Understanding Your Civil Rights

Understanding Your Civil Rights — page 1 — Table of Contents Cover Title Page Chapter 1 Civil Rights Mean Equal Rights Chapter 2 The 14th Amendment Civil Rights Superstar Chapter 3 Civil Rights Protests Then and Now Chapter 4 You Have Rights Too Glossary Critical Thinking Questions Read More Internet Sites Index Copyright Back Cover

Understanding Your Civil Rights — page 2 — Chapter 1 Civil Rights Mean Equal Rights I never expected to be treated so badly because of who I am Coral Aviles In 2010 a 13-year-old student named Coral Aviles wore a Mexico soccer jersey to school She wanted to support the country in the World Cup an international soccer competition Coral said that a teacher asked her if she was Mexican When Coral said yes the teacher asked why Coral was in the United States in front of the entire class The middle-school student talked to her principal about what happened The principal removed Coral from the class for the rest of the school year Coral believes she was discriminated against because of her race With the help of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund MALDEF Coral and her mother filed a federal lawsuit against the school district Their lawyers plan to prove that the school and the teacher violated Coral’s civil rights

Understanding Your Civil Rights — page 3 — Fans cheered for Mexico during the World Cup on March 24 2010 What Are Civil Rights Civil rights are the rights of all people to be treated equally under the law These rights protect people from being discriminated against because of their gender race religion age disability religion or nationality One of the most important jobs our government has is to protect the rights of its citizens Elected representatives pass laws that establish civil rights for all Americans

Understanding Your Civil Rights — page 4 — FACT The words civil rights come from the Latin words ius civis which mean rights of a citizen The Justice System and Civil Rights Civil rights violations are often brought before the court system for review A person or group might sue a government body a business or a school over a civil rights issue Judges can order these organizations to change their policies if they are breaking the law FACT The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People NAACP is an organization that works to protect a person or group’s civil rights and eliminate racial discrimination The NAACP is the country’s oldest and largest civil rights organization It was founded in 1909

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