Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self- evident: that all men are created equal” (I Have a Dream Speech). Has his dream come true? Racism and discrimination have always been an issue throughout the course of American history, and many minorities are still faced with this. Segregation within public areas might have ended since MLK’s time, but that does not mean that racism has. There are still people in this world who are treated as if they were not human only because of their skin color. Modern day racism is the complete opposite of MLK’s dream, and only divides us as people. Events of racism still occur in today’s
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Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows an important theme of racism. Articles such as Salim Muwakkil’s “Racism Causes Police Brutality”and Donald Tomaskovic-Devey’s “Racial Profiling Leads to Discrimination” supports the fact that racism still exists in our society. Acts of racism can lead to violence against people of color. In Salim Muwakkil’s article “Racism Causes Police Brutality”, he discusses the issue of how people of color are more prone to police brutality than those who are white. This is because Muwakkil says African-Americans have never had a good relationship with the police force. Throughout the course of American history, racism and discrimination has caused white police officers to fear African-Americans, and sometimes beat them due to the intimidation. These situations relate to To Kill a Mockingbird, when Tom Robinson was convicted guilty of rape, and many assumed he committed this crime without hearing his side of the story first, only because he was black. After being thrown into a jail, Tom Robinson is eventually killed trying to escape. In To Kill a …show more content…
This form of racism occurs when someone makes a bad assumption about another person based on their skin color. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, racial profiling was used during Tom Robinson’s trial. This theme also applies to real life situations. African-Americans, throughout the course of history, have been discriminated against and accused of crimes that they did not commit.. Statistically speaking, black people are not more likely than white people to be carrying contraband (drugs), yet society automatically assumes that African-Americans are dangerous criminals. Police intentions are motivated by race. They tend to target areas where blacks are more commonly found than whites. When police officers spot a minority driving around in a white neighborhood will be pulled over and convicted of looking suspicious. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra claims Calpurnia isn’t a good influence on Scout, but she doesn’t get to know Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra is an example of how common mistrust against blacks were. There are many people, especially those who are white, who neglect the problem of racism and say it is not a serious issue. While only about 10 percent of the white population will admit they have explicitly racist attitudes, more than three-quarters display acts of
Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird shows an important theme of racism. Articles such as Salim Muwakkil’s “Racism Causes Police Brutality”and Donald Tomaskovic-Devey’s “Racial Profiling Leads to Discrimination” supports the fact that racism still exists in our society. Acts of racism can lead to violence against people of color. In Salim Muwakkil’s article “Racism Causes Police Brutality”, he discusses the issue of how people of color are more prone to police brutality than those who are white. This is because Muwakkil says African-Americans have never had a good relationship with the police force. Throughout the course of American history, racism and discrimination has caused white police officers to fear African-Americans, and sometimes beat them due to the intimidation. These situations relate to To Kill a Mockingbird, when Tom Robinson was convicted guilty of rape, and many assumed he committed this crime without hearing his side of the story first, only because he was black. After being thrown into a jail, Tom Robinson is eventually killed trying to escape. In To Kill a …show more content…
This form of racism occurs when someone makes a bad assumption about another person based on their skin color. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, racial profiling was used during Tom Robinson’s trial. This theme also applies to real life situations. African-Americans, throughout the course of history, have been discriminated against and accused of crimes that they did not commit.. Statistically speaking, black people are not more likely than white people to be carrying contraband (drugs), yet society automatically assumes that African-Americans are dangerous criminals. Police intentions are motivated by race. They tend to target areas where blacks are more commonly found than whites. When police officers spot a minority driving around in a white neighborhood will be pulled over and convicted of looking suspicious. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Aunt Alexandra claims Calpurnia isn’t a good influence on Scout, but she doesn’t get to know Calpurnia. Aunt Alexandra is an example of how common mistrust against blacks were. There are many people, especially those who are white, who neglect the problem of racism and say it is not a serious issue. While only about 10 percent of the white population will admit they have explicitly racist attitudes, more than three-quarters display acts of