Understanding Your Civil Rights

By Emma Bernay and Emma Carlson Berne

What are our civil rights, and how are they different from our legal rights? What do gender, age, discrimination, and the U.S. Constitution have to do with our civil rights? Using engaging, age-appropriate language and colorful photos, readers decipher our nation's civil rights laws and learn how they protect our citizens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Feb 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543503357

Emma Bernay

Emma Carlson Berne has written more than a dozen books for children and young adults, including teen romance novels, biographies, and history books. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband, Aaron, her son, Henry, and her dog, Holly. Emma Carlson Berne has written numerous historical and biographical books for children and young adults, as well as young adult fiction. She lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two sons.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Civil Rights Mean Equal Rights

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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.

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Fans cheered for Mexico during the World