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Discussions concerning race have increased in recent years. Police officers and the justice system have been accused of facilitating the spread of violence in regard to one’s skin color. The United States is one of the leading countries in the world, where cases reported to racial discrimination are frequent. According to Sendhil (2015), many African Americans died at the hands of the police. She says that judgment by one’s skin color is still high in the country. Racial discrimination is attributed to be the cause of several negative factors that people of black community face.
Many black people in the United States earn less income as compared to white people. A study conducted by Sociologists at Harvard found that African Americans who applied for jobs with no criminal records were offered jobs at the same rate as white applicants with criminal records (Sendhil, 2015). Whites are always privileged, while black people have to struggle to achieve their goals. Lack of lucrative jobs among the black community has increased high rates of poverty. Many of them are poor who find difficulty providing for their families while the rest live in the streets. A study done for over 20 years show that racial bias is still prevalent now more than ever. Stereotypes have increased, causing more pain to those it is directed to. For example, when both whites and blacks bargained for a car in a study, whites were offered offers, and prices were reduced to their liking, unlike for the black people who got increased prices and with no offers. Doctors were also found to be biased in their professional opinions if the matter concerned a black person’s health. When shown patient histories, they were much likely to suggest a cardiac catheterization to black patients even when the white and black patient histories were the same (Sendhil, 2015).
Racial discrimination has resulted in black people’s segregation. According to Massey, segregation in the United States started years ago, and since then, there has not been much change. In a state where eighty percent white people and twenty percent black people, that area will have white dominance, and people of black communities will be isolated. In these situations, black people are not included in many community programs and are seen as outcasts, where the majority of residents are white. Due to exclusion in most white people’s communities, Massey (2015) argues that black people opted to live with their community to avoid judgments and discrimination. When the blacks were migrating in the cities, they started living in neighborhoods with poor facilities, and that situation has not changed with modern civilization. The majority of them still live in residences that, compared to where the white people live, are considered to not be up to standard. Living in these neighborhoods, the black communities, according to Massey (2015), adopted violent behaviors that later resulted in the destruction of property. This prompted laws to be enacted to refuse to rent houses to black people, loan them money for homes, and apply these laws to those who were not black but were living in their neighborhoods.
Discrimination has resulted in many people of color acknowledging their race due to judgment. Living in an all-white neighborhood for a black person, it is met with many difficulties. This resulted in Rachel Dolezal to lie about her true race. Her efforts to identify as a black woman have resulted in a false conviction against one of her adopted black brothers (Johnson et. al, 2015). Her stand as identifying as black has raised a lot of questions and what race truly means. Growing up with African American brothers prompted Rachel to familiarize herself with some of their beliefs. As a result, she decided to change her race and beliefs and identify as black. Since reconciling her body with her black beliefs, Racheal has immensely devoted her time to making art that focuses on black experiences. In her efforts to apply for a tuition scholarship, Howard school refused her application, which led her to sue the school on discrimination charges regarding skin color (Johnson et al., 2015).
Du Bois (Race and Ethnicity) states that his first realization that he was different from other students was when a girl refused his card. Some comments and actions directed towards black people are hurtful and are meant to destroy their self- esteem and see themselves as inferior. While some like Du Bois can rise against such negativity, others find difficulty in being optimistic hence result in self-pity and hating white people. He argues that lack of acceptance and increased judgment by one’s color has resulted in many black people seeking recognition from salvation. That is where they find comfort from the cruel and unjust world. Emancipation was seen as the only way for a black man to find his rightful place in the world, but since then, that has not been possible. Even after attaining freedom from slavery, black people are still struggling as they have not been given their rightful freedoms in representation and inclusivity in societal matters. African Americans have contributed immensely to the American cultures, food, and music. Yet, they are still fighting for their place in the country that they have devoted all of their lives to and that of their ancestors. Efforts established to ensure their freedom are met with negativity from those who believe in the white supremacy rule and strain other white people’s willingness to open to cohesion.
Considering all these points, discrimination by one’s skin color is still rampant in the United States. Racial discrimination results in violent behavior from the black community in demand for equality and fair distribution of public resources. Law enforcement officers are seen as the greatest hindrance in curbing associated racial cases. Finally, the government ought to establish laws that will guarantee the safety of all black people accused of participating in criminal activities.
References
Johnson, K., Perez-Pena, R., & Eligon, J. (2015). Rachel Dolezal, in the Center of Storm, Is Defiant: ‘I Identify as Black’. The New York Times. Retrieved at: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/17/us/rachel-dolezal-nbc-today-show.html.
Massey, D. (2016). Segregation in the United States: Douglas Massey. Retrieved at https://youtu.be/zxICQqDPD4g
Race and Ethnicity: Introduction W.E.B. DuBois, “Of Our Spiritual Strivings”. Retrieved at https://www.bartleby.com/114/1.html
Sendhil Mullainathan, Sendhil (2015). Racial Bias, Even When We Have Good Intentions. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/upshot/the-measuring-sticks-of-racial-bias-.html