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The History Of The United States Is Marred With Instances

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The history of the United States is marred with instances of racial injustice and discrimination. It was out this sordid history rose Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the African-American Civil Rights Movement. An eloquent King used his right to free speech and to peaceful assembly to bring light to the oppressive system of injustice, racism and discrimination affecting people of color. King and the civil rights movement may have brought about several changes and needed awakening, however, many of the problems still exist. This essay will examine how the system of racial injustice affects the treatment of African-Americans and Latinos as it relates to policing, sentencing and voting. Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and Opal Tometi’s …show more content…

I swiped my MetroCard and was making my way through the turnstile when I was accosted by three white New York Police Department (NYPD) officers. I was questioned about my whereto and my reason for having a student MetroCard. I guess I was too black to be going to school! Nevertheless, these instances of police profiling are neither new nor was it unique to me. It was the same type of victimization that resulted in the murder (not death) of Eric Gardner in Staten Island in 2014. Gardner like myself was about his own business when he was confronted by the said NYPD officers on “suspicion” of peddling. What ensued was a 19 seconds-long multi-officer chokehold while the dying father of 6 screams “I can’t breathe!”. Furthermore, how can we ever forget the police-murder of Tamir Rice. The 12-year-old black boy was playing with a toy gun in a swing at the park when he was gunned down by a white police officer. No questions asked; no calls made to put away the toy, Tamir was killed like a vicious adult serial killer. King in his letter described similar actions of “hate-filled” officers brutalizing and killing peaceful protestors with impunity.
These are just a few examples that reveal the nasty vitriolic underbelly of an institution set against a race. It exposes the institutionalized degrading attitude towards the African-American community and especially the black male. It would appear as if the black man cannot exist

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