Political Quotes

“African Americans were not the only group to have suffered at the hands of white male supremacy. White women and women in general did not gain the right to vote until the 19th amendment afforded them suffrage in 1920. Mexican Americans in the southwest were subjected to widespread discrimination in housing, education, and employment. They were murdered, executed without trial, and lynched. Asians were denounced for taking white men's jobs, and the feat of yellow peril led to anti-Asian immigration laws on the books in 1924 and 1945. Japanese Americans were illegally confined to detention camps during World War II and lost most of their property while wrongfully incarcerated. Exclusive affirmative action remained the law of the land until Brown versus Board of Education in 1954. Brown rejected 'separate but equal' as inherently unequal and laid the legal basis to end segregation across the country. Momentum for this milestone had been building since the 1940's and had its roots in educational opportunity. Following WWII, the GI bill laid the groundwork for the first affirmative action plan in education. Upon their return from the war, veterans of all races were offered home loans, job training and a free college education. Veterans of all backgrounds benefited from the college waiver and lower interest requirements that were given extra points on entrance exams and provided extra help for education. Veterans prospered, and so did the Nation.”