Emile 1
Ezla Emile
November 24, 2019
We All Deserve a Voice
In the country of justice and opportunities not all would
agree that we are equally judged under the law: the voice of
minorities may sometimes, or is never, heard; so, what, as citizens
don’t we all deserve equal treatment. Ann Scholz stated it best “It
is woefully outdated, needlessly complex and most agree that it is
patently unfair.” (Scholz), the justice system is outdated.” In the
United States there is no equal justice because minorities are often
seemed as guilty; prisons and jails house more minorities than any
other country, because the human right laws for minorities and not
being carried out.
Human rights guarantee civil and political rights to
individual citizens, including religion, freedom of speech, and
association; the right to a fair trial; and the prohibition of cruel and
unusual punishment. There are several provisions of human rights
laws that guarantee the human rights of minorities. Articles 1, 2, 7,
and 23 of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” states,
“All are equal before the law and are entitled without any
discrimination to equal protection of the law” (United Nations), but
back in 2009 the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) urged
Emile 2
the U.S. government to address the lingering obstacles to voting
rights for minorities and to also enforce an anti-discrimination
provision for the Voting Rights Act. While, Articles 1, 2, 3, and 4
of the “Declaration on the Rights of the Persons Belonging to
National or Ethnic, Religious or Linguistic Minorities” have also
stated that “States shall protect the existence and the… ethnic,
cultural, religious and linguistic identity of minorities within their
respective territories and shall encourage conditions for the
promotion of that identity” (United Nation). Again, how can we
agree, when there are more minorities living in low poverty (many
