Civil Rights Project

2006-10-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Please Sign our petitiion to Mayor Bloomberg to make sure that NYC immigrants receive fair wages for their work.

Our Petition

2006-10-24T09:07:00.000-07:00

We think that this problem is a civil rights issue. Here are some groups that are activists for immigrants rights:

Immigrant Solidarity Network

Farm Labor Organizing Committee

Nation Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights

2006-10-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some news articles that highlight the problem:

Snapshots of the National Immigrant Rights Movement
New America Media, Interviews, New America Media staff, Sep 25, 2006

Hundreds rally in NYC for immigrant rights
October 21, 2006, 9:51 PM EDT

Immigrant rights group calls for boycott : Dunkin Donuts, Applebee's accused of discrimination
By Evelyn Holmes

2006-10-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

After researching economic injustices in US history and the movements that fought against them, we began looking at economic injustice today. We have seen economic injustice prevent people from getting good jobs, making people work too hard for too little under unfair conditions, and prevent people from accessing public transportation equally.

Today, we see that there is a group in America that is also being discriminated against in a similar way. Immigrants, legal or illegal, in many cases work for less than minimum wage all over the United States. This is a big problem and it goes against our Constitution.

2006-10-24T08:39:00.000-07:00

The boycott lasted a long time. But the bus companies gave in and agreed that african americans should be allowed to sit anywhere on the bus. This was a very tense time for black people in the south. Martin Luther King and other leaders of the boycott outlined strategies black people should use when they got on the bus. This shows how difficult it was to stand up for your rights. Violence could break out at any moment. Here are the strategies:

Integrated Bus Suggestions

December 19, 1956

This is a historic week because segregation on buses has now been declared unconstitutional. Within a few days the Supreme Court Mandate will reach Montgomery and you will be reboarding integrated buses. This places upon us all a tremendous responsibility of maintaining, in face of what could be some unpleasantness, a calm and loving dignity befitting good citizens and members of our Race. If there is violence in word or deed it must not be our people who commit it.

For your help and convenience the following suggestions are made. Will you read, study and memorize them so that our non-violent determination may not be endangered. First, some general suggestions:

1. Not all white people are opposed to integrated buses. Accept goodwill on the part of many.

2. The whole bus is now for the use of all people. Take a vacant seat.

3. Pray for guidance and commit yourself to complete non-violence in word and action as you enter the bus.

4. Demonstrate the calm dignity of our Montgomery people in your actions.

5. In all things observe ordinary rules of courtesy and good behavior.

6. Remember that this is not a victory for Negroes alone, but for all Montgomery and the South. Do not boast! Do not brag!

7. Be quiet but friendly; proud, but not arrogant; joyous, but not boisterous.

8. Be loving enough to absorb evil and understanding enough to turn an enemy into a friend.

GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

THE MONTGOMERY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION
The Rev. M. L. King, Jr., President
The Rev. W. J. Powell, Secretary

2006-10-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

African Americans were also discriminated against. This newpaper article shows how dangerous it was for african american people to fight for their rights. African americans did not have equal access to transportation. They organized a boycott of the bus service to fight for their equality in 1956 during the african american civil rights movement.

2006-10-24T08:28:00.000-07:00

One of the methods that children used to fight for their rights was to go on strike. Newspaper boys in New York City went on strike in 1899 in order to fight for better pay for the work they did. This newspaper article explains that they protested outside the newspaper buildings, they prevented newspapers from being handed out to people. And they prevented other people from taking their jobs. The article shows that by going on strike, the newspaper boys showed people how important their jobs are. They also showed the companies that they deserved more money. The boys made demands. They wanted to reduce their work hours from 14 to 10 hours on Sundays and they wanted better pay. The results of this strike were that people began to learn how hard it was for the newspaper boys. The government began to pay attention to labor laws.

2006-10-24T08:21:00.000-07:00

Children were discriminated against in a different way. Children were seen as a source of cheap labor during the industrial revolution. This is an economic injustice because children worked in factories under dangerous conditions instead of going to school. An example of this injustice is shown in this picture from the early 1900s taken by Lewis Hine in Pittston, PA.

These children are working in a mine when they should be in school. The children are waiting for the cage to go up. The cage is entirely open on two sides and not very well protected on the other two, and is usually crowded like this. The small boy in front is named Jo Puma. When people saw this photograph, they got upset that children were working in such dangerous jobs so they passed laws to try to prevent children from having to this kind of work. This is an economic injustice because the children were paid very little money and had to work long hours. Other injustices that these children faced were not being able to go to school, and living in terrible conditions, sometimes away from home.

2006-10-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Many men did not want women to have economic independence. As you can see from this cartoon, many men feared that if women could vote, they would have to take care of the children.

2006-10-24T07:11:00.000-07:00

Our group researched the history of economic injustice in America and how people fought against it. We found that economic injustice affected women, children, and african americans. Each of these groups were able to fight against the injustices they faced through civil rights movements. Below are some examples.