By Patricia Ann Talley, MBA and Editor
Editor’s Note: This article was originally written for the “Pathways to Freedom: Shared Experiences between Michigan, USA, and Guerrero, Mexico” Project, sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Task Force of Southfield, Michigan, USA, and is published on their website.
The American Civil Rights Movement Changed Immigration Laws
Following the Civil War and the abolition of slavery, racial apartheid (called “Jim Crow”) was legislated in the United States affecting all aspects of life – homes, schools, hotels, hospitals, cemeteries – everything was racially segregated with African Americans and other minority groups treated as second-class citizens.
The Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968) refers to the social and political movement in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. The goals of the Civil Rights Movement also included racial dignity, economic and political self-sufficiency, and freedom from oppression.
Dr. King is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the teachings of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi of India.
Due in part to King’s efforts, in 1964, the United States passed the Civil Rights Act that banned discrimination based on “race, color, religion, or national origin” in employment practices and public accommodations; the Voting Rights Act of 1965, that restored and protected voting rights – the same as President Vicente Guerrero did in Mexico in 1829.
Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965
Before the Civil Rights movement, the USA maintained its majority White population by restricting immigration from non-European countries. Civil Rights legislation also included the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 that dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants from Mexico and other non-European countries.
The Civil Rights movement opened the door for the immigration of other nationalities. Source: PEW Research Foundation.
King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a U.S. federal holiday in 1986.
References:
Martin Luther King, Jr. – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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