Sitting at Barnes and Noble, or Starbucks, with a coffee and a tasty blueberry muffin, doesn't seem that complicated. One problem that might arise, is there an electrical outlet nearby to plug in the lab floor in case the battery dies? Simple enough, the coffee is just right and the internet is up and running. What better morning could there be? Such simple freedoms that everyone takes for granted, never a second thought as to whether this is allowed? Who can buy food and drinks here? Is my skin color the right one? Stop to consider what my civil rights are? How did we get to this point in time where an individual has civil rights? Looking back, do we realize that the hard work of those who stood up against injustice had a purpose? Thus, future generations will be able to enjoy life, family and the right to be treated as human beings. Now try to adapt to the mentality of the 50s and 60s. Up until this point, the personal rights of African Americans were different from those of the whites around them. They were expected to do everything separately from whites, including dining out, going to the bathroom, and sitting in the back of the bus. Up until that point, the majority of black Americans had remained in their place, not liking it and not knowing how to change the status quo. At first it took personal courage on the part of the individuals who started the civil rights movement. This courage was demonstrated on February 1, 1960 when four students from a local college in Greensboro, Alabama, walked into Woolworth's and sat at the lunch counter and waited to be served. They were refused service, which started the sit-ins, sparking the initial movement for their human rights. Historically, African Americans... middle of paper... helped King produce the "Letter from Birmingham." Jail,” which was the African American's response to the “Declaration of the Priests of Alabama.” King spoke for all who sought equal rights, he spoke for the young, the old, the men and women of African blood who were now citizens of the United States, but were still considered non-human. King was the right man, at the right time, which made all the difference. In the present, where are we now? Although civil rights exist, the United States still has equal rights issues. Now we have not only Black Americans, but also Asian Americans, Mexican Americans, and of course, Native Americans. As the minority slowly becomes the majority, the white contingency now expresses its own issues of equal rights or lack thereof. Can there be a definitive answer that resolves the question of equal rights? No, there isn't.