The late Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., Notre Dame's president from 1953 to 1987, served as a trusted adviser to U.S. presidents and popes. A champion for human rights, Fr. Hesburgh was one of the architects of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Reflect on the current state of civil rights, the progress that has been made, or the problems still being faced today. (150-200)
This past summer, I experienced a small slice of the struggles in America’s race relations between people of color and the police. My African brother Shem made an innocent noise, imitating a siren, as an officer intimidatingly rode past on his bicycle. Suddenly, he threatened to arrest us. He soon stopped us again, called us cowards, and warned us that he could put us in handcuffs, all the while focusing on my brothers. Although relatively minor compared with recent incidents on the news, this event opened my eyes to the injustices in America because it was not happening to someone else, but to me and my family. I began to see that we still have a long way to go as a community and a culture if we want everyone to be treated fairly. This startled me, considering nearly half of all prisoners in America are black. It is not appropriate for a police officer to call harmless young men cowards for laughing and joking on a boardwalk. I plan to use this experience to raise awareness of the issues and to work with anyone willing to help make the world a more equal place.
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