civil rights that stated that it was illegal for discrimination of employees based on color. Duke Power company was placing black employees in the lowest labor positions in its power generation plant in Carolina. The black employees were thus paid a lower pay as compared to the white counterparts.

The black workers at the plant were highly motivated by the NAACP to fight for their rights. Encouraged by an NAACP activist, the black workers met and demanded a change in the supervisor at the plant (Garrow, 2014). The case was also argued by Jack Greenberg who had succeeded Thurgood Marshall as the president of the NAACP legal defense and educational fund. The argument led by Marshall led to a great victory in court by the decision that the practices by Duke Power were discriminatory. As such, all tests that were used for hiring purposes must aim at measuring the person’s ability to deliver on the job rather than on the abstract terms.

• Voting Rights

1. Smith v Allwright

Racial desegregation was a hot topic that traversed many sectors of the country in the early and mid 20^th century. In 1944, parties had the right to make internal rules regarding the conduction of primaries. One such common rule was the white-only vote in the primaries. As such, Lonnie Smith of Houston, Texas contested the rule that allowed the parties to discriminate against blacks. In this instance, Smith could not vote in the Democratic Party primaries since he was a black dentist. The party had greatly controlled politics in the South and used the various opportunities to discriminate against African Americans. Smith questioned the authority of states to deny voters based on their party membership. Smith was denied the right to vote in the primaries for the nominated candidates to various positions.

Through the NAACP, Smith was represented by Thurgood Marshall at the US Supreme Court. Marshall argued that the primary system of the Democratic party was biased to support the dominance of the white community. This was made possible through the prohibition of Blacks from participating in voting at the party primaries. This was against the 14 and 15^th amendments. The Supreme Court held that all citizens had a right to vote with no restriction by the state laws based on race. As such, the states were not to deny people the opportunity of choice by allowing private organizations to practice discrimination. As such, the decision by the Texas court that voting in primaries is constitutional was nullified. This had an impact on the voting abilities of Black people in the country.

1. Fight for Equal Protection
2. Browder v. Gayle

The Browder v. Gayle case was important in the equalization of public space rights in the US. The segregation of black people was common in the daily activities of the US community. In the cities of Montgomery and Alabama, this was more rampant and evident in bus segregation. The cities had laws that segregated races on the intrastate buses. At the time, Claudette Clovin, a 15-year-old girl, was arrested for not  giving up her seat as per the segregation laws. The policies were mainly enforced by bus drivers. The NAACP was instrumental in challenging these policies in the federal court (Gayle v. Browder, n.d.). The President of the NAACP at the time, Fred Gray, was searching for an appropriate case to challenge the laws.

Through the NAACP Legal Defense Fund (LDF), Gray approached several women including Aurelia Browder who had been discriminated against by the bus drivers. The women became the plaintiffs although one white woman dropped due to pressure from the white community. The court delivered the verdict that the use of separation of passengers based on their race was unconstitutional and violated the laws of the US. Under the 14^th Amendment, the laws deprived people of the equal protection of laws. As such, Alabama and Montgomery were discontinued from operating segregated buses.

1. Ali v. The Division of State Athletic Commission

One of the most famous athletes, probably of all time is Mohammed Ali. After winning his famous Sonny Liston fight at 22 years old to become the boxing heavyweight champion, he objected to being recruited to join the Vietnam War. As such, he refused to be inducted into the US army. Ali suffered lots of effects from this decision. To begin with, he was banned from participating in prizefighting in the US. The hardest hit was the decision by New York to revoke Ali’s boxing license indefinitely.

The revocation of the license was based on the strong belief had in the teachings of his Islam religion against violence. The case was picked by the NAACP LDF and argued that it was unconstitutional to deny the boxer his license based on the freedom of exercising his religion. In 1970, the Federal District held that New York had violated Mohammed Ali’s constitutional right and indiscriminately stripped him of his boxing license due to refusal to enroll in the US army.

Analysis

From the information gathered, two aspects become clear about the role of the NAACP’s role in the fight for African American rights in the US. To begin with, the organization took a legal direction as a major route for engaging the relevant authorities in attaining equal rights. The second aspect is the nonviolent approach that the organization has taken on the perspective.

1. The Fourteenth Amendment
2. Freedom of Transport and Religious Views

The focus of the NAACP has had a great impact on equalization based on the fourteenth together with the fifteenth amendments of the US constitution. The fourteenth amendment of the US Constitution deals with the equal protection rights of all people born in the US. The NAACP has played a major role in ensuring that the amendment is equally applied to African Americans through various cases. The Ali v The Division of State Athletic Commission ensured that the right of worship was upheld and the choices of the African Americans based on their religious views are respected by the constitution. In the Browder v. Gayle case, the NAACP played a critical role in ending the segregation of the African American community in public spaces.

The transport sector is an important area in which people interact. By ensuring that people have equal protection rights by fighting to eliminate the segregation of the black community members, the organization enabled free movement of African Americans without fear of discrimination in public spaces.

1. Equal Employment Opportunities

Additionally, the Griggs v Duke Power had a great impact on the workplace policies that separated the black community. In this case, the NAACP had an impact on ensuring that African American people could enjoy better workplace conditions especially in remuneration and access to equal employment opportunities.

Moreover, this case was influential in the establishment of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Through the civil act of 1964 resulting from the Grigg v Duke Power case, the commission was established as a way of ensuring that there is equality of opportunity in employment by enforcing legislation that is aimed at prohibiting discrimination practices in the workplace. The EEOC has been instrumental in the workplace fair practices in America that have led to the equal employment opportunity for many workers based on race, gender, and disability.

1. The Fifteenth Amendment

The fifteenth amendment of the constitution deals with the right of all American-born people in engaging the election process. Through the Smith v Allwright case, the NAACP was instrumental in nullifying the voting process that allowed states especially those dominated by single parties to discriminate against the African American members from engaging in voting in the primaries. As a result, by 1952, 1 million Southern Blacks had registered as voters (LDF, n.d.). The NAACP also has played a critical role in fighting for African American rights through the formalization of processes. From the background, the NAACP was a culmination of various factors that were ailing the American society in matters of discrimination. The continuation of the work through the use of nonviolent tactics has enabled the upholding of peace for all Americans and ensuring that the African American struggle for equal rights is not marked by excessive blood loss as witnessed during the Civil War.

• Equal Education

Finally, the NAACP has been a critical force in the handling of equal rights to quality education for African Americans. In two cases, Brown v. Board of Education and Meredith v. Fair, the NAACP has been critical in ensuring that the African American community can access fair education opportunities in American society. This has been instrumental in leading to higher admissions of African Americans to quality education which is a key factor in building the economic bridge.

Statement of Conclusion

The NAACP has had a significant impact on the expansion of civil rights for the Black community in America. The impact has been on three main areas – economic, education, and civic rights. There is an economic impact that has been enabled indirectly by pushing for equal education opportunities for African Americans and the enabling of equal protection through enhancing workplace policies and public area protection of equal rights. The fair access to education has been a key area that the organization has impacted the community through fighting for equal access opportunities for African American students. The organization has impacted the rights of the African American community through fighting for equal voting rights in America.

                                                Implications

1. Protection of Civic Societies as Watchdogs

The implication of these findings is the great impact that civic organizations have in the role of fighting for the civil rights of minority groups in America. As a result, there is a need for protection from undue influence. To begin with, there is a critical role as the watchdog of the society. The role of the NAACP is looking for the ills in society, and advocating for their resolution is a role that has enabled the American society to thrive as a democratic country.

1. Protection of Civic Society as Protectors of Citizens

As a voice for the people, civic society plays a critical role. The NAACP findings support this implication by the numerous cases that it has helped to support based on the needs of the people. Many of the cases pointed out were picked by NAACP activists at the grassroots level and escalated to the top level, such as the US Supreme Court through the support of the legal aid of the organization.

Most notable, these are the cases that have had a great resultant effort in fighting for the rights of the African American people that affect them most on a daily or perennial basis. As a tool for implementing the vision of the country, civic society is a critical component. This is visible through the vision of the founding fathers of America as a country where the laws are made by the people and enforced by the government.

Conclusion

In conclusion, through the analysis of the impact that the NAACP has had on the civil rights of African Americans, we are able to understand the critical role that civil society has in America. The NAACP has played a critical role in the development of various civil rights for the American people through the use of carefully selected cases to contest the validity of the discriminatory practices in court. The NAACP, among other areas, has been instrumental in the fight for equal education opportunities, equal workplace opportunities, equal voting rights, and equal protection of the African American people.

References

Cook, R. (1998). Sweet Land of Libert?: The African-American Struggle for Civil Rights in the Twentieth Century. Studies in Modern History. Routledge

Garrow, D. J. (2014). Toward a Definitive History of Griggs v. Duke Power Co. (January 23, 2014). Vanderbilt Law Review,67: 197; University of Pittsburgh Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2014-05. Retrieved from SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2383885

Dellinger, H. (2016). When Muhammad Ali Took on America. Retrieved from https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/06/what-muhammad-ali-won-in-his-supreme-court-fight-over-the-vietnam-war-and-what-he-lost.html

Gafford, C. R. (n.d.). Meredith v. Fair.  Encyclopedia of African American Education. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781412971966.n163

Gayle v. Browder. (n.d.). Oyez. Retrieved from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1956/342

Khan Academy (n.d.). Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/postwarera/civil-rights-movement/a/brown-v-board-of-education

LDF. (NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund). (n.d.). Voter Protection Case: Landmark: Smith V. Allwright. Retrieved from https://www.naacpldf.org/case-issue/landmark-smith-v-allwright/

Richard, K. (2004). Simple Justice. New York: Vintage Books.

Warren, E. & Supreme Court Of The United States. (1953). U.S. Reports: Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/usrep347483/

Watson, L. D. (2007). Assessing the Role of the NAACP in the Civil Rights Movement. The Historian. 453-468. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6563.1993.tb00905.x