The Role Of Racism In White America

For many people, they are blissfully unaware of the fact that they are white. Their race has never affected them. It becomes a huge benefit one never even knew they had. Growing up, you understand “racism is bad”, but do you understand what it actually is? Racism is not just slurs, discrimination , hating someone based on their skin color. About 50 years ago (Civil Rights Movement), this direct, overt, in your face racism became illegal and less socially acceptable. This had two side effect on “White America”. First, it allowed them to believe racism is actually over. Secondly, it enabled the white population to frame the ongoing struggles of the Black community as a character flaw. Due to the taboo it becomes to address racism as a reality, but if you look closely, you’re going to see these sentiments about Black America echoed everywhere. “So I taught school for 20 years, a lot of people of color who didn’t want to work as hard, they wanted it given to …show more content…
Racism is a seeping system of forces that effectively keep people of color in a permanent second-class status. It’s the foundational fabric of our society. Woven with values, attitudes, stereotypes, policies, economics, and laws. Jim Crow was replaced with a host of shiny, new laws that were just as racist but looked better on the surface. This has made it harder than ever for White America to see the truth. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane. Stop 1, wealth. Between 1934 and 1962, the government backed 120 billion dollars of home loans, but they refused to give out home loans to blacks, or even if blacks lived nearby. This practice called red lining essentially forced Black Americans into poor, urban centers; the beginnings of “the ghetto”. This as a result deterred investments toward investing in the future of black neighborhoods, while also making it impossible for black Americans to start inheriting property and wealth the same way white Americans