Racism Is Still With Us

“The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society.” US Representative, John Lewis said this in his return to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial he spoke on 54 years ago, during the March on Washington. Racism has been around since the beginning of time, but it is not human nature. Racism is something that is taught, and given the amount of time that has passed since To Kill A Mockingbird and the March on Washington, one would think that racism wouldn’t be a serious issue any more. Although race relations have improved along with other social issues from the time of To Kill Mockingbird, racism and discrimination are major problems in today’s society.

Rosa Parks once said “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and hopefully, we shall overcome.” Racism is a struggle that, to this day, has continued to be a major issue. The color of someone’s skin alters how a person is perceived by society as a whole. Race is a social construct created by humans to categorize the world. (Sullivan 2) The outlook on racism varies from community to community, family to family, and even person to person. Skin color can alter all aspects of an individual’s life, because unlike inner differences and beliefs, skin color is a physical appearance. Social status, perceptions, roles, occupation are just a few of the characteristics of life which can be affected simply by a person’s physical differences. Not long ago somebody could even be discriminated against and their basic rights and freedoms could be altered based on their appearance. Many people believe that the United States is a colorblind nation or is tolerant of people 's race. Racism may go unnoticed by those who believe that it is a thing of the past, but to the people who are directly impacted by racism, it continues to be play a major role in today’s society.

The history of the United States in regard to racism and discrimination is no secret. Children are taught about segregation, slavery, and the Civil Rights Movement like the events were purely in the past. In part the events were in the past; however, the results of said events are not. As Americans, we live in a nation with a rough history and, in order to keep growing together, we cannot forget what has happened. Granted, racism is not extinct, but it is most definitely not the norm it was 50 years ago. Many people are not aware of how much racism still exists in our schools, workforces, and anywhere else where social lives are occurring. According to Derrick Bell’s book, Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Bell uses fiction stories to show that racism still exist but has a different form. In American society, racism is still evident today in racial symbols, covert racism and affirmative action.

If one were to drive down any random road in South Carolina today, they might spot a Confederate Flag hanging proudly from a building or a house or even a national monument. The ones who support the display of this flag say that it is more to do with cultural history than racism, however, the history that this flag represents is what motivated Dylann Roof to kill nine innocent people in a South Carolina church in 2015. In this day and age, how did something like the Charleston church shooting massacre occur? This essay will explain how racism, although not as common as it was in the past, still exists today and how this racism is connected to the story of Dylann Roof. Although certain racist laws, such as Jim

Everyone is different. No matter what you look like, where you came from, or how you grew up. Race does not define a person. Racism issues have appeared throughout many different generations. In Oklahoma, there are factors of events proving that racism is still alive today. Racism is any negative thought or action toward members of a racial minority or any manifestation of racial inequality. There are different types of racism: Individual racism, Institutional racism, and Cultural racism. This essay will analyze racism and certain component parts: causes, effects, & prevention.

John Lewis once said that “The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society." Racism has become a huge issue in people’s everyday life and not many may notice, but that’s because it’s been around for so long that it’s not new to anyone and it is the normal, when in reality that means it is so bad that not many people notice anymore. [African Americans experience racism in two main places their workplace and their education, and in a certain way, police brutality.]

The society today likes to classify and individual according to their physical physical features, such as: skin color, hair color, hair texture. eye shape, and etc. This practice reflects that the society have a need to put individuals into categories. Social issues surrounding race is the most controversial of all time. Race is defined as a group of people who share similar and distinct physical features. Words associated with race are racial discrimination, racial profiling and racial stereotypes. Racial discrimination is the practice of treating an individual differently because of their race or color. Racial profiling refers to the practice law enforcement officials using an individual 's race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin when looking for suspects of crimes. Racial stereotypes are automatic and exaggerated mental images society holds of a particular group. How prevalent is race when all these terms exists and each has its own definition? Racism is still alive and harming the society of America.

Racism these days is rarely spoken about, which leaves some people believing that we now live in a world full of peace. But that’s hardly the case, racism still, and I have no doubt that it always will be around, simply because there are people in this society who have adopted beliefs that black people will never be eligible to equal rights as what white people have.

One-thirty second of “Negro Blood” means you are black, despite that most whites have one-twentieth Negro ancestry (Phipps). Does racism still exist today? Not in the same way as it did many years ago, in 1865 slavery ended and in 1954 segregation ended. For a very long time being white was the greatest thing. Being white gave access to better opportunities and a better life. Since blacks endured this for so long they were way behind in living a life like the whites. Race has determined so much for so long if you would be a slave or not, if you would have a say or not, even where you were allowed to go and who to love.

Racism has been a terrible problem in American society for hundreds of years. Racism issues are not limited to one specific race, but include all races. It is the responsibility of the people of this nation to address racism and learn to accept and embrace each other for our differences, and allow this great nation to become even more united for our sake and the sake of future generations. To eliminate racism it is imperative to know first, where racism started and how it has developed, why it continues to be present in our nation today, and what we must do as a people to overcome this major problem.

Due to the United States’ rich history of racism and discrimination, that history still lives on today in the twenty-first century. The reason racism occurs in the United States is because the fact that it is very much diverse in every crevice of every state and in every corner throughout the country. Even though racism is still happening, it is not as critical compared to how the different colored skins were treated back in the mid-1900s, especially for the African Americans. As said by Rosa Parks, “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” Our children look up to us as role models, and whatever the actions might be, it means something significant to them and they eventually will follow our leads

In The Handbook of African American Psychology Keisha Bentley, Valerie Adams, and Howard Stevenson, who outline the roots, process, and outcomes of racial socialization, frame their theories of racial socialization on the “triple-quandary framework”. The triple-quandary framework suggests that racial socialization constitutes overlapping characteristics of culture, race, and ethnicity, that are able to be studied both independently and collectively, that inform how individuals, “learn skills, knowledge, values, motives, and roles appropriate to their position in a group or society” (Bentley, Adams, & Stevenson, 2009). With schools being heavily isolated demographically, it creates a higher probability of inadequate racial socialization that perpetuates racist and systematically oppressive ideas of race on the children and adolescents of the public school system. With the presence of predominately white and predominately black schools, there is a reinforcement of “racialism” which facilitates the acceptance of marginalization and negative stereotypes imposed on African Americans (Bentley, et al., 2009). Rather than racial socialization informing the societal, historical, psychological, etc. contexts of all races to promote healthier knowledge and understanding between the races, racial socialization is found to allow African American students’ resiliency and coping abilities with

Growing up in America, it is not uncommon for people of color to experience racism. Although there is a wide spread of areas people face this inequality, children and young adults spend most of their time at school. Therefor racism in the learning environment has an extreme impact. A Huffington Post article talks about this racism and the different levels children will face while growing up. This article begins by stating that a great number of people, like academic John McWhorter and Harvard professors William Julius Wilson and Roland Fryer, believe that racism has declined tremendously or that it is gone entirely (Cokley, 2016). This article explains why racism is not dead, but instead thriving and a part of millions of black Americans’ lives

After living in a place like Bend Oregon for 18 years I haven’t ever noticed a difference between blacks and whites. Bend has been said to be “one of the whitest places to live”, yet I never viewed a city by its race. Being racist to me meant that it was the whites who had a problem with the blacks and whites didn’t want anything to do with blacks. I hadn’t actually seen racism in action from anyone here. Now, after watching the film Crash and reading the essays “Blinded by the White: Crime, Race and Denial at Columbine High” written by Tim Wise and “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” written by McIntosh, my understanding of race, diversity, and communications have changed.

One can say that life today is more pleasant than that of the 1950s. However, it is crucial to note that racism is far from eliminated in society. Although the major step of equal rights has been set, judgment of people based on the color of their skin still exists.