Rights, Diversity, and Adult Learning April Johnson CUR 518 Melanie Latin August 17, 2015

Introduction This presentation will highlight five of the acts that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. These are considered major events and accomplishments of American Minorities’ Freedom Struggle. The accomplishments made by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, the University of Alabama, and Loving vs. Virginia will specifically be discussed. Civil versus political rights including freedom of expression, association, and participation in the educational process will play a role in the presentation. Details about whether human rights are universal, including cultural relativity and human rights will be captured. Analysis of the relationship between affirmative action and diversity as well as the influence or affect on adult learning will be defined.

Major Events and Accomplishments Rosa Parks In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat at the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Until this time, black people were forced to sit at the back of a bus. This caused an uproar in Montgomery as she had broken city ordinance Chapter 6, Section 11 ("Biography.com", 2015). Riots broke out, churches were burnt down, and people were killed. The black community formed a boycott against the Montgomery Bus Company. On September 9, 1996, President Bill Clinton awarded Parks the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor given by the United States' executive branch. The following year, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award given by the U.S. legislative branch ("Biography.com", 2015).

Major Events and Accomplishments Martin Luther King, Jr. University of Alabama-desegregation 1963 was a monumental year for major events and accomplishments of American Minorities’ Freedom Struggle. Martin Luther King, Jr. conducted a rally of over 210,000 black and white people who congregated in Washington to protest against racial injustice. Later in 1963, Dr. King was one of the driving forces behind the March for Jobs and Freedom, more commonly known as the “March on Washington,” which drew over a quarter-million people to the national mall. It was at this march that Dr. King delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, which cemented his status as a social change leader and helped inspire the nation to act on civil rights ("The King Center", 2014). Governor Wallace was ordered by President John F. Kennedy to cease segregation at the University of Alabama. This allowed blacks to enroll in college. This was a monumental event in history as no other University had been segregated at the time. There were also many desegregation events in Birmingham during this time.

Major Events and Accomplishments Loving vs. Virginia In June, 1958, two residents of Virginia, Mildred Jeter, a Negro woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were married in the District of Columbia pursuant to its laws ("Cornell Law School", n.d.). This couple had been sentenced to a year in prison for their biracial marriage. The Lovings had three children and were forced to leave the state of Virgina post-time served in the penitentiary. They moved to the District of Columbia. It was not until 2000, when Alabama became the last state to adapt its laws to the Supreme Court's decision, when 60% of voters endorsed a ballot initiative that removed anti-miscegenation language from the state constitution ("Wikipedia", 2015).

Civil vs. Political Civil Rights Political Rights Civil Rights are defined as a right to life, a fair trial, privacy, freedom of assembly, thought, conscious, and religion. It is the personal rights of the individual citizen and in most countries upheld by law as in the US. Political rights are defined as the right of citizenship, the right to vote and hold a public office. They are the natural justice in law, and the right to a fair trial and due process.

Influence on Education Awareness Advocacy Compliance Awareness: As displayed in many schools, the Civil Rights Movement is a monumental occurrence in American History. Every student and educator should have equal access to education and the opportunity to learn. Advocacy: Companies, educational facilities, and other organizations have established various equal opportunity laws and other ways to solidify and expand the targeted learners within their programs. This should include respecting learners’ differences, appreciating behaviorisms, recognizing environmental and social attributes which are presented to them. Compliance: Educators and employers (in education and training) have the responsibility and oath (by law) to follow all laws and policies which protect individuals. These include civil rights laws, ADA laws, and EEO laws.

Conclusion “At the time I was arrested, I had no idea it would turn into this. It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in.” —Rosa Parks This presentation highlighted five of the acts that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. These are considered major events and accomplishments of American Minorities’ Freedom Struggle. The accomplishments made by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, the University of Alabama, and Loving vs. Virginia were specifically discussed. Civil versus political rights including freedom of expression, association, and participation in the educational process played a role in the presentation. Details about whether human rights are universal, including cultural relativity and human rights were captured. Analysis of the relationship between affirmative action and diversity as well as the influence or affect on adult learning were defined.

References Biography.com. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/rosa- parks- 9433715#montgomery-bus-boycott Cornell Law School. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecour t/text/388/1 The King Center. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.thekingcenter.org/about-dr- king Wikipedia. (2015). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virg inia