“Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole” (Coates). Racism has been around for a long time, paying little heed to what improvements have been made with many barriers, yet to be taken away before complete equity is achieved. The fact that prejudice has been prevalent for so long makes it challenging for younger generations to break the pattern of their ancestors, and give minorities a chance for equality in all aspects of the law. Although you could argue that many anti-racism advancements have been made, the laws formed in the 1930’s, discriminating against blacks,
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For example, when the US Supreme Court vetoed the proposal to make segregated neighborhoods, “...real estate agents wrote ‘codes of ethics’ that included bans on selling homes to African-Americans outside of black areas” (Hannah-Jones). Real estate agents were uneasy about the thought of blacks living in the same neighborhoods as whites because they would make less money on the houses they sell around them. One family commented on a black man who moved into their neighborhood that he was probably a nice guy, but every time they looked at him they saw $2,000 drop off the value of their home (Coates). Even though the government tried to integrate blacks and whites, citizens found a way not to do so. Furthermore, the African American lack of wealth lead to,“...black families making $100,000 typically live in the kinds of neighborhoods inhabited by white families making $30,000” (Coates). Whites are afraid to socialize and interact with blacks because the culture around us makes blacks seem like bad people. Considering the fact that in media, such as movies or shows, blacks are portrayed to be the criminal or have unacceptable characteristics, which makes whites believe that all blacks are that way. Also, our parents beliefs have been passed on from prior generations, which have been carried forward, …show more content…
For instance, in the statistics of police killings from the F.B.I.’s supplementary homicide report,“...31.8 percent of people shot by the police were African American, a proportion more than two and a half times the 13.2 percent of African Americans in the general population” (Mullainathan). The choice of where police are put on duty is usually not by choice for the officers, but if put in a poor neighborhood or town, it is more likely for blacks to be present. The real problem in our society is the way people look at these types of situations: Everyone believes that the police are being racist, but in reality they are only doing their job, and outsiders are just jumping to conclusions. Furthermore, because of how closely blacks are patrolled, “A recent study reports that one black man is killed by police or vigilantes in our country every 28 hours, almost one a day”(Lewis). The public view this statistic as a problem simply within the police force, but they don’t realize that the real problem is the laws made by the government, which the officers are forced to follow. Racism is not only seen in communities, but it is a growing issue even in the decisions made by the superiors of our country. The view on racism is a developing problem in our country, but some view it as a diminishing
For example, when the US Supreme Court vetoed the proposal to make segregated neighborhoods, “...real estate agents wrote ‘codes of ethics’ that included bans on selling homes to African-Americans outside of black areas” (Hannah-Jones). Real estate agents were uneasy about the thought of blacks living in the same neighborhoods as whites because they would make less money on the houses they sell around them. One family commented on a black man who moved into their neighborhood that he was probably a nice guy, but every time they looked at him they saw $2,000 drop off the value of their home (Coates). Even though the government tried to integrate blacks and whites, citizens found a way not to do so. Furthermore, the African American lack of wealth lead to,“...black families making $100,000 typically live in the kinds of neighborhoods inhabited by white families making $30,000” (Coates). Whites are afraid to socialize and interact with blacks because the culture around us makes blacks seem like bad people. Considering the fact that in media, such as movies or shows, blacks are portrayed to be the criminal or have unacceptable characteristics, which makes whites believe that all blacks are that way. Also, our parents beliefs have been passed on from prior generations, which have been carried forward, …show more content…
For instance, in the statistics of police killings from the F.B.I.’s supplementary homicide report,“...31.8 percent of people shot by the police were African American, a proportion more than two and a half times the 13.2 percent of African Americans in the general population” (Mullainathan). The choice of where police are put on duty is usually not by choice for the officers, but if put in a poor neighborhood or town, it is more likely for blacks to be present. The real problem in our society is the way people look at these types of situations: Everyone believes that the police are being racist, but in reality they are only doing their job, and outsiders are just jumping to conclusions. Furthermore, because of how closely blacks are patrolled, “A recent study reports that one black man is killed by police or vigilantes in our country every 28 hours, almost one a day”(Lewis). The public view this statistic as a problem simply within the police force, but they don’t realize that the real problem is the laws made by the government, which the officers are forced to follow. Racism is not only seen in communities, but it is a growing issue even in the decisions made by the superiors of our country. The view on racism is a developing problem in our country, but some view it as a diminishing