Interracial Injustice

In the PBS documentary, we learned that that race and freedom were developed together. Historian Robin D.G. Kelley points out a problem our founding fathers faced: “how can we promote liberty, freedom, democracy on the one hand, and a system of slavery and exploitation of peoples who are non-white on the other?” (1:04:43). Our past presidents rationalized this contradiction by declaring that blacks and other races had a natural inferiority to whites. Such reasons were used to justify America’s political goals for power and money that benefit the white society at the expense of others. Omi and Winant claim that “the introduction of slavery… presupposed a worldview which distinguished [whites] from ‘others’.. . to explain why some should be ‘free’ and others enslaved, why some had rights to land and property while others did not” (1). The enslavement of Africans led to the ideology of white supremacy which builds up a political system that privileges white people over “others”. Granting opportunities only to whites widens the social difference along racial lines. This historical attitude toward racial difference has determined the way most of us currently view the world.

The mandatory imprisonment policies written for the judicial system are creating disparity of minority inmate population primarily due to non-violent drug crimes and the unjust mandatory minimum sentencing laws.

Although the United States was built on the idea of freedom for all, it’s clear, looking back at the treatment of certain groups of people, that “all” didn’t really include everyone. This is evident from the moment we landed in the New World and ravaged Native American’s and took their land, forcing them from their homes. And, even more so, in the unimaginable treatment of enslaved men, women, and children alike. As Frederick Douglass pointed out in the narrative of his life as a slave: Slavery, though often justified in the name of Christianity, was far from a Christian institution. Moreover, the presence of slavery proved that most of the United States was more so an immoral and unjust nation than anything else.

The barriers that separate men have existed for centuries. Race, class, status, these are all ideas that have created a divide among humans. This divide creates competition and tension. Throughout the history of the legal system, justice has been used to validate slavery and other forms of racial inequality. Our system now has changed, but the basic concept has remained the same. According to one study, the judicial system was invented by whites to protect whites and keep people of color at bay (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2017, p1). This idea of preserving a one superior racial system resulted in a bias still existent today.

When it comes to the War on Drugs and racial disparity, African Americans males are more likely to receive a higher prison sentence than their white counterparts. For example, there is disparity in sentencing regarding powder cocaine and crack cocaine. The judicial system provides a heavier prison sentence for crack than powder, even though it is better than previously. Crack and powder cocaine are both illegal substances that derive from the same drug, which is cocaine. Whites and African American drug addicts use these drugs; however, the difference is the distribution and use of the drugs targets distinct groups of people. White drug dealers use and sell powder cocaine more frequently in wealthier communities. Addicts abuse crack cocaine

Almost everyone has heard the famous hymn, “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” but not all understand the true meaning when it says, “Red, and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” The moment sin entered into the world, perfection no longer existed. This loss of perfection changed the way humans viewed each other. It made one ethnicity view another ethnicity as inferior, and in doing so, created what people now know of as racism. For centuries, racism has been a part of society, shaping the way humans view each other, but with the aid of Young Women 's Christian Association (YWCA) - Stand Against Racism, racial discrimination and injustice can be eliminated.

The debate over whether “race matters” is getting more complicated as news and social media put a spotlight on social injustices that are specifically affecting African Americans. Throughout history, race has always been a major factor in determining superiority, in which the framers and founding fathers of this nation created a system to serve and protect the white man. Race is still an issue today as our system of checks and balances go unchecked and unbalanced. These issues are specifically evident for African Americans who are not served fairly and just. How could race not matter when people of different groups live within a system that was designed for a specific group? This is the crux of the problem that many African

Even if racism is overt or not, one can still end up with racially disparate outcomes. Alexander states the assumption that there are sociological explanations that provide information about the different outcomes. A particular sociological research study in Seattle concluded that one explanation normally given for uneven arrests is that blacks sell drugs with less discretion than whites. When researchers went to Seattle, they learned that there were five open air drug markets in which four were all white and only one was mostly black in the central district. The citizens had concentrated complaints on drug activity going on in the private residences that were being distributed throughout the city but despite this, enforcement activities were

Analyzing the origin of racial history allows one to witness the inherent value within this argument: the idea of unity vs. diversity. As a result of the plethora of different races immigrating to the United States, the nation’s already immense diversity increased as most immigrants’ were in search for better lives through the “American Dream” and promised opportunity (Life). However, at this time, many whites believed their skin color automatically made them superior when juxtaposed with other races, specifically blacks; this led to unequal opportunity in harsh conditions when working for larger businesses and corporations. With this diversity existent in America, the idea of unity was absent, in the whites’ naive mindset. When famous figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for equal rights through non-violent protests and the creation of the “Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization operating in every southern state,” (King) as he wrote in his letter from Birmingham Jail, he and his followers were met with

After 1820, almost one third of the white families owned slaves, another third were propertyless farmers and the rest were laborers. Free black population increased in North and South after Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama became states. Jefferson called slavery a ‘misfortune’ or ‘a necessary evil’ but southern apologists believed it was ‘good’ because it provided an elegant lifestyle for white elite and provided protection for genetically inferior Africans. It is no surprise that Alexander Stephen said, “ as a race, African is inferior to the white men”. Because today also people

Ever since the beginning of time, black people have always been looked upon as the inferior race compared to the ever powerful white male. Since all these acquisitions have been made about these people, the whites have taken it under their power that they can own these human beings and control them to in any way they please because they believe it is their constitutional right to property. However, the white male has taken it to an extreme saying that another human being is their property to control. When the Founding Fathers were drafting the US Constitution, they knew the debate over slavery was a critical flaw in their newly founded nation, but chose not to abolish nor allow of this sinful act knowing that it would not be approved by the southern states. When Frederick Douglass and Jefferson Davis wrote their documents about slavery they both proved their by by saying the constitution either said it was okay or it was implied that it was constitutionally approved.

A man once stood in front of a crowd of thousands of people both black and white. He delivered a speech that fought for the possibility of an America where both black and white citizens were truly equal; this man was“Martin Luther King Jr”(Martin Luther King Jr.). One might fight back and argue that the laws during this time did make the African Americans equal but this was not true, as one of the laws stated the two as being Equal but separate. This law was one of the Jim crow laws, in which African americans were in theory separate and equal, but in reality were given second hand treatment after the prioritized white citizens (Richard). The Jim Crow laws were unconstitutional and took away many African Americans chances at being considered

When he reentered politics in 1854, Abraham Lincoln believed slavery was morally wrong as “all men are created equal.” In his speech in Peoria, Illinois, Lincoln said, “there can be no moral right in connection with one man’s making a slave of another.” Indeed, it is simply untrue to say white men are superior and have the right to enslave black men because of the color of their skin or

Black people are our slaves. Black people are unintelligent. Black people are unworthy of our association, let alone equality between our races. These were the thoughts of the white citizens of America, specifically Southern America, prior to the Civil Rights Movement. For centuries, coloured people have been fighting for freedom. Fighting for respect. Fighting for equality. Fighting for something every human deserves and needs. Then why is it that those of colour were unable to obtain these basic human rights? It’s because of the immense racism which lived in those times.

Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of the racism towards blacks when he made the statement, “We have waited for more than 340 years for our constitutional and god-given rights” (2). In this quote King explains how African Americans have contributed to America’s success and how they have not received the full recognition, rights and respect they deserve. Africans were a key part in America’s growth. Not only were they slaves on the farms and plantations that helped start American agriculture, they also came on the ships full of settlers to the United States. They helped build and establish Jamestown and