At some point in almost everyone’s lives they have experienced the feeling of being an outsider, whether it was moving to a new school, making new friends, coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community, because of race, etc. It can be scary to actually let your “true self” out instead of hiding behind a “fake self,” which Kenji Yoshino calls “covering.” I agree with Yoshino’s claim that Civil Rights can’t really be fully mandated by our government, that it takes people having hard conversations to ensure equality. Some may argue that it is against the law to rob a bank, why is it not illegal to post discriminatory and offensive media online? While this is a valid statement, taking away the right to freedom of speech is taking away Americans First Amendment rights. This truly leaves civil rights up to the general public. Yoshino claims that “It is work each of us must do for ourselves, and it is the most important work we can do,” and he also claims that “The new civil rights must harness this universal impulse toward authenticity.” Both of these claims demonstrate Yoshino’s push for change in society rather than change in government.

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