Essay on Racism, Racial Profiling and Segregation in America

“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.

Systematic racism within education Institutions, such as the lack of adequate funding as well as subtle discrimination, continues to be the root of the problem that plagues this nation. Even though segregation was abolished in 1964, the lingering effects that remain are significant and cannot be passively mended. Although it is tempting to think that this prejudice is caused by a select few and not the many, it is clear that this problem holds more depth. Recent studies conducted by the National Education Studies (NEA) have proven that even in school’s African American students are often times targeted and punished at a significantly higher rate when compared to their white peers. The study states “Black students make up almost 40 percent of all school expulsions [in the] nation, and more than two thirds of students referred to police from schools are either black or Hispanic” (Blacks: Education Issues). This study conducted by the Department of Education, cabinet-level department of the United States

Yesterday my best friend, Brandon, and i went to the library located on Savannah State’s campus to study for our upcoming final exam. Even though Brandon is a caucasian, people don’t have a negative outlook on our relationship just because i am an African American. It doesn’t make much of a difference to society when we are seen together,considering America symbolizes unity. Must i remind you, it hasn’t always been this way in America. in fact Whites and Blacks weren 't allowed to attend the same school, let alone the same water fountain because of segregation. to many people this situation was looked upon as ridiculous. Why should a person’s skin tone determine where they should be allowed to go? I shouldn’t. This was going on way too long without anything being done about it. Finally someone decided to take the problem to a new extent to bring on change. Brown vs Board of education is one case that still has great significance in history. Not only did it have a huge effect on segregation, but America as well would not be the same. My surroundings would totally change if this case had not been established. Brandon would not be my best friend, and sadly without the desegregation in schools we would have never crossed paths.

This chapter elaborates on how racism has a negative impact on African American education, in which has been happening for many decades and is currently taking place. Furthermore, it speaks about segregation and how it currently exists in different ways. Additionally, it speaks on how segregation not only exist in one school, but it likewise exists across the school districts. It speaks on how segregation in these schools has a negative impact on students’ academic success and future success.

In the long history of the United States, Texas is one of the few states that demonstrated three-way segregation including white, black, and Latinos communities. Generally, segregation influenced all dimensions of the society. In specific, former segregation in Texas has left an immeasurable impact on the state’s culture, economy, geography, and education. Despite the fact that institutional desegregation occurred decades ago, segregation of minorities still exists in modern Texas. In particular, the contemporary implementation of Texas House Bill 588 – as known as the “Top 10 Percent Rule” – indicates the state’s tenacious effort to heal the scars of racial segregation in educational perspective. Practically, the law has not only fostered multiracial public institutions, but also reshaped colleges in a statewide scale.

     In order for one to understand how racism has come to be what we know it as today, we must first examine the Constitution of the United States. This document clearly states, “We the

"-- we are all complicit and we all carry a certain responsibility for America's original sin: racism." -- David Bedrick, The Huffington Post, 10 April 2015

Yesterday my best friend, Brandon, and I went to the library located on Savannah State’s campus to study for our upcoming final exam. Even though Brandon is a Caucasian, people don’t have a negative outlook on our relationship just because I am an African American. It doesn’t make much of a difference to society when we are seen together,considering America symbolizes unity. Must I remind you, it hasn’t always been this way in America. in fact, Whites and Blacks weren 't allowed to attend the same school, let alone the same water fountain because of segregation. to many people this situation was looked upon as ridiculous. Why should a person’s skin tone determine where they should be allowed to go? I shouldn’t. This was going on way too long without anything being done about it. Finally someone decided to take the problem to a new extent to bring about change. Brown vs Board of education is one case that still has great significance in history. Not only did it have a huge effect on segregation, but America as well would not be the same. My surroundings would totally change if this case had not been established. Brandon would not be my best friend, and sadly without the desegregation in schools, we would have never crossed paths.

On the night of February 4th 1999, Amadou Diallo, an unarmed and innocent African immigrant, was gunned down in a hail of 41 bullets while standing in the vestibule of his own apartment building in the Bronx. The officers responsible for Diallo's death were part of New York Police Department's "elite" Street Crime Unit. The plain-clothes officers approached Diallo and pulled their weapons. When Diallo, probably believing they were thieves, pulled out his wallet, the "elite" officers opened a barrage of 41 bullets on the unarmed black man.

A year later, the courts made a decision in Brown II that “school officials proceed with all deliberate speed as they forged school systems not based on color distinction” (Anderson 4). Once these changes for African Americans began, supporters of segregation became more determined to remain the majority in power. Whites were upset that federal authorities overrode their desires and “sponsored a dangerous inversion of the South’s cherished traditions and the nation’s racial heritage” (Anderson 4). In their minds, blacks did not have a right to become educated, to have money, or to even be in the same category as them. White considered themselves racially superior and wanted it to remain that way.

Just fifty years ago, America was a society of segregation and racism. The dictionary defines racism as “the belief that a particular race is superior to another.” Although it is clear times have changed, racism is still seen in modern american society. It’s also clear that relationships between African Americans and whites are generally better than they were in the forties and fifties. Today, it is rare to witness a black man walk down the street and step off the sidewalk to let a white man walk by, or to see a black man sitting on a different section of the bus or train because a white man told him he has too. But superiority of races is still happening. A lot of this has the do with the ignorance of others. Passed down generation to

In the case of Robert Russa High School, Black residents lobbied the Prince Edward County school district to erect a separate African-American high school. Their request was met with tepid support from the local school board. However, “under pressure from local black professional men, during the 1920s the Prince Edward County School Board reluctantly added high school grades to the all-black Mary E. Branch Elementary School. The blame for such slow and inadequate effort was always placed on the lack of funds. Although it was true that financing problems existed, all-white schools still tended to fare better.” (VA GOV). The façade of “separate but equal” continued to shape political rhetoric for the Prince Edward County School Board. However, Robert Russa High School’s creation and establishment amid white institutional pushback demonstrated the power of “Black persistence” in Farmville,

Recently, there has been much in the media about clashes between African Americans and the police. Two such cases, being the shootings of Michael Brown and Laquan McDonald - both incidents resulting in public outrage. These cases result in questions about racial profiling by police. Through research, it is clear that African Americans are the target of racial bias by many police departments in the United States; in order to remedy this situation, law enforcement agencies need to (and are beginning to) undergo scrutiny on their interactions with the public and, additionally must receive training on diversity.

There is an issue which is plaguing our community and making the job of a Police Officer more difficult -  Racial Profiling. Many have different opinions on why it happens, and what we should do about it if it does happen. The problem is nobody can come to a consensus on how to solve this problem. It seems to me that racism is still part of our society, and sadly, I think it always will be. We all have prejudices of some sort towards others. It may be because of race, sex, sexual preference, rich, poor, ugly, or pretty. I am not saying that this is right, but we as a society need to realize that this problem will never completely go away. We need to adapt to it, work around it, or through it.

Benjamin Todd Jealous once said, “Racial profiling punishes innocent individuals for the past actions of those who look and sound like them. It misdirects crucial resources and undercuts the trust needed between law enforcement and the communities they serve.”(Jealous, 2015). I couldn’t agree more with him. In today’s society more and more Black men and women suffer from police bias. Police is a powerful organization that was meant to serve and protect. Enforce laws and keeping communities safe. The problem is we fail to acknowledge that police are humans with real life bias. The problem with police is how much racial profiling is going up,