Racial Injustice And Injustice

Racial injustice is sometimes considered a taboo subject in conversation, however, it has been around for years, especially in America, and does not seem to be going anywhere. Often, Americans do not fully grasp the concept of racism and racial injustice, its causes, effects and manifestations. In order to understand racial injustice for what it truly is, it is important to be able to define race, racism, justice and injustice. Without knowing the meanings of the aforementioned words, there is no way that one can grasp the understanding of what racial injustice truly is. Sadly, people tend to disregard the severity of racial injustice until they have experienced it, or the effects of it, personally. Race, as defined by Merriam-Webster, …show more content…
Martin Luther King, Jr. stated, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Merriam-Webster provides the following definitions: justice is “the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action,” and injustice is “unfair treatment; a situation in which the rights of a person or a group of people are ignored.” Imagine a mother with two kids, one has blonde hair while the other has brunette hair, aside from their hair color, they are no different. The kids are playing and while they are wrestling each other, the break an expensive vase. When the mother sees the broken glass, she immediately sends the dark-haired boy to his room, no questions asked. Both boys were equally responsible for the damage yet only one was punished for it. The mother ignored the young boy’s right to explain himself and deemed him guilty without hesitation. This is essentially how injustice works. One child was treated unfairly and was not given an equal …show more content…
Racial injustice is the unfair treatment of a person or group of individuals where their rights are being ignored due to the class or race that they have been categorized under. Racial injustice stems from the idea of racism. Once people begin to believe that being of a certain race makes one inferior or superior to another, it leads to them believing that the lack of equality justifies lack of recognition of rights. Racial injustice and racism are like diseases that are chronic, hereditary, and fatal. These diseases are ongoing, passed down from one generation to the next, and eventually end in death. Unfortunately, they are also the type of disease that currently have no cure so only the symptoms can be treated. Put simply, the fact that slavery existed is proof that racism and racial injustice are very real problems. One race deemed that another was not on the same level as them and treated them as if they were less than human. The effects of slavery are still felt across America even though President Abraham Lincoln ended slavery in 1863 his famous speech, the Emancipation Proclamation (“Emancipation Proclamation”). Though African Americans were freed from their physical bondages when slavery was ended, the mental bondages were still a factor. Add