Read & Listen: Social Issues
OVERVIEW
On this page, you will read about social issues in Washington State.
- First, read the text about current social issues.
- Last, listen to audio of the text.
READ & LISTEN
Image
Links to an external site. by Toby Scott, CC BY NC ND 2.0
Links to an external site.
Read:
Many new ideas started in Washington. These ideas changed the United States. New ideas continue to come from Washington. In 2012, the people of Washington voted to make same-sex marriage legal. More and more states legalized same-sex marriage. Then, in 2015 the U.S. Supreme Court voted that same-sex marriage is legal in the United States.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25. States and cities can have a higher minimum wage than the federal minimum wage. The Washington State minimum wage is $11.00, and will gradually increase to reach $13.50 by the year 2020. In 2014, Sea-Tac was the first city in the United States to vote for a $15 per hour minimum wage. Other cities have voted for a $15 per hour minimum wage after Sea-Tac voted. San Francisco and Los Angeles also voted for a $15 per hour minimum wage.
Washington and Colorado were the first states to legalize marijuana. Marijuana is sold in Washington as a medicine, or as a recreational drug, like alcohol and tobacco.
There are still some social issues that are problems. Native Americans continue to suffer from many social issues that began when the Europeans arrived. Farm workers in Washington are fighting for safe and fair working conditions. Most farm workers are Latino.
It is interesting to look back to the past and study history, but it is important to remember that history is happening right now, too.