New Approaches to Civil Rights

Affirmative Action Affirmative action called for companies and institutions doing business with the federal government to actively recruit African American employees. Maynard Jackson became Atlanta’s first African American mayor in 1973, through his efforts, small companies and minority firms, earning them some $125 million in contacts.

Challenges to Affirmative action “reverse discrimination.” Qualified white workers were kept from jobs, promotions, and a place in schools because a certain number of such positions had been set aside for minorities or women. In 1978, in University of California Regents v. Bakke, the supreme Court, declared that the University had indeed violate Bakke's rights. Ruled that schools could use racial criteria as part of their admissions process so long as they did not use “fixed quotations” preferences/2014/04/22/44177ad6-9d8f-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html

Equal Access To Education By the early 1970’s, Civil Rights leaders began to push harder for adequate education and gaining good jobs. Busing, transporting children to schools outside their neighborhoods to achieve greater racial balance. The supreme court upheld the constitutionality of busing in the early 1971 case, Swann v. Charlotte Mecklengburg Board of Education.

New Political Leaders Jesse Jackson. In 1971 Jackson founded People United to Save Humanity or PUSH. African Americans became more influential to congress.

Cesar Chavez and the UFW Dolores Huerta organized groups that fought for farmworkers. Cesar Chavez, enlisted college students, churches, and civil rights groups to organize a national boycott of grapes. Together, Huerta and Chavez formed the United Farm Workers to fight for the rights of farm workers.

Growing Political Activism A new political Mexican-American party in Texas called La Raza Unida was started by Jose Angel Gutierrez. During this period, a growing number of Hispanic youths actively promoted their culture. One issue both Hispanic students and political leaders promoted was bilingualism. Some educators argue that total immersion in English is the soundest road to educational success.

A Protest Movement Emerges Native Americans discussed ways to address numerous problems. Indian Civil Rights Act, recognized the legitimacy of local reservation law and guaranteed reservation residents the protection of the Bill of Rights. In 1969 AIM made a symbolic protest by occupying the abandoned federal prison on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay for 19 months claiming ownership “by right of discovery.” AIM members seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee for 70 days.

Native Americans Make Notable Gains The native American movement fell short of achieving all its goals, but did win some of its goals. Native Americans won a number of the land and water rights they sought. Native Americans have tried to regain control of their economic future, just as other American minorities did in the 1960’s and 1970’s.