By Michael Tashash

Brien McMahon student Michael Tashash won second prize in the annual Kemper Memorial Essay contest. Michael is standing with Brien McMahon principal Koroshetz and Paul Cantor president of KHREF.

Our generation often fails to fully acknowledge the impact perseverance as well as courage has made in the fight for God given rights. It is through push and shove that we, as a nation, strive to achieve equality. Contribution to the fight for black equality is essential for progress. People tend to fear the outcome of unstable situations, but it is those bravely fight through sweat and tears for prosperity of our nation who deserve all due credit. The struggle for black equality has a long history, and the fight is yet to be over. African Americans were deprived of their rights. They were suppressed and not recognized as part of the American society. They did not falter in the fight for equality nor did they cower behind all the problems that would arise during the protests after World War ll. The strenuous battle between African Americans and suppressors of black people rights led to abounding conflicts. America was facing an internal dilemma concerning the distribution of power among races. Nevertheless, United States did an adequate job rebounding from the internal conflicts of racism but there is still a long way to go.

America is a relatively new country. If a timeline of the events that led to the parity of blacks in the United States were to be put together, it would be possible to notice that the struggle for equality started to become more intense from WWII. African Americans developed the Double V campaign with hopes of putting an end to discrimination nationally and abroad. The double V campaign was controversial but still contributed to the decline of racism. In a sense, the Double V campaign gave people a taste of the blacks’ dedication to achieve a Utopia. The Double V certainly influenced Truman and inspired him to end discrimination in the segregated US army, but further confrontations with black power suppressors were inevitable. The distribution of racial powers on the streets remained untouched.

Lack of positive outcomes that resulted from the Double V campaign was unprecedented and uncalled for. Further measures to ensure equality were being put into place. Children of black citizens of the United States were targeted in schools and the segregation was rampant. “In 1954, large portions of the United States had racially segregated schools, made legal by Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)”.[1] The public was outraged and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) along with concerned black US citizens interfered and declared segregation unacceptable. There had been many circumstances where NAACP had conquered the US courts with issues regarding the racism in schools. Brown v. Board of Education case, had replicated itself in schools that declined African Americans. The Brown v. Board of Education case was the final blow to the unconstitutional segregated schools. Brown v. Board of Education consisted primarily of 5 separate cases. “These cases were Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Briggs v. Elliot, Davis v. Board of Education of Prince Edward County (VA.), Boiling v. Sharpe, and Gebhart v. Ethel.”[2] Despite the plethora of various different facts associated with these cases, they all had one thing in common – unlawful and unjust discrimination of black children in public schools. Through extensive research and persuasion, the Marshall and NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund argued a strong case that lead to a victory. “The decision held that racial segregation of children in public schools violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states that “no state shall make or enforce any law which shall … deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws”. [1] This victory was a step forward on a bumpy road to racial equality in the United States.

Some form of organization/leadership was necessary in order for the struggle for equality to end. Such leader needed to have determination and willpower. The Civil Rights movement decided to elect the precocious Martin Luther King Jr. as their leader and motivator. The black US citizens admired the tenacity of Mr. King who tackled the issues on inequality head-first. King chose the road less traversed by adopting Gandhi’s methods of peaceful demonstrations which later played an essential role in gaining the sympathy of the general public. Although countless other people were involved in the problem of racial inequality, King played a vital role by inspiring others to fight with him.

Boycotts and peaceful demonstrations were prevalent practices of the civil rights movement and played a fundamental role in the battle of racial inequality. The first major breakthrough in racial boundaries was initiated when African Americans took a decision to refrain from using public transportation. The black citizens of US were infuriated with what happened to Rosa Parks. “On December 1, 1955, four days before the boycott began, Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refused to yield her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. She was arrested and fined”.[3] The equal relationships between black and white US citizens was nonexistent. Mr. King took advantage of the opportunity presented and encouraged the NAACP as well as the concerned US black citizens to act promptly. King came up with a strategic plan to refrain from using public transportation. Eventually, the bus companies had no other choice but to end the segregation in busses due to the lack of revenue. The Montgomery Bus Boycott proved to be one of the most influential events in the civil rights movement. This protest proved to be a great success, and most of all, it showed American society how determined African Americans were to gain equal powers.

Inspired by the victory, King as well as NAACP members were eager to push further down the road of equality. In Birmingham, Alabama, the city government published a provision prohibiting any marches/protests without consent from authority. Dismayed by the unjust law, African Americans retaliated. Led by King, “Activists in Birmingham, Alabama launched one of the most influential campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement: Project C, also known as The Birmingham Campaign.”(Pbs.org). The Birmingham campaign ended up further educating the general public on the brutality of the situation regarding racism and hate toward blacks. The police used force against the unarmed peaceful protestors and are responsible for many of the gruesome scenes that took America by surprise. Furthermore, America felt sympathetic towards the innocent children that were being mistreated. “JF Kennedy had stated that what was happening in Birmingham was damaging America. King responded accordingly”.[4] Eventually the protests led to an abrupt stop as “The Birmingham Campaign ended with a victory in May of 1963 when local officials agreed to remove “White Only” and “Black Only” signs from restrooms and drinking fountains in downtown Birmingham; desegregate lunch counters; deploy a “Negro job improvement plan”; release jailed demonstrators; and create a biracial committee to monitor the agreement”.[5] During the next couple of months that followed the Birmingham Campaign, racial equality issue was being taken in consideration.

The suppressed voices of the mentally and physically abused African Americans were to be heard on the March of Washington. After gaining sympathy from people all across the United States, King, NAACP, and those who were passionate about putting an end to the unjust racial boundaries partook in what is considered to be the largest protest in the national capital. The March approximately consisted of a staggering 200,000 Caucasian and African Americans. King delivered his influential and well acknowledged “I have a Dream” speech concerning the ill-fated future of the country if drastic changes regarding racial inequality don’t occur.

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”[6]. King boldly spoke in depth on the matters pertaining to the unjust treatment towards blacks. Despite some of the previous presidents being unfazed by the strenuous efforts blacks made to gain equal rights, President Kennedy recognized that the struggle for equality had to be fully addressed. The outcome of the March of Washington resulted in creating a “momentum for the Civil Rights Act”.[7] The event shed a negative light on racism, and encouraged people not to express any hate towards blacks. Further obstacles were to be overcome; however the March of Washington was the last major final blow to the US government.

Equal rights are present in our society; however racial bias is still lurking. Despite the arduous journey our country endured to end the racism, there are still people who favor whites over blacks. The bias towards blacks is a serious issue not only in the United States but across the globe as well. Although the government acknowledges the racism as a crime, there is an underlying bias against blacks no matter how much we retaliate. Several occurrences with police shooting innocent black people illustrate our society’s inability to fully accept racial equality. The main culprit, as in most instances, is mainstream and entertainment media. Media shapes people’s mentality, and there seems to be a direct correlation between the media covers the black community and prejudice against African Americans. Media assigns “social roles” to blacks and generalizes the African American population. “Media have divided the working class and stereotyped young African-American males as gangsters or drug dealers”.[8] Problems regarding black acceptance surface when the media perpetuates blacks as convicts.

This ongoing dilemma can be resolved if mainstream media and entertainment industry filter their racial content. Media should stop manipulating the public and creating false notions. Rappers, who often degrade the general African American population by referring to black people using “N” word and have music that contains verses encouraging blacks to “toughen up” and display a violent behavior in order to fit in, will have to reconsider everything they rap about. In other words, the very culprits who are blamed for promoting racism should clean up their act and instead raise awareness regarding the racial issues to make sure that wearing a hood should never be a reason for profiling.

[1] “Brown v. Board of Education (1954).” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[2] “History – Brown v. Board of Education Re-enactment.” United States Courts. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[3] “Montgomery Bus Boycott.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[4] “Birmingham 1963 – History Learning Site.” History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[5] “The Birmingham Campaign.” PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[6] King, Martin Luther, Jr. “I Have a Dream.” Maryland, United States, Washington D.C. Speech.
[7] Weber, Peter. “4 Big Accomplishments of the 1963 March on Washington.” 4 Big Accomplishments of the 1963 March on Washington. N.p., 28 Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
[8] Balkaran, Stephen. “Mass Media and Racism.” Mass Media and Racism. N.p., Oct. 1999. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.

To state it concisely, Bashar al Assad is systematically exterminating his own people. He has violated nearly every single right that is guaranteed to everyone on Earth. His soldiers have shot at peaceful protesters demanding freedom, they have gang raped young boys contrary to the anti homosexual laws in Syria, and they have even used children as young as eight years old as human shields. The Syrian Civil War has lasted over 2 years and there is currently no end in sight. The UN estimates that over 70,000 people have been killed and that approximately a million refugees have fled to other countries. The Syrian Civil War has gone on for long enough and the United States of America cannot stand for the execution of an entire people by their own government. America has to continue to stand up for the right for citizens to be heard by their government. Our nation’s leaders need to implement the values that we hold closest to our hearts, in Syria. These values include the right to a transparent government constructed through a democratic process, and the rights guaranteed to us in our first amendment that allow a government to flourish. We do not stand for dictators in any way, shape or form. We did not support a Führer in Germany or a military dictatorship in Japan, and we will certainly not support the Ba’ath party in Syria.

In April 2011, protests erupted across Syria. These protests were part of a wider movement called The Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was a series of pro-democracy protests in several Middle Eastern nations that resulted in tremendous changes in government. When protests started in Syria, soldiers from the Syrian army were forced to shoot at protesters. In a report from the UN that was released in November 2011, a defector from the Syrian army described how he was ordered to fire at peaceful protestors carrying olive branches. His group indiscriminately mowed down the people in the crowd including children. Other defectors saw their fellow soldiers get executed. They had been ordered to fire directly into crowds of civilians but instead, they fired into the air to disperse them. Security forces in the row behind them executed the non-compliant soldiers in the first row for not following orders. The actions ordered by Syria’s military leadership are in direct violation of Article 21 of The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 21 states that “The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized.” Syria ratified that treaty which makes it obligated to abide by it. Even the Syrian constitution allows for peaceful assembly. However, Syria had been in a state of Emergency for over forty years which led to a suspension of most rights guaranteed by the Syrian constitution.

In the United States we are used to our constitutionally guaranteed freedoms. Our first amendment allows for the American people to speak their mind and to be heard by the government. In Syria, things are a lot different. According to the UN report, “Decades of tight control of freedom of expression, as well as surveillance and persecution of opponents, have severely limited political life and the constitution of an autonomous civil society.” The Assad regime has repeatedly infringed on the universal right of freedom of expression that the Syrian people have. People have been arbitrarily detained, tortured, beaten and killed for exercising their god given rights. Obviously this is wrong and it is in violation of Article 9 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.” By arbitrarily detaining people for expressing their opinions, the Assad regime has effectively controlled speech in Syria for the past few decades. Without the ability to speak out, it is impossible to form a fair government. The people cannot hold their leaders accountable for their actions because they are unable to vote them out. If they try to install new leadership or even show interest in reform, they disappear. The Arab Spring was what the Syrian people were waiting for; a chance to peacefully show the government that they wanted reform. Instead of reform, the people of Syria got bullets to the head from snipers, shrapnel from the rockets fired into civilian neighborhood and even according to some new reports, a dose of sarin gas from chemical weapons.

The United States of America is the defender of some of the most important principles in the world. These principles include the right to free speech and assembly, and the right to a democratically elected government. These rights are the most important ones that humans have because without them, a government can do whatever it wants. By having the freedom of expression, people can not only say what they think their government should do, they can also take to the streets and rally support for their ideas. Since a government’s function is to protect the rights of its people, if it is immoral it can completely ignore the needs of its population. The people give a government its legitimacy, but when it begins to abuse its power, the people can take it away. That is the strength of democracy and that is why it is guaranteed in Article 21 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The problem with Syria is that the government amassed so much power that it became incredibly hard to attempt to oust it. There was heavy infrastructure in place to deny the people their freedom of speech which included secret police networks. Lacking the freedom to speak their minds, the people were unable to elect the leaders that they wanted for more than 40 years. When they tried to ask the government for reform they were slaughtered. As the protector of the free world, the US has to intervene in Syria to ensure the implementation of basic human rights.

Help from a more powerful country in order to secure freedom is a pattern that has been repeated in history time and time again. When the American colonists under British rule demanded independence they were met with ships full of redcoats to deny them representation in government. In the bloody war that ensued, the colonists won not only because of their innovative and adaptive battlefield strategy but also because of support from the professionally trained French forces. The US returned the favor in 1944 when it began to liberate France from Nazi rule. The people if France would be speaking German if America did not free them. This type of intervention from a larger power is exactly what needs to happen in Syria. Syria is too important to degrade into a failed state like Somalia or stay under the rule of the oppressive Assad regime. Government forces have become a lot more depraved in recent weeks. According to CNN, US intelligence officials believe that sarin gas has been used in Syria. This is an obvious violation of international law. Even though Syria has not signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, it must respect it. The use of chemical weapons is the very obvious red line that President Obama has set for Syria. The only problem is that when the Assad government crossed it, the Obama administration barely acknowledged it.

Congress and the Obama Administration need to offer lethal assistance to the Syrian rebels. The country is locked in a bloody stalemate which foreign intervention could easily break. Currently, the government has only sent over food and medicine. Also, Obama recently approved a new aid package that included military equipment such as body armor and night-vision goggles. That is not nearly enough aid for the Syrian rebels. The Syrian rebels need weapons. Congress needs to approve an aid package for Syria that includes lethal aid. While it would be extremely imprudent to put boots on the ground in Syria, limited military involvement would definitely help the Free Syrian Army get rid of Assad. America cannot become involved with another prolonged ground war in the Middle East so this assistance should take the form of air support and possibly even bombardments from naval assets in the region. Fighter jets could strike locations that are strategically important for Assad’s forces and provide reconnaissance for the rebels. This is the strategy that worked well in Libya 2 years ago. The agreement of America’s allies will be vital in Syria. The US also has to get NATO support in declaring a no fly zone over Syria. There are Patriot missile batteries in Turkey but those are for defensive purposes only. The only way to get around that is if there is overwhelming NATO support to use them. The Israelis have begun to target shipments of weapons and other military threats in Syria. Their motivation is self-preservation since they do not want Hezbollah getting hold of powerful weapons, but Israel would gladly work with the US to oust Assad. Getting rid of the Assad regime in Syria will be the biggest blow to Iran in decades. It also means the end of the rule of a vicious dictator with a total disregard for what we view as the most important principles that we stand for in America.

Assad has to go. He is one step short of committing genocide. Amazingly, for years the Ba’ath party has been tolerated by America, but that has to stop. Assad and his Orwellian security forces have violated the most sacred rights that people have. They have laughed at important human rights treaties and openly defied them. The sounds of the pleas of their own people were drowned out in the crack of sniper rifles and the whistling of rockets tipped with chemical warheads. They have angered the rest of the world by limiting freedom of speech and freedom of assembly to deny the Syrian people the right to choose their own leaders. The Assad regime has put a lot of thought into its inhumane treatment of the Syrian people, but what it has not thought of is America’s response to such a gross violation of human rights. We stand by our most important principles even if that means taking military action to defend them. We hold the freedom of expression as our most sacred principle and also as a responsibility. It is our responsibility to ensure that that right is available everywhere on earth because we know that where it is available there is democracy. Where there is democracy there is unabridged political freedom that guarantees a high quality of life. Therefore, since freedom of expression ensures democracy, it is our most important principle to defend. It is a principle that we will defend all around the world until we do not have the power to defend it anymore. That is what Bashar al-Assad does not understand and that is why he has to relinquish control of Syria. The Assad regime is clearly playing with fire. By depriving the Syrian people of their rights for years, President Assad has created an environment that is dangerous for him to live in. Assad and his inner circle face assassination or trial at The Hague. One of those events will happen because of America’s unwavering support of its core values. The only thing to wonder about is when its leaders will allow it to happen.

Works Cited
Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic. Rep. United Nations General Assembly, 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
Aarthun, Sarah, Barbara Starr, Chris Lawrence, and Elise Labott. “Sarin in Syria: What’s the United States’ next Move?” CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 05 May 2013.
“Syrian Civil War.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.
The United Nations. The United Nations INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS. United Nations Gopher, 25 Jan. 1997. Web. 5 May 2013.
“The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UDHR, Declaration of Human Rights, Human Rights Declaration, Human Rights Charter, The Un and Human Rights.” UN News Center. UN, n.d. Web. 13 Apr. 2013.

http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/specialsession/17/docs/A-HRC-S-17-2-Add1.pdf
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/28/syria-troops-kill-children-un-report
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_civil_war
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/cpr.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/25/us/syria-whats-next/index.html?hpt=hp_t1