The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech of 1963 is one of the most important legacies of the United States to the world.
It brings to light essential American values. Based on the realization that a democracy cannot be called so unless all of its citizens enjoy equal rights, this document redefined the Declaration of Independence to include ethnic minorities. The speech, given at the height of the civil rights movement, led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ending official segregation.
Today, ethnic minorities in the United States continue to face daunting challenges: overrepresentation among the poor, lower educational outcomes compared with the rest of the population, high representation among those in jail, higher risks of preventable and treatable diseases. Ethnic groups have a long way to go to integrate fully and enjoy the proposition that “all men are created equal” set forth by the Declaration of Independence. However, the United States has made huge improvements in this regard that today serve as examples to other countries.
In Latin America, for example, the issue of racial discrimination was absent from the policy debate until recently. Although African descendants in the region represent about 30 percent of the population (180 million) and indigenous groups 10 percent, these two groups suffer disproportionately from poverty, unemployment and lack of access to adequate education and basic health services.
In Brazil, for instance, Afro-Brazilians earn 30 percent less than whites in the same occupations and with the same level of education, according to a 2004 study by the Institute for Labor and Social Studies.
Other concerns include the lack of representation in positions of political power and economic leadership and unequal treatment by the police and courts. In response, civil society organizations have mobilized all over the hemisphere to claim equal rights. The governments of Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Honduras have reformed laws to include ethnic groups in a more substantial way through affirmative action, land titling and governmental entities that address discrimination.
In addition, the Congressional Black Caucus actively supports equality for African descendants in the region by providing guidance for Afro-Latino civil society organizations based on its experience in the U.S. civil rights movement.
In Europe, the integration of ethic groups is becoming a major concern. The 2005 riots in France made Europeans look at the U.S. experience in integrating Muslims in order to understand the absence of radicalized groups such as those emerging on their continent. Our 2004 elections caught the attention of German political commentators because of political candidates who publicly and explicitly fought for the votes of Latinos and other migrant communities who were approached as full citizens and even in their own language.
Cem Ozdemir, a member of the European parliament, wrote in a 2005 commentary for the European Policy Center: “Could anybody imagine a German chancellor giving a weekly radio address in the language of the country’s largest immigrant community?” Today, influential groups like the Urban League debate the next generation of reforms needed to transition from desegregation to real integration. Hispanics face a divisive debate on immigration and city council proposals banning undocumented immigrants’ access to social protection.
Still, King’s words remind us of the ultimate goal: that our children “live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” The claim that the American Dream should be a reality for every citizen is one of the major contributions to democracy in the United States and has served as an inspiration for democratic reform and promotion around the world.
Adriana Quinones is a native of Colombia and became a U.S. citizen in 2004. She wrote this for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
