The Tragedy of Racism

“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.” This statement was made by Rosa Parks in 1998. While some may say that this took place a long time ago, racism and the mentality of white supremacy is still very much alive. Racism can be dated back to the time of slavery and while it is true that slavery is over, many decisions today are still made based on the color of one’s skin. The issue of racism, while it is mainly a social discrimination issue, has began to affect the economy and credibility of America’s legal system.

Black people are often associated with everything illegal- drugs, murder, robbery etc. Asians are usually associated with tiny eyes and said to all look the same and Latinos are usually illegal immigrants and work for less money. So many different speculations based on race. I think its important to understand the meaning of Racism. Racism is the belief that all members of a particular race possess certain characteristics specific to their race so as to distinguish that race as superior or inferior to another race. Another way of defining racism is discrimination against another race due to the belief that one’s race is superior. In simpler terms, when one race thinks of itself as better than another race, that’s being racist.

Racism is alive and well. One statement that really captured my attention The Store by Edward P. Jones was: “Never even if you become kings of the world, I don’t want to see y’all messin with a white cop” (142). This statement was issued as a warning from a mother to her sons about the dangers of people of color getting into an altercation with a white police officer. People would argue that the ...

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...t was before but I don’t believe that it’s dead but we can kill it. All humans, despite the color of their skin, should be treated the same. We just need to let go of the past and open our minds, ignore the color of your skin and just let go and focus on the future.

References.

Jones, Edward P. “The Store.” Reading Literature and Writing Arguments.

Francis, David R. “Employers’ Replies to Racial Names.” NBER.com. the National Bureau of Economic Research, 2002.

Lee, Jennifer. “Racial Bias Seen in Hiring of Waiters.” nytimes.com. The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

Younge, Gary. “The US Supreme court thinks racism is dead. It isn’t.” the guardian.com The Guardian, 30 June 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

Huffington Post. “White Conservative Male Pundits To Nation: Racism Is Over, Stop Talking About It.” The Huffington Post, 19 July 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.