

America is a nation of constant change.  However, one factor that has been slow to progress over time is racism.  Racism is the prejudice against persons of a different race.  It is something that has existed for centuries and is inevitable.  The issue of race in America has been in existence since before the end of the American Revolution and has been a prominent issue since the lead up to the Civil War.  African Americans were not even included in the original version of the Constitution, but had rights added later in the Fifteenth Amendment.  In the past, white Americans used to show disgust and a strong hatred for black Americans through acts of violence, harsh words, segregation, and even killings.  Today, most acts of racism are not as extreme, but there are displays of extreme cases.  Racism today is displayed in more subtle ways.  Some even say there is no race issue in America.  This is only because these Americans are not aware of how these issues effect everyday life.  The following information will not only prove that there is racism in America, but will demonstrate how there is racism in America through statistics created from polls of black and white Americans, psychological testing, classic racial brutalities, political examples, the criminal justice system, and displays of “white privilege”.

Americans believe that because white people have black friends or associates means that they are not racists.  Being close to or cordial with another race is proof of how the culture has evolved.  White people accepting Barack Obama as president is also a major stepping stone of how racism is not effective in America.  Some even claim “I voted for Obama” just to uphold a certain ethos about themselves.  Also, the predominant religion in America is Christianity.  Christians are supposed to accept everyone as they are, which is another key argument for those who believe that racism is nonexistent.  Another key argument would be what is embedded in the law.  The laws of the United States, including the Constitution, state that all persons in America are equal.  If African Americans have not reached the equality they feel they deserve, they have many resources and organizations for the bettering of their people.  For example, the NAACP or black fraternities/sororities like the Zetas or the Kappas help the advancement of black people in corporate America.  All the above listed factors are what try to portray to us as Americans that racism does not exist in America, and black people are as equally qualified as white people.  While these statements are true in how they affect society, it can still be disproved that racism is not a major issue in America.

One way to prove how there is racism in America is through statistical research.  Many Americans think that there should be improvements for black people.  88% of African Americans believe that there is work to be done on the behalf of their race.  Only 43% of those African Americans believe that the change necessary to make them equal to white Americans will occur.  If America was not racist like some believe, there would be no need for African Americans to feel like so much change needs to happen.  As for white Americans, 53% believe that there is change to be made and a small 11% believe that the change will happen (Blow).  The difference between the white Americans and the black Americans that think racial issues need to be morphed is drastic.  This shows how ignorant Americans are as a people.  It especially shows how blind white people are to the fact that they have an advantage.  The white American population tend to have more privileges and less to worry about when it comes to dealing with certain major issues.  For example, 80% of the NYPD’s arrests are black or Latino.  Of that 80%, 85% were frisked, while only 8% of white arrests were frisked (Quigley).

Another way to prove that America is racists is through the subconscious.  90% of white people who have partaken in an Implicit Association Test (IAT) have proven to be racists.  The purpose of an IAT is to measure the strength between a person’s automatic association and their conscience.  During the time of both elections Barack Obama was in, there was an IAT distributed that involved the candidates.  Positive and negative words were used to describe the candidates and it was up to the surveyor to match the right words to the right candidate.  The words were then reciprocated and the surveyors repeated the task.  The results showed that 70% of white Americans show a subconscious racial bias, and they may not have even known it (IAT).  White surveyors showed a significantly more positive bias towards the white candidates, while black surveyors did not show much bias, at all.  This subconscious preference for whiteness shows that this is what white Americans seek as an ideal America. The contribution of African Americans, or any other race besides white, is not of importance when sculpting the entire nation.  The effects of this subconscious racism creates an atmosphere that causes people to be extremely careful about the topic, when the solution is to actually be open about the sensitive subject.  This is a unique way to determine how white Americans are racists and there are several more.

Brutalities amongst black people are not nearly as harsh as they used to be, but they are still in existence.  Today, there are still people who tease or harass black people because of their race.  Though there may not be clear signs, there is still evidence of Ku Klux Klan members who hate African Americans.  More so throughout the southern states than the north and the west coast, black people are still being called horrid names and are viewed wrongly in certain areas and neighborhoods.  Major acts of violence have been a key concept within the last few years battling with racism.  The shooting at a black church in Charleston, South Carolina is a prime example of one of the more extreme cases of hatred towards black people.  Police brutality has been the most frowned upon act of racial profiling and discrimination in modern day America.  Cases like Treyvon Martin, the incident at Fruitvale Station, and Ferguson, Missouri are just a few of the trademarks that have caused an uprising by the people.  Riots in the streets of major cities and protests take place for the “Black Lives Matter” campaign.  Most of the marchers and protesters are African Americans, but white Americans are involved in these movements.  It still is not a way to disprove that Americans are not racists.  This example just shows that as a mixed group, Americans need to work together to reach the goal of equality.  

There are many different excuses white people give on how they are not racists.  Voting for a black president deems them not racists.  Believing in, or even being a part of, interracial marriage shows that they are not racists.  Having black friends or being cordial with black people does not mean white people do not have a racial bias.  Racism is not justifiable.  The fact that white Americans feel the need to justify why and how they are contempt with different races shows that their minds are still limited.  They are allowing themselves to still have a constrained thought process.  White people think these excuses help justify their thinking, but it is actually insufficient because it is a display of cultural ignorance.  In a YouTube video discussing what changes have been made throughout time in American history involving racial discrepancies, the rhetor disagrees with the statement made by former President Barack Obama that racism is “in our DNA.”  This statement is not true.  If racism was in our DNA, then it would be something that is unchangeable- a point made by the speaker Larry Elder.  However, racism is a major issue, and is clearly evident when children start to notice the problem.  America’s current President Donald Trump has slurred racial comments on several occasions.  An example of a less subtle, recent act of racism was demonstrated when a little, black girl asked her mother if they were going to be slaves again.  She had heard that Donald Trump hated black people.  Her conclusion was because a lot of people voted for Donald Trump that a lot of people must hate black people, as well (Richeson).  For a conclusion so in depth to be made by a young child shows America’s truth of their inner racist selves.  When Barack Obama was president, there were issues just because he was a black man.  Donald Trump becomes president, and there are issues due to examples of racists comments.  Because we are a people who “do not see color”, we should not have to teach our children the difference in color.  It should not matter, but it does.  Another example of racism being in politics was the take down of the Confederate Flag in the South Carolina State House.  This act relieved many Americans because it looked as if it were a sight of sheer blissfulness, but there were many negative comments.  Many southerners felt as though it was a piece of history, which is true and therefore they put it in a state museum (Hanna).  However, some were angered that the Confederate Flag was removed, which is a display of racism because that flag was a memory of how South Carolina seceded to become a country based off slavery.  Acts like this are what show the true emotions of many Americans.

The criminal justice system is a major industry where the source of income are the products of a racist America.  The documentary 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay, describes in detail the history and evolution of imprisonment in America and how it has been designed specifically to keep people of color bound.  The portrayal of African Americans being in shackles today as they were physically during the time of slavery is incredible.  The 13th Amendment is what gave slaves their freedom after time of war, but there was a clause put in place that continues to hold African Americans accountable for indecencies that may not even be relevant to them.  Every year up until 2016, the prisons in America fill to the brim, primarily with African American men.  Last year was the first time this number decreased instead of increased since 1970.  Before this time, crime rate in America were steady.  In 1970, there were 357,292 people who populated the prisons.  In 2016, the number was more than two million people.  This documentary also includes points on the criminal justice system that are evident and have the ability to be changed.  For example, it is statistically proven that if a teenage white boy and a teenage black boy are charged with the same crime in the same jurisdiction to the exact same degree, the black child will receive a higher sentencing than the white child.  It is predicted that 1 in 17 white men will spend their life in prison, while it is predicted that 1 one 3 black men will spend their life in prison.  Drug use and poor economics is tied into this, as well.  Generally, the African American population is deemed poorer and are more prone to use or deal with drugs.  While some cases vary, the African American community is a target for the criminal justice system.  The question then becomes, “Why are these communities a target?”

The advantage of white people that was mentioned earlier is what we call “white privilege”.  White privilege is the effect where white people do not have to worry about certain things the way black people do.  For example, it seems to be much easier for a white person to walk into the bank and get a loan simply because the color of their skin (Blow).  Another example is how white people can walk freely around a store without being followed, while the chances of being followed by authority for a black person is much higher.  Many white Americans who claim not to be racists, even though they are because they partake in this system unknowingly.  Partaking in this system is an act of racism because the acknowledgement is not made.  “As you reap comfort from being white, we suffer from being black and people of color” (Yancy, 513).  This is how many people who think there simply is no racism in America are so blind to the fact.

Now, that it has been established that there is racism in America and have defined how there is racism in America, we can begin to take the steps of the healing process.  The main reason Americans don’t realize there is racism is because of ignorance, not innocence.  The first step is to acknowledge that we are racists, especially for white people.  White people must realize that they do not live in the same worlds as black people.  Once that step has been taken, we can come to understand the differences that have been in front of us all along.  This epiphany will allow Americans to open their unconscious and let their actions be known consciously so that we can fix the issue.  According to George Yancy in his letter titled “Dear White America”, we have to approach the situation with love and an open heart.  He openly admits that he is sexist in hopes that his peers will come to accept being racists.  In his closure, Yancy gives his white audience a set of instructions to follow: he wants the ones who have children to think of how much they love and adore their children, then imagine that their children were black.  It is a necessary challenge for the ones who do not fully understand what black people have to go through on a daily basis.  Every day, African Americans have to go through thoughts of if they will get the job versus the white counterpart who had the interview the same day.  Black parents have to look into their sons’ eyes and tell them to be careful of every move they make in the streets because they could be harmed or harassed just by the color of their skin.  Black people have to deal with white people taunting about how they have a whole month dedicated to their blackness, while white people have nothing.  As an African America, I deal with comments regarding how I get the grades I get, or why I “talk like a white person.”  As an African American, I wake up every morning and wonder ‘Is this the day my brother will be killed by a white policeman?’  As an African American, I see both sides, but I question if there will ever be enough change in this nation that will cause us to cease the noise of racism.  In conclusion, Americans are taught to think, act, and feel a certain way on the issue of racism, and if we all acknowledge the issue and work together, we can make a semi-divided nation whole and equal.
