“The Plague Of Racism Is Insidious, Entering Into Our Minds

In a speech, Frederick Douglass stated “[t]here are seventy-two crimes…which, if committed by a black man…subject him to the punishment of death; while only two of the same crimes will subject a white man to the like punishment.” While that is not the case today, racism continues to be an important and urgent issue in the United States. Although the shadow of racism continues to haunt Americans, race relations among people in America have slowly improved. From the active practice of institutional racism during the 19th and early 20th century, the spike in criticism against institutionalized racism during the Civil Rights Movement, and the dissolution of racial barriers in the past two decades, the wane of racial tension in America is evident.

“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.

In today’s society, we can all agree that racism is like a cancer. It’s an evil action that destroys human lives and together we must confront it and most importantly find ways do eventually eliminate it and fight against it. Many of you can agree that this has not be an easy task, as racism in the United States goes all the way back to when America was still a colony, and only granted rights to white citizens and denied it to other races and ethnic groups. Our book defines racism as “An ongoing, multidimensional, and dynamic process inherent to the development and maintenance of an institutionalized, hierarchical racial classification system that operates simultaneously, on individuals, group, and system levels and involves intentional and intentional, negative, erroneous, or stereotypical beliefs about race and the

In the new proactive book, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, Michelle Alexander dives into the not so complicated racial issues that plague this country that we tend to ignore. In all of history, African Americans have had to constantly fight for their freedoms and the right to be considered a human being in this society. It’s very troubling looking back and seeing where we have failed people in this country. At the turn of the century, when people began to think that we had left our old ways behind, this book reminds us that we are wrong. Racism is still alive today in every way, just in different forms.

The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of

The subject of racism is a difficult one to address. Especially when discussing the grotesque history of Jim Crow and the Jim Crow Laws. Plenty of hard feelings overshadow the issues and sometimes personal opinions can prevent progressive discussions from progressing. The views in this paper have been carefully considered and do not hold one race or another responsible the racism that currently plagues our American society. Instead this paper encourages every member of the human race to examine racism in clarity while seeking the truth about its existence. The origins of racism in America will be contemplated, the ways that Jim Crow Laws promoted racism will be reviewed, and the remaining impacts of Jim Crowism that continue to test our humanity

Racism has been the most provocative topic in American history; it has seemed to transcend other struggles, and fester its way into almost every facet of American culture. It has grown like weeds in an unattended garden in to the ideology of America. Politicians use it as a tool for reelection, corporations use it as a way to exploit, and the media uses it as a way to control. But the underlying question is where did it come from, how did it translate itself into political power, and how and what did African Americans do to combat that power. Many of the answers to

Notable psychologist Viktor E. Frankl once stated: “When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves.” Dramatic and serious change is difficult because when predictability disappears, so does our human sense of safety. While it may be grueling and exhausting, change is essential when a problem needs to be battled head-on. As a society, we need to change the way racial inequalities have been set up and the way we go about our lives. Racism has a large effect on minorities nationwide daily, and it can often go unnoticed or be incorrectly identified. But what truly is racism in America, today? Racism is still an extremely prevalent subject in today’s society, based on specific phenomena that affects black youth and perpetuates the false veil of brute equality.

The last hundred years have brought the world many valuable things; computers, better sanitation conditions, understandings of diseases, vaccines, surgery, education, and so much more. But there are so many social constructs that have made little progress such as racism, sexism, and homophobia. In reality vaccines and sexism are manmade, a vaccine is a manmade invention and sexism is a manmade idea. Neither would exist without human beings backing the idea that they are necessary. Racism is “prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior (Oxford Dictionary).” Racism over the last hundred years has been directed towards Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian’s. Looking at the past in relation to racism in the United States, reveals that racism is still alive and well in 2015 just as it was in 1915.

Racism is an unpleasant defect left on the American people, a painful reminder of the gaping wound inflicted by the horror and inhumanity of the African slave trade that began in the 1500s. Although, there has been a great deal of proceed made in the century and half since slavery was officially disguised by the united states government in the form of Abraham Lincoln’s independence Proclamation in 1860, it has by no means disappeared. It still rears its distasteful head even today in myriads forms, including the snowball effect it has had upon many sides of the lives of black people even today. Although we now have many nationally visible black citizens and have even gone so far as to put a black president in the white house, we

"The legacy of past racism directed at blacks in the United States is more like a bacillus that we have failed to destroy, a live germ that not only continues to make some of us ill but retains the capacity to generate new strains of a disease for which we have no certain cure." - Stanford Historian George Frederickson.

The United States has seen the existence of racism across its entire life as a sovereign country. From the question of slavery, to the Civil Rights Movement, and even to our modern times with the hate crimes against Jews and Muslims. Racism is also shown in Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. Based on examples from her book and examples throughout our modern society, America will not see racial and social equality because of hateful words that are passed down from parent to child, a biased justice system, and the many occurrences of racism in our modern American society.

Racism is one of the most sensitive subjects being debated on a daily basis in the United States. It is also a subject that will always prove to be relevant for years to come. Throughout its short history, racism has played major roles in the development of this nation – from the slave trade days of the early 1600s up until the Black Lives Matter movement of today.

This weeks reading material was very “eye opening” in which it outlines the journey to the “Promise land” in the north when slavery was “abolished” and their experiences once they arrived. This event sparked the uprising of many plantations losing most of their laborers to the north where there was hopes for a new future which involved making fair wages, and also better living situation for their family. Not only does it mention this time period but also presence of racism in more recent events. After reading this I came to a conclusion that although we have come a far way from the old days of slavery we still have a strong presence of racism not only in society but also embedded into our country's foundation to a “free Nation” which we need

Historically, United States battle against racism has come a long way from the days of colonialism, slavery, racial hierarchies, racial demarcated reserves, strict policies and segregation. And yet, discrimination and inequality continue to persist in our society. Howard Winant, an American sociologist and race theorist, stated that, “the meaning of racism has changed over time. The attitudes, practices and institutions of epochs of colonialism, segregation… may not have been entirely eliminated, but neither do they operate today in the same ways they did half a century ago (Winant 128).” The meaning and how racism operates may have changed over time but its negative connotations and implications in society continue to limit the individual’s understanding, explore and accept the complexity of each individual. Presently, racism appears less blatant and may appear “more acceptable,” but its existence and effect is undeniable. As a result, it continues to destroy society’s cohesion and ideas for equality. Racism is the ideology that devalues and renders other racial and ethnic group as inferior and it is reflected through the individual’s interaction, expression and attitudes towards others (Racism No Way). It is deeply rooted from historical, social, cultural and power inequalities. Racism has indeed shifted its course from previously stricter policies and practices of racism to individuals who promote multiculturalism, equality