“Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men's skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact.” President Lyndon B. Johnson presented this proclamation over 40 years ago during his Civil Rights Symposium Address, at what can be considered the turning point of civil rights in America. Upon the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the era’s heat of race relations, segregation, and discrimination seemingly reduced to a simmer. At the time, this historic law was viewed as a success in the eyes of civil rights activists and seemed to be the panacea for discrimination in the U.S. once and for all. Unfortunately, quite the opposite was the case. As described by author and historian Ibram X. Kendi, America is still suffering from rampant discrimination in its supposed post-racial, “colorblind” society. Although there is legislation in place to protect all Americans from unlawful and unjust discrimination, discrimination is still common in the United States today.

Religious discrimination is one of many forms of widespread discrimination that are common in modern America. Many Americans regularly experience some form of religious intolerance and discrimination due to their religious identity, as well as their outward expression of their religion. In “Relationships of the Practice of Hijab, Workplace Discrimination, Social Class, Job Stress, and Job Satisfaction Among Muslim American Women” by Saba Rasheed Ali, Torricia Yamada, and Amina Mahmood, the authors describe how Muslim women in the United States often face Islamophobia and discrimination in the workplace due to their faith and choice to wear religious attire like the hijab. In a study lasting approximately three months, researchers concluded that “Muslim women job applicants who wore religious attire experienced covert discrimination” and Muslim women who did not wear religious attire such as the hijab “reported higher social class” (Ali et al. 154). Freedom of religion is clearly established in the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, yet this free expression of religion has led to various obstacles in the workplace for Muslim women in America. Some Muslim women have been able to gain justice in the face of discrimination, like Oklahoman teen Samantha Elauf. After being denied a job at Abercrombie and Fitch because her hijab violated the company’s “look policy”, she sued the company and won after a federal appeals court ruled in her favor (“EEOC v. Abercrombie Ruling.”). Unfortunately, this success story is not very common for victims of religious discrimination. In addition to Muslims, many other religions experience workplace discrimination as well, as described in an article in Christianity Today titled “Your Faith Might Cost You Your Next Job” by Bradley R.E. Wright. In the introduction of the article, Wright notes that “the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) considered 3,721 religious discrimination complaints in 2013” (Wright 2), and the number of religious discrimination complaints has likely grown to a much larger number today. A survey was conducted by Bradley R.E. Wright and Michael Wallace (his colleague) in order to determine the chances that different religious groups had of getting a response from employers for every 100 résumés sent. The control group who indicated no specific religious affiliation was most likely to receive a response, receiving an average of 20 responses per 100 résumés. The number of responses received dropped drastically for those who indicated a specific religious affiliation on their résumés, reducing employer callbacks “by almost 40 percent” (Wright 3). The three least-likely groups to receive a response were “Wallonians” (16.2%), Atheists (15.1%), and Muslims — who only received an average of 12.6 responses per 100 résumés. “Wallonian” was a fictitious religious group, that was added to this study “to test if employers discriminate against a religion that doesn't even exist” (Wright 2). Evidently, they do. Simply describing a religious affiliation in a job application — whether the religion was real or not — immediately reduced the probability that an applicant would receive a call back to be considered for the position they applied for. This subtle change in an application reveals a major issue and an undeniable truth: discrimination on the basis of religion is still present in the U.S. despite protective laws. Like most forms of discrimination, it continues with no solution in sight, even with attempts at raising awareness and combat discrimination.

Once such attempt to raise awareness was the World Conference Against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance. Organized by the United Nations in 2001, this conference was a series of events created in order to combat all forms of discrimination around the world and to raise global awareness of these forms of discrimination. In their electronic press kit detailing issues discussed at the conference in Durban, South Africa, it was recognized that minority peoples of all races as well as migrants of different races experience continual discrimination. There are currently over 47 million immigrants living in the U.S. (“United Nations Population Division | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.”). According to the International Organization for migration, migrants “are more and more targeted as the scapegoats for all manner of domestic problems facing societies today, particularly unemployment, crime, drugs, even terrorism.” (“Working Far From Home – Migration and Discrimination”). Minority groups throughout American history have been discriminated against all throughout American history, with incidents such as “Anti-Italianism” (as described by the City University of New York in the article “Anti-Italianism”) that occurred in the early 20th century. The influx of Catholic-Italian immigrants during this time spurred discrimination towards minorities. Many immigrants are minorities, and because of this they often face racial and ethnic discrimination. These documents provided by the World Conference Against Racism show how discrimination has been well documented all around the world and how steps need to be taken in order to ensure that marginalized and persecuted groups are treated justly.

Minorities in the United States continue to face marginalization and mistreatment, and often do not receive equal opportunities as American citizens. In the article “Minority Rights: Do members of minority groups enjoy equal opportunity and treatment in the United States?” written by Infobase Publishing, the topic of equal opportunity in America is debated. It has been argued by some that America now provides equal opportunities and protection for all citizens under the law and “too much attention is paid to the vestiges of racism that linger in American society”. However, it is evident that there are still many aspects of American society that limit the opportunities of minorities and cause them to be treated unequally in the U.S. As stated by Sophia Kerby in a 2012 report for the Center for American Progress: "Today people of color continue to be disproportionately incarcerated, policed, and sentenced to death at significantly higher rates than their white counterparts". Many minority Americans continue to be treated unequally and unfairly. As Georgetown University religion professor John Esposito wrote in the Washington Post in 2011, law-abiding Muslims “have been victims of profiling, discrimination and hate crimes” since the attacks of September 11, 2001, such as illegal arrests and surveillance (“Minority Rights: Do members of minority groups enjoy equal opportunity and treatment in the United States?”). Simply due to race, religion, or other differentiating factors, everyday American citizens can be treated unfairly by the American justice system. Minority Americans of all ethnic and racial backgrounds should receive equal treatment under the law, however as shown by these statistics it is clear that they do not.

Education is yet another facet of American society in which it is clear that equal opportunities are limited and discrimination is be commonplace. The famous Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education established that “separate-but-equal” schools and racial segregation in educational institutions were unconstitutional. Later, in 1974, the Equal Educational Opportunities Act reinforced this, stating that “all children enrolled in public schools are entitled to equal educational opportunity without regard to race, color, sex, or national origin” (Equal Educational Opportunities Act). Legislation like this secures equal opportunities in education under the law for students across America. However, their presence in law does not ensure their social practice. In a broadcast of All Things Considered titled “More Than Half Of Latinos Surveyed Say Applying To College Wasn't Discussed With Them” from NPR (National Public Radio), host Robert Siegel and Shereen Marisol Meraji discuss the opportunities that are not available to many Latino students in the U.S. According to a new survey conducted by NPR, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 52% of Latino students in majority-Latino areas such as the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles said that “applying to college was never discussed with them” (“More Than Half Of Latinos Surveyed Say Applying To College Wasn't Discussed With Them”). This is in comparison to a third of black and white respondents. Many of these students did not receive proper or equal opportunities for college preparedness. Students often did not receive information on the college application process or guidance during the process, and in California public schools, the ratio of students to counselors is about 650 to 1. This severely limited a child’s chances to receive proper guidance and education regarding the college application process. In Boyle Heights, “only 5 percent of the population has a four-year degree”, and Boyle Heights only has enough resources to help about 15 percent of local high school kids (“More Than Half Of Latinos Surveyed Say Applying To College Wasn't Discussed With Them”). Limitations in educational resources and a lack of guidance have prevented academic success. Although they have a right to receive equal educational guidance in comparison to other schools across the U.S., minorities are being restricted. In “Is It Time to End Affirmative Action?” by the New York Times Upfront, the topic of affirmative action is debated due to the differences in the abilities and opportunities of minority Americans. Affirmative action refers to racial preferences and acceptance rates set in the mid-1960s in order to provide equal opportunities for racial minorities. Some opponents to affirmative action argue that affirmative action provides an unfair advantage to minorities and gives more able/academically proficient people a lesser chance of being accepted into various universities. These opponents fail to realize the lack of opportunities that are normally available for minorities. As stated by Cornell William Brooks — president and CEO of the NAACP from 2014 to 2017 — “research shows that though potential and ability are evenly distributed across lines of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and socioeconomic status, opportunities are not” (“Is It Time to End Affirmative Action?”). Even though the United States Constitution should provide equal opportunities for all U.S. citizens, this is usually not the case. Brooks notes that “African American men earn 75 cents for every dollar their white male counterparts earn [and] Hispanic women earn 54 cents for every dollar earned by a white man doing the same job” (“Is It Time to End Affirmative Action?”). The evidence provided by Brooks in this article bolsters the argument that affirmative action and other minority support systems are needed in the U.S. at this time in order to secure equal educational opportunities for all Americans.

Over 200 years ago, the founding fathers of this nation set out to create a country that promised equal rights for all. Among these unalienable rights were life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 200 years later, it seems as if that promise is remorselessly broken for many Americans — a difficult life, lack of liberty, and stolen happiness. Discrimination is irrefutably blatant and rampant in contemporary America. Religious tolerance that should be guaranteed in law is violated in society. Minorities continue to be blamed for problems and are mistreated by the American justice system. Not all students in America have equal educational opportunities. Although it may seem to many that solutions to these issues are limited, change is imminent. 200 years in the future, this nation may be in the post-racial society it has dreamed of. As Lyndon B. Johnson said at the end of his Civil Rights Symposium Address, “If our efforts continue, and if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and if courage remains our constant companion, then, my fellow Americans, I am confident we shall overcome.”