Oksana Young

Cooper 6th
AP Language and Composition
2/1/15

The Land of the Free

The struggle of human rights has been going on for thousands of years, since the beginning of
the first civilizations. In more recent times, during the past century; the issues of rights for people of all
races, cultures, sexual orientations, and gender have been raised due to the continuing progress of
society. Specifically as Americans, we have a duty to resolve and improve the rights of all people in
society that do not have a voice that is heard by all, politically and socially. Non-whites, LBGT people,
and people affected poverty are especially at a disadvantage for reasons such as discrimination and
equal opportunity, in a country that is so-called the land of the free.
For minorities, discrimination and stereotypes affect people every day. In the past six months,
the subject of police brutality and the wrongful deaths of many young African-Americans at the hands
of the police have come to light, though they have been occurring for at least half a century. In the case
of individuals such as Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and John Crawford, they were merely
American citizens minding their own business only to have their lives ended abruptly at the hands of a
force of people that are intended to protect them. It is astounding that even in such modern and
supposedly accepting times, a person can be killed because of their race or belief. Dr. Kings mission
for equality is not over yet, for African-Americans, Hispanics, or any other culture. As human beings,
we all have a duty to put a stop to this; whether by protesting peacefully, demonstrating, or voting for
officials who will represent the rights of all people. If Dr. King was alive today, he would be rallying
Americans to protest against the racism in the government and in daily life that is still present. It is
important to educate yourself about groups that go unrepresented, such as the American-Indians who

were forced onto dying reservations long ago. They have been stereotyped into nothing but another
culture of people that will not amount to anything, due to the lack of opportunity that is given to them.
On an individual level, it is helpful to vote for future leaders of the US that take into consideration the
rights of all people; such as Wendy Davis, who advocates for equality of men and women, and Obama,
who has helped change accessibility to affordable healthcare for the working class.
Rights for Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay and Transgender people have been under attack since they
emerged in society. There are still many conservative states that have not made it legal for same-sex
couples to be married, discriminating against them and taking away their rights as people. Socially,
there is the issue of hate crimes- which affect many LBGT people, especially transgendered people.
Suicide is also a huge issue for many who experience bullying, discrimination, and who don't have
equal job or social opportunity. It is necessary to make gay marriage legal to protect the idea that all
men are created equal (though in this case women and people with non-traditional gender identity
should be included). Again, peaceful demonstration is effective and the boycotting of companies such
as Chick fil A, whose CEO is actively against gay marriage.
Lastly, poverty-stricken individuals are oppressed in the US because of strict local or national
laws that restrict the healthcare available to poor people or laws that affect the homeless population in
the country. In some cities, it is illegal for homeless people to panhandle, or for other people to give
them things in public places. Physically, cities put bars sectioning off benches in public so that no
homeless people can lay down at nigh. In my opinion, there is a crisis in the US regarding the rights of
people who are considered to be poor, as they do not have access to the best public education or health
benefits as the rest of the country does. To change this, voting correctly is again important, so that we
can select representatives who will not just increase the wealth of the 1% in our country. It also helps to
volunteer or donate supplies to homeless shelters or food banks.
The rights of all people should be completely addressed as a nation that advertises freedom for
all. Though progression has been made in the US (such as 36 states allowing gay marriage), our nation

still has a way to go to become an accepting country of all people. In the past 50 years, the rights of
many people have been improved, but there are still groups that are left under-represented. There is
hope on the horizon for a future generation to see equality for all people if the people of the United
States work together to make a change.