One issue has been brought up to the forefront of media. One issue has been brought in to countless discussions, interviews, and news segments. One issue has been an issue for the last decade. Every day, news outlets are constantly discussing new cases, and inquiring about where the line is for fair treatment and mistreatment of the African-American community. Many people feel after the election of Barack Obama, a black president, we have eradicated racial inequalities as a country, and have become a more balanced and diverse nation because of his election. However, others argue that during his term, police brutality has become the worst it has been in decades. Those who feel the election of a black president means we have progressed socially would be correct. However, one man’s success does not define the attitudes of an entire nation of men and women. The adage is treat others the way you would like to be treated, however law enforcement, employers, and individuals around the country fail to properly treat the African-American community. Often, we see examples of abuse and mistreatment all around the nation. Not just with the poor or the uneducated, but we see it with celebrities and athletes as well. We do not only hear racism in the voices of the deep south, but in the voices of NBA owners and athletes. As society grows and learns, each generation will begin to slowly grasp the concept of a fair America for all people of all colors, genders, shapes, and sizes.  

Over time institutional racism will resolve itself; however, time is not always the most effective or efficient solution. Solving the issues we face today is an enormous task, but the harder we work to create equality, the more opportunity we create for all American people. The amount of people that fail to reach their potential because an unfair system prevents those same people from achieving their dreams. But, as more people reach their potential, America will see a rise in leaders, dreamers, and achievers. Poverty will fall, and success will skyrocket, solving many of today’s problems on their own. It is obvious that America still has racist feelings and emotions that need to be extinguished. It is obvious that as we develop an ability to understand what racism is, where it is, and how it spreads we can eradicate the exist of racism nationally and distribute resources into more valuable areas of our infrastructure. The first step to this entire process is understanding and accepting racism, because ignorance is the biggest instigator and fueler of racism. Exercising the skill of accepting others where they stand and understanding what a day in their shoes would be like is an extremely valuable tool to building connections. As we continue to build connections and gain an understanding of each other as people, we can create a unified and equal country. And although many people do not believe racism is a battle that needs fighting, it is still a necessary war to wage to unify all people and provide equal opportunities to continue expanding our countries wealth, knowledge, and talents. Eradicating institutional racism is important to molding the diverse population together. Finding a solution begins with reforming the criminal justice system and workplace discrimination.  

The issue of racism in America has transformed immensely over the course of American History. Great strides have been taken since the founding of America, when slavery was essentially the backbone of the country. Over time, slavery was abolished and became obsolete, however tensions did not die. Initially, African-Americans were unable to achieve success in the country because they had been left uneducated, beaten, and families were torn apart. They gained their freedom but they lost their homes. They did not have money and were still thought of as an inferior people. Gradually, opinions began to change and African-Americans were molded into society. They started to find jobs and establish homes. During the 1900’s they were a part of society, but were still extremely mistreated by white Americans and thought of as second-class citizens. Segregation in schools, buses, water fountains, and other facets of life kept them separated from other Americans. The middle of the twentieth century was the first major opposition from African-Americans, meaning the first time they fought back for equal treatment. Marches, protests, boycotts, and even sometimes violence, was seen everywhere in the domestic war for civil rights for African-Americans. Many leaders and now well renowned men and women took leaps and risked everything to fight for an entire race’s civil rights. Rosa Parks and 

Martin Luther King Jr. were two people who stood out as heroes for their bravery during the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on a bus and was arrested. She lost her job and dealt with death threats for years following the incident. She began to work with Martin Luther King Jr., who as a young minister gained the national spotlight because of his empowering speeches and effective methods in acquiring civil rights for the African-American community. Dr. King was known for encouraging peaceful protest and boycott to fight for civil rights and most notably was vocal in his opposition of violent protest. He lost his life in an assassination, while he was still preaching his message all through the South during the civil rights movement. However, the work of Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and many others finally ended segregation making a leap towards equality.  

But equality did not come with legislation ending segregation. Today many people of all races, ethnicities, and heritage have argued we do not have equality in America. Those people feel that even though the same rights exist for all citizens, there is still an evident and problematic disadvantage for African-Americans. Countless cases of unarmed African-American men and women that tell the tale of them being shot and killed by police has raised a new movement endorsed by many around the nation. The black lives matter movement, which is still a young movement, has become increasingly supported nationwide and is a modern-day effort to create equality in the country. The movement is mainly designed to bring awareness to issues with police brutality, but also is an underlying message that the African-American community still feels they are being mistreated in less distinct ways than they once were. The movement has created tensions in the country between groups of people on either side of the argument. As the history of tensions have developed, America has become a divided nation in protest stretching coast to coast, and everyone appears to be taking sides. I side with the opinion that police brutality and discrimination in the workplace create situations with institutional racism, which need to be immediately dealt with to provide equal opportunity to each citizen. Countless examples demonstrate the issues in America today. Several examples and characters in particular have played enormous roles in progressing towards equality. The first example, which is still ongoing, is the situation with former San Francisco 49’ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. According to David Zirin with National Public Radio, Kaepernick’s story began during the 2016 NFL preseason when he began kneeling during the national anthem in an effort to bring awareness to police brutality against African-Americans. Gradually, more and more players around the league began to join his movement and a heavy debate began as to whether or not it was an appropriate form of protest. Those in support argue he is exercising his freedom to protest in order to raise awareness for his cause. The opposition feels kneeling during the national anthem is disrespectful to the men and women who defend the country and die for the countless rights all citizens possess. As the tension rose and the NFL became increasingly ridiculed, Kaepernick’s cause became a nuisance for the league. After his contract expired at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 NFL season, Kaepernick became a free agent available for hire by any NFL team. As the offseason progressed Colin was not contacted by any teams and never received a contract offer. As clearly less capable quarterbacks continued to find jobs in the league, questions arose as to whether or not his political campaign resulted in his inability to get a job. Now, Kaepernick has filed a lawsuit accusing NFL owners of collusion, which David Zirin feels is a reasonable decision. As a quarterback who has appeared in a super bowl, the only logical possibility for remaining unsigned is the NFL did not want his drama to continue affecting viewership. Luckily, despite the team’s refusal to sign him, Kaepernick’s influence has impacted the entire league and a large number of players now take a knee or stay in the locker room during the National Anthem to support the cause. As the investigation continues, evidence proving the NFL colluded to keep him out of the league would be an enormous demonstration of systematic racism influencing employees. Although professional sports do not seem applicable, it is also a business and the issue here is substantial not just to football, but also to society as a whole. Part of the beauty in sports is they can sometimes be used as a microcosm of society and this is a prime example.  

  Another substantial division comes from the individuals involved in the Blue Lives Matter and Black Lives Matter groups. Blue Lives Matter, which supports law enforcement in their fight against public opinion and violence, is a group opposite the popularly endorsed Black Lives Matter movement. As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to gain traction, those in opposition tend to argue police officers are required to use brutal force to protect themselves and the people observing a situation. World Net Daily posted an online article in July of 2016 regarding the oppositions to the black lives matter movement, arguing it is manifesting violence against police officers. The article references a shooting in Dallas leaving one officer dead and another spree where five officers were killed. A retired police officer named Jeff Roorda, who is also a four-term Missouri state representative and executive director and business manager of the St. Louis Police Officers Association, spoke about his fears with the movement. Roorda said to wnd.com, “Irresponsible political prosecutions and the anti-police violence that accompanies them makes cops rightfully fearful for their safety, their jobs, and their freedom.” Roorda’s fears are shared by law enforcement officials and retiree’s everywhere, however it can be argued the true fear lies in the hearts of African-Americans everywhere. Roorda has an understandable opinion but the reality of the situation is African-Americans are persecuted everyday by officers based on their appearance. According to The Washington Post, in 2015 through the month of May at least 385 people were killed by police officers. Blacks were killed at a three times higher rate than whites when number of deaths is adjusted to population. Also, minorities were two thirds of the police killings in that year. It is clear there is an issue of racism prohibiting equality from reaching all people, and solving this issue requires convincing those ignorant to the issues.  

whether treatment of African-Americans if fair or not yet. 

 Solving institutional racism is a specific goal. Eliminating discrimination based on race. 

Achieving that creates greater opportunity for all people to achieve the same goals through similar paths. A common place discrimination is seen is with law enforcement. They are discriminatory every day, stopping and searching people based on how they look. A particularly gruesome example is the unarmed shooting of Delrawn Small. According to The New York Times, Mr. Small’s girlfriend, Aquanna Albert, described a scene where an off-duty police officer shoots an unarmed black man. Mr. Small was driving home his girlfriend, her teenage daughter, and their new baby home from a barbeque cookout, when an off-duty police officer cut them off twice in traffic. Mr. Small got out and video footage shows him begin to approach the driver’s side door of officer Isaac’s car, when he shot three times and killed. The officers defense that managed to drop all his charges, was that he was punched. However, shooting and killing Mr. Small should not be justified by that defense. Maybe it is unintentional or habitual, but that is exactly the issue with institutional racism. To prevent police brutality and profiling, Mr. Russel Melvin of Baltimore, Maryland has an answer. He worked his entire life in Baltimore law enforcement until he became District Commander for the Eastern District in Baltimore, where he controlled one hundred-thirty police officers. His radical experiment with policing lowered the crime rates of the most violent neighborhood in the entire country. His method was to make the neighborhood more holistic. The idea was to educate, nurture, and help the families in the neighborhood. Law enforcement went into the neighborhood and met with the families to find how they could help them. They worked with organizations to bring more educational and financial opportunities into the neighborhood. In three years the crime rates dropped substantially. This method should be mimicked by law enforcement agencies around the country, to create more holistic neighborhoods everywhere. When authorities begin to work with the neighborhoods and communities rather than against them, is when real progress can be made in solving the impacts of racial profiling and brutality in policing. This change can heal wounds everywhere. The impact includes a sense of community, where people strive to work together and with each other to achieve more success. Another impact includes more comfortability with law enforcement, where each side mutually feels safe from the other. When both sides are more comfortable with the conversation there is less likelihood of a violent incident ensuing. The youth in these areas will benefit from more programs to educate and exercise them. Sports and school become priorities for the youth and the neighborhood becomes safer.  

 Another chapter of institutional racism is found with discrimination in the workplace. 

The discussion is popularly discussed today in regards to the professional quarterback Colin Kaepernick. To reiterate, Kaepernick is a former super bowl quarterback in the NFL, whose political beliefs to kneel during national anthems last season have kept him from finding a job this year. Just like any other business the National Football League is held to standards of employment and rules about how they treat employees. The accusation being made against them is that the owners and league officials have colluded to keep Kaepernick out of the league according to David Zirin of National Public Radio. Colin has now fired a lawsuit against the 

NFL for collusion and investigations into the league have begun. In the workplace African-

Americans and all people deserve the right to stand up for their culture and punishing Kaepernick for standing up for his beliefs is not only disgraceful but also illegal. There should be systems in place to prevent unlawful discrimination of people based on race or ethnicity. Quotas should be required to assure a diverse workplace and display balance. Establishing a diverse workplace is important to sharing ideas with people of different experiences, outlooks, and cultures. This opportunity for ingenuity and advancement is contingent upon eradicating discrimination by race from society.   

As racism continues creeping further into the past and out of the present, we need to take steps to ensure it becomes history. Gradually we have seen large numbers of complaints and heavy protest to the force used by police officers. Headlines continue to appear informing the public of another unarmed black man killed in the streets. Russel Melvin’s experiment with holistic policing provides the template for law enforcement reform necessary to departments all over the country. Once we can establish a safe and comfortable relationship between law enforcement and citizens, we can begin to fairly punish criminals. In addition, workplace diversity needs to grow as racial discrimination in the workplace is punished. As the youth in these neighborhoods begin to find opportunity and success, they can enter a fair workplace offering equal opportunity to all people. These plans work towards fixing the issue of institutional racism, unfairly punishing African-Americans starting at an early age, by correcting the judicial system and workplace discrimination.  