14th Amendment Speech

 

I want you to look to your left and then look to your right. I want you to count the amount of people of color that are in this room. Not that many are there? That is a problem. The 14^th amendment granted rights for every person regardless of race. This allowed black students to thrive in their education. This began to close the racial achievement gap that was created during the segregation of schools.

 

The racial achievement gap is the disparities in educational groups or facilities based on race or ethnic groups. This gap began during the “separate but equal” era of America. We were told that our kids were being treated the same. We saw the white kids flourish and began a life that give them a leg up for years to come. We watch black kids not even have the right amount of seat in their classrooms or even have textbooks that were up to date. We even saw native kids get their whole entire identity erased from themselves. Affirmative Action is owed to these kids.

 

The 14th Amendment had created a written documentation that proved that Black Americans and every other race were Americans and were equal to the white man. We have the case Wong V The United States that invoked the 14^th amendment and provided that even Asian Americans are granted the same citizenship. Invoking the 14^th amendment for the continued succession of the white man is a slap to the face. It is a slap to the slaves that fought, hid, and ran for the freedom. The Asian Americans that were denied rights to vote even though this is their land. This a slap in the face for the Natives that were raped, beaten, and whitewashed just to “fit” in.

 

Although Bakke has great credentials, his great credentials could get him into literally any school. While we are trying to repair the gap in education for the people of color. Affirmative Action is what these ethnic groups fought for with the 14^th amendment. That we can all have the same chances even when not handed the same plate. This is not an argument for equality, but a fight for equity.