Land Of Discrimination

Did you know that unarmed black men are seven times more likely to die than white men? Racism is as old as human society itself. As long as human beings have been around, people have always seemed to have hated or feared people with a different skin color. Racism is just a part of the human nature. Trayvon Benjamin Martin was just 17 when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch captain, in Sanford, Florida on February 2012. The murder of Trayvon Martin affected many people. The death of Martin was just the first of several deaths where a white person killed a black innocent person. Since the deaths weren’t stopping the #BlackLivesMatter movement began.

America may be a young nation compared to those around those around the world and we as a nation have achieved a lot in our years. One battle that we have been fighting since the birth of our nation however is one against our own people. For years we have been divided by the colors of our skin and our heritage. Although Caucasian people may be the majority of our population, individually there are just as diverse of people in their origins as the minorities of this country. It just isn’t as apparent as having a culture branded into a skin tone. America is known as a melting pot of races from all over the globe. A lot of people seem to have forgotten where they came from after generations of searching for the “American Dream,” thus creating a typical “white American”. One instance where the white Americans banded together and discriminated against one race occurred after the bombing at Pearl Harbor. The racism that occurred against Japanese Americans is not as talked about as slavery, but the fact that it is talked about so little just goes to show that Americans are willing to sweep horrendous acts against our own people under the rug.

“How much money can I get? Does it even matter if anyone but me has money?” Americans as a whole are selfish. Some aren’t but as a whole yes. As Americans people need to slow down on saying something is racist because who knows it may actually not be racist. Most people thinks when someone is being racist its just toward African Americans when really, they aren’t the only ones being discriminated against. Its any race with the exception of white people. White people are often referred to as the dominate race. Often Times people find themselves thinking all the discrimination is directed toward the African Americans. However, they aren’t the only ones being discriminated for being a different color.

When we think of Black Americans being excluded from mainstream American society, we consider the generations leading to the civil rights movement. Today, our President is an African-American, so surely this issue is no longer relevant. Racism cannot flourish in contemporary America, right? According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, racism is “a belief that some races are by nature superior to others” and the “discrimination based on such beliefs” (Webster,

Throughout history in America there has always been the idea of racism. When Americans think of racism, they usually think of slavery and that racism is no longer a problem in America. However, this is not the case. Racism is still very apparent in America. It is true that since the end of slavery, the U.S. has made great strides towards becoming a less racist country. In reality, racism will never be extinct. In today’s society, all American citizens of all races have the same rights as one another, yet there is still racism. Racism can be linked directly to stereotypical mindsets of certain groups of people. It is human nature to make conclusions about other people, this is what leads to racism. Today’s racism is not limited to whites

I think many people are blind to the subject of racism because racism of today's world is covert and furtive versus several decades ago when one could be open and public about their acts of racism. Not only is racism causing a discord amongst the citizens of a place that is considered to be a “safe space,” “home of the free and the land of the brave,” and “many opportunities and equal opportunity” for those within its borders and to immigrants who aspire to come here but racism has caused a sense of lost identity amongst many individuals in the African American community. Often looking for ways to figure out who they are aside from what the white man says they are or should be or can do.

     Two hundred and twenty-five years ago, Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence. The words he wrote were, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness (Jefferson 685). “…created equal…,” those are very powerful words. Equality, meaning being the same, on the same level, no one higher or lower than the other, but can we honestly say that racism is no longer prevalent in our country? Of course not, the recent incidents, such as Rodney King, James Byrd, Abner Louima, and Amadou Diallo, proves that. In an article entitled, “Racism Down But Not Out in the US Government Study Finds”, published on September 22, 2000, Assistant Secretary of State, Harold Koh reported to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, “America’s struggle to secure racial equality remains incomplete. The residual effects of slavery and institutionalized racism can still be seen in the lingering disparity between blacks and whites in income, levels of education, and health care and rates of incarceration in our nation’s prisons”. Koh too, mentioned the recent incidents that have happened saying that, “we have not yet met the challenge of creating a color-blind society” (Husain 1).

Racism has been a huge social issue for as long as I can remember. Not only does racism exists between whites and African Americans it exists between all different races all over the world. Although racism has changed a lot it still exists in many places all over the world. You would think that after so many years that people would learn that everyone is equal but some races still seem to think that they are superior to other races.

During the 2016 presidential election, unauthorized immigration was at the center of the discussion leading to the rise of a populist candidate, Donald J. Trump, who was eventually elected to the White House by capitalizing on the fears and dissatisfaction of many Americans. It was the criminalization of the problem with unauthorized immigration which hit a nerve with many Americans because of the frustration with the problem, among other political issues. Many native born Americans do not have complete knowledge and understanding of immigration laws and policies and the bureaucracy within immigration agencies.

Although racism has changed over time these past 50 years, racism in many ways still exists. Everybody has their own opinion and those opinions are influenced by the public and the media. In some way,

Strobe lights overwhelm the shadowy streets with blue in Atlanta, on the 11th of November. The epileptic flashing is unstartling as more authorize forces speed towards the protest; their sirens blare begging for attention. People of various races, religions, and ethnic backgrounds are in attendance with passionate concerns over the future prosperity and equality of the country that belongs to them too. Amongst the crowd, people carry cardboard signs that ache their arms, some stomp with the iconic two finger symbol of peace, while others spectate from their high-rise apartments, cheering and waving their support. The protest is mass with many differing and numerous causes of dissatisfaction, but a commonly shared opinion causes the underlying discontent: the president-elect is not supportive of the multiple demographics that compose the United States. There is a feeling of underrepresentation from these minority groups who have been long overlooked in politics. The protest is not a cry for help but a demand for change. The massive police force surrounds the protesters attempting to block their march. This border between the two opposing sides is a symbolic reminder of the ongoing power struggle, of the endless fight— The powerless is to be heard, for at least tonight.

These people are correct in a sense; loud and public acts of racism are no longer prevalent in the US as they were in the past. However, today racism is stealthy and unspoken, and often deftly covered up with fabricated cover stories to legitimize the discrimination. This new breed of racism is perhaps even more difficult to fight against than its more egregious past self; its subtlety allows its perpetuators to claim ignorance of any discrimination, and its lack of media attention lulls Americans into complacence and acceptance of the current system. Further disturbing is the prevalence of “covert racism”, also commonly called “subconscious racism”. Many white Americans may actively stereotype and discriminate against blacks without even being aware of their actions and thought processes (BlackYouthProject). This phenomenon is a sad consequence of being raised a subtly racist society which perpetuates discrimination, even if never openly. Many subconscious racists may also be unwittingly subscribing to “symbolic racism”. In J.H. Moore’s book Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, Henry Sears characterizes symbolic racism as the endorsement of four specific beliefs:

When Barack Obama was elected to be President of the United States in 2008, many deemed it as the ultimate breakthrough for African-Americans. Considering the social position of African-Americans only 50 years ago, to have an African-American serving the most powerful role in the world was no mean feat, and yet, despite this, in many areas of society, African-Americans still seem to be suffering from undue discrimination. This begs the question, just how racist is America?

No, I personally do not think that we live in a post-racial society. However, a few years ago, I would have been naïve and said yes. This is probably because it was not something that I would personally see and/or hear about. Nevertheless, after watching the news report shooting after shooting and race always becoming the main issue in most cases, I still think that there is racism

America is divided by race. Most white people do not acknowledge the racial discrimination that is a current problem in America . According to a poll taken by the Public Religion Research Institute, 87% of black Americans say that they face discrimination in the United States of America, versus only 49% of white Americans agreed that blacks face discrimination. Black and white Americans are perceived differently in society. The article Blacks and whites see racism in the United States very, very different, has shown statistics of how blacks are treated less fairly than the whites. For example, when applying for mortgages or loans, 25% of white Americans are treated unfairly, whereas 66% of black Americans are treated unfairly. That is a 41% difference in fairness based