Are we in a post racial society? The world around is spinning, disintegrating, becoming a shell of humanity. We fight with each other over whether the colour of our skin still effects our opportunities in life. When is enough truly enough? I say we are living in a new post racial society. We are free from the associations we once put on the colour of one’s skin. We are a blended culture that opens everyone with open arms. Ever since the 1960’s we have been making progress. In the 1960’s people of colour could not eat at the same table as a white man. He could not marry a white woman. He could not drink out of the same water fountain as a white man. Now we see people coming together forming friendships regardless of race. Building families
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Since 2000 there have been forty three African American representatives in congress many of whom still hold the office today. There are three esteemed members who draw my attention immediately. One is John Lewis who since 1987 has held office either as a senator or as a representative (Lewis). John Lewis marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the hopes of ending segregation in the United States. He was one of the big six leaders of the civil rights movement (Biography). Another equally important leader is Elijah Cummings. Elijah Cummings has been a strong voice for the African American community in congress (Cummings). Although Allen West was only in office for one term he symbolizes the immense change that has occurred since the 1960’s. Allen West is one of the only representatives in congress’ history to be both African American and Republican …show more content…
The opposition sites that there are cases where unarmed African American males are being unfairly targeted and killed by the police. But let us look at the data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Moskos who is a former Baltimore cop broke down the data for the Washington Times. He stated that whites are 1.7 times more likely to be killed than African Americans. If we look at the data from the FBI forty four percent of those killed by police were Caucasian (Richardson). This leads us to believe that in fact African Americans are not being killed at a higher rate. What this really indicates is that police lack the proper training to defuse a situation before it escalates to a shooting. This also may indicate that society has not been teaching the young how to interact with law enforcement.
If we are in fact to look at the justice system we will see that there are specific laws protecting African Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against people based on their race, color, religion, or national origin. This act covers schools, voting, housing, employment, and most of public life. These laws have been used to protect African Americans from unjust persecution by employers, businesses, and government. Since 1964 we have only seen the strengthening of these
Since 2000 there have been forty three African American representatives in congress many of whom still hold the office today. There are three esteemed members who draw my attention immediately. One is John Lewis who since 1987 has held office either as a senator or as a representative (Lewis). John Lewis marched with Martin Luther King Jr. in the hopes of ending segregation in the United States. He was one of the big six leaders of the civil rights movement (Biography). Another equally important leader is Elijah Cummings. Elijah Cummings has been a strong voice for the African American community in congress (Cummings). Although Allen West was only in office for one term he symbolizes the immense change that has occurred since the 1960’s. Allen West is one of the only representatives in congress’ history to be both African American and Republican …show more content…
The opposition sites that there are cases where unarmed African American males are being unfairly targeted and killed by the police. But let us look at the data released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Mr. Moskos who is a former Baltimore cop broke down the data for the Washington Times. He stated that whites are 1.7 times more likely to be killed than African Americans. If we look at the data from the FBI forty four percent of those killed by police were Caucasian (Richardson). This leads us to believe that in fact African Americans are not being killed at a higher rate. What this really indicates is that police lack the proper training to defuse a situation before it escalates to a shooting. This also may indicate that society has not been teaching the young how to interact with law enforcement.
If we are in fact to look at the justice system we will see that there are specific laws protecting African Americans. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination against people based on their race, color, religion, or national origin. This act covers schools, voting, housing, employment, and most of public life. These laws have been used to protect African Americans from unjust persecution by employers, businesses, and government. Since 1964 we have only seen the strengthening of these