The Constitution and the Fight for Racial Justice

When the Constitution was ratified in 1788, it was nowhere near a perfect document. Black people, all women, low-income people, and Indigenous people were left out of the original promise of freedom and equality that America was founded upon. Our nation’s history has revolved around the struggle to achieve those goals.

To mark Constitution Day, the ACLU of Delaware and Delaware Historical Society partnered to create a toolkit for students and educators to discuss these issues. As part of this project, we interviewed experts on the Constitution and racial justice to talk about the impact of the First, Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments on the movement for racial justice. Watch those videos below, then share with your friends and family to spark discussions of your own on the United States Constitution and how it fits into the ideal of achieving racial justice.

As advocates continue to march for police reform and racial justice, the First Amendment is more critical than ever toward building public consensus for reform.

Watch the video here

Are all people protected by the Fourth Amendment? We address ICE raids, police practices, and how students are impacted by police in schools.

Watch the video here

Following the Civil War, we passed the Fourteenth Amendment to ensure all people were equally protected under the law. But over 150 years later, have we realized that promise?

Watch the video here