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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an African American Baptist minister, was arguably one of the most influential figures of the American Civil Rights Movement. His Christian beliefs and support of peaceful ideology from figures like Mahatma Gandhi helped him lead a non-violent approach for civil justice during this era. In 1964, he was assassinated in Memphis. This assassination greatly impacted multicultural education because it fueled the growth of the Black Panther Party shortly after, for example. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 ends segregation in public spaces and bans employment discrimination on the basis of color, race, religion, sex or national origin. This act was initially proposed by the late John F. Kennedy, but was officially signed into law by Lyndon B. Johnson. The impact of the Civil Rights Act in regards to multicultural education is still relevant today because it has allowed for a more integrated, diverse country overall. -
The 1972 Indian Education Act
The Indian Education Act helped to establish a comprehensive approach to meeting the unique educational and cultural needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. It established the Office of Indian Education. Some parts of the Act authorized several competitive grant programs for Indian adults and children alike. This has had great impact on how there are certain cultural and religious accommodations for Native students in education, even today. -
Plyler v. Doe
In summer of 1982, the Supreme Court issued a landmark decision with the case Plyler v. Doe, holding that states cannot constitutionally deny a free public education to students on account of their immigration status. In a close 5-4 decision, the ruling found that Texas law denying access to public ed. for undocumented students violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. The decision impacts multicultural ed. because it allows for undocumented students to attend public schools. -
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1990
This was the 1st major comprehensive immigration reform since '65. It increased annual immigration to 700,000 people with specific parts of the law allowing for work visas, family-sponsored visas, & those for "advanced professionals". The Act also allowed 55,000 diversity visas for countries which sent fewer than 50,000 to the U.S. over the previous 5 yrs. It helped to diversify schools, workplaces and public settings. Multicultural education slowly became more integrated as a result of this. -
Proposition 187
Prop187 sought to require police, health care professionals, educators, and other groups to report the immigration status of all individuals, including children. It was quickly challenged by the ACLU and other groups, & was found unconstitutional by a federal district court just days later. This impacts multicultural education because it emphasizes the social policing of immigrants groups in the U.S., particularly the Latinx migrant population of California. -
Barack Obama Elected President
In 2008, Barack Obama defeated John McCain and was elected 44th President of the U.S. Obama came from a hardworking middle class family and worked his way through college and graduate school where he served as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review. This election has had significant impact of multicultural education because he was and has been the only African American president in the nation's history, which serves as a beacon of representation for black people throughout America. -
Alabama Requires Immigration Status Checks
Alabama became the first state in the U.S. to require public schools to check the immigration status of children upon enrollment. This law would potentially deny innocent children their constitutional right to a public education. Opponents contend this to be unconstitutional on the basis of the '82 Plyler v. Doe ruling. This Alabama proposal has been yet another measure to limit education access for immigrants, which has direct impact on multicultural education alike. -
Chicago Board of Ed. Closes 50 Schools
In 2013, the Chicago Board of Education voted to close 50 schools, which has been the largest mass closing in U.S. history. Chicago educators say the closures disproportionately impact low-income and minority students. Supposedly intended to be an education plan, the only real affects to this were cost reduction, and loss of jobs and schools in many communities with a high African-American population. This impacts multicultural education because the closing of 50 schools denies students access. -
Trump Elected 45th President of the U.S.
In 2016, reality TV star and businessman Donald Trump, by means of the electoral college, became 45th President of the United States. Former President, Barack Obama created DACA in 2012 through executive action after Congress refused to pass legislation to grant young immigrants permanent legal status in the U.S. In 2017, Trump terminated the program, which has had significant impact on the education many DACA recipients could previously receive & this impacts multicultural ed access for many.
