Racial Inequality In America

Among the broad range of inequality issues in America, racial inequality is currently one of the biggest issues faced today. Since America’s initial forming stages, whites have had a superiority over other races. As time went on, America began to form a foundation for its cultural racism as a result of slavery. Believing that whites were the superior race upon any other minority was socially accepted. Racial inequality since America’s slavery era plays a crucial role in today’s significantly different achievements across races. Since the beginning of America’s foundation, African Americans were forbidden to have an education. Eventually, slavery was outlawed and the Jim Crow era was formed. Former slaves, however, still did not receive an equal …show more content…
Ferguson trial in 1896, a trial which resulted in requiring racial segregation, the harsh reality of unequal education began to reveal. During the Jim Crow era, lasting 77 years, America continued to lack a desire for equal education between races. Although former slaves now had access to education, identity and basic human abilities that were stripped during the times of slavery caused a large gap between races in terms of achievements. As a result of this gap, America suffered consequences that made our society what it is today. The same racism that existed during America’s time of slavery poured into the Jim Crow era. Although racism was abolished, the racist mentality still existed. African Americans were no longer slaves, but they still were degraded and inferior. The term “separate but equal” was formed in an effort to describe the mentality of the era. However, the term was far from reality considering education devoted to African Americans was not as effective as the schools belonging to whites. Ernest Gaines’ novel A Lesson Before Dying accurately represents the unequal education during the Jim Crow era. Grant, the narrator of the novel, is one of the black teachers in the town. Grant, however, has no faith in what the future has to offer. Repeatedly throughout the book, Grant mentions that he only teaches what the white men want him to teach. He realizes that teaching children won’t help the endless loop of racism that originated from the times of slavery. “They are acting exactly as the old men did earlier. They are fifty years younger, maybe more, but doing the same thing those old men did who never attended school a day in their lives. Is it just a vicious circle? Am I doing anything?” (Gaines 62). The repressive society built on to former slaves during the Jim Crow era. Although Grant taught the black children what the whites wanted them to learn, he failed to mention their own identity. Suzanne W. Jones, contributor to The World