Racism In 21st Century America

For this assignment, I selected three articles; one each from Forbes and The Economist, and an article from the “Opposing Viewpoints in Context” section of Gale, written by Sisi Zhang. These pieces all speak to the same theme: racial wealth inequality is real and is exacerbated by poor education, increased incarceration, and public policy.

Racial inequality has continuously played a major factor in employment, housing, and other social situations and has sparked more study by scholars into the role that discrimination plays and if actually has a role in the problems we see today. The article discusses how it believes discrimination may be motivated by thing like stereotypes and racism but discrimination does not have one outstanding cause that stands out above the rest explaining why it happens. The scholars in this article separate the definition of racial discrimination into two parts “ differential treatment and disparate impact.” Differential treatment happens when the individual facing discrimination is being treated unequal because of his or her race. Disparate

Income inequality is an ongoing issue in the world and race plays a major factor with this discrimination. The racial wage gap between black and white women has grown substantially since the 1980s (Pettit and Ewert 2009). Racial and ethnic wage gaps are significantly larger for men than for women. Based on the 1981 CPS date, black-white earnings are 0.67 for men vs. 0.97 for women, while Hispanic-white earnings are 0.72 for men and 0.90 for women (Bayard, Hellerstein, Neumark, and Troske 1999). I am going to explain two factors that contribute to income inequality, race and ethnicity, and gender.

In the world right now, there is still inequality for all. People are criticized everyday because of how they look, speak, dress, act, etc. In America, although there is people that are changing, there with always be that small group of people that won’t change their views on what they believe is right and wrong in our society. You can also see this in the book, To Kill A Mockingbird, written by author, Harper Lee. All throughout the novel, you can see how white people are superior to the African Americans that live in the same town. Even if you are one of the poorest people in the town, if you are white, then you are still more significant in the social classes than a black person. Today, people are going through the same racial discrimination that was happening so long ago and will happen till the day our world is nonexistent anymore.

Everyday the future in America looks brighter for the issues dealing with race and identity. Brave souls are not letting racism, class discrimination, or sexism hold them back anymore. Furthermore, the fight for a balanced society that pushes for equality is on the horizon. As we close on an era, based on purely the skin of the person, we need to analyze the impacts of the Ethnicity paradigm and Class paradigm on politics of the 20th century. Race and Ethnicity are used interchangeable in everyday conversation, however; they are not the same. In Howard Winant and Michael Omi, Racial Formation book, they outline in the first few chapters the weakness of examining race based on the ethnicity/ class paradigm. Although the paradigms

If a person from 1975 through to the present and see black and white people are studying in the same school and sitting together, the person might doubt that what he saw. “The case Brown v. Board of education happened on May 17, 1954 in the United States. Before this case, Plessy v. Ferguson case was adopted by the supreme court at 1896, which was segregation not violated the fourteenth amendment so that separate race is equal in law.” (Duignan) Even though Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery and gave black people the right to vote after he became the president of the United States in 1861, it does not lead to the equal between white and black at that moment. During the civil right movement, Brown v. Board of education case changed the segregation

The American dream at one point was what drew people to American; the right to life, liberty, and the happiness. The American dream is the hope to acquire currency, large homes, raise a middle-class family, and pursue what brings people joy in life. But in the year 2016, the American dream becomes hard to believe in. The American dream may still exist, but it is not equally accessible to all Americans. This is true because the American dream is not affordable for everyone, it is not available to everyone from different degrees of education, and race and ethnicity creates large social barriers.

There is a profound gap of wealth between median black and white families, In Race, Wealth, and Intergenerational Poverty, Darrick Hamilton, Professor of Economics and Policy, and William Darity, Professor of Public Policy, discuss the causes of this gap, and measures that can be taken to resolve the disparity. Hamilton and Darity assert the claim that we live today in a post-racial America is false, largely due to the fact that the disproportionate wealth gap between median white and black families exists. They present statistics from a 2002 survey, demonstrating the gap of net worth between white and black families to support this. Hamilton and Darity, using this evidence, dismisses the assertation that race is no longer a determining factor in one’s life chances, which many claim is so gesturing to the election of President Barack Obama, but the evidence of the wealth gap supports the contrary.

As we reach the 21st century we would think that racial inequality has completely ended yet we continue to see much discrimination. Racial inequality continues to exist in the world and here in the United States it is a very controversial topic. Today, we watch the television and almost everyday we hear news about some type of crime or situation which regards race issues. In other words, racism is still a topic that we experience in a daily basis and continues to haunt this country. By analyzing some recent racial inequality news we can find out what continues to make this issue such a controversial topic. Two recent news regarding racial discrimination is the controversial Mr. Donald Trump and his comments regarding Mexicans and also a recent strike held at many Universities around the United States protesting about discrimination at their schools.

Racial issues and injustices in the United States are examined in both of Oden’s anthologies, “California Politics” and “Rivers of Struggle and Resistance.” The introduction in “California Politics” mainly discusses current political issues and how they have influenced the underrepresented ethnic minorities in California. On the other hand, “Rivers of Struggle and Resistance” focuses on the history of discrimination and oppression that haunt the African American society for several decades. Although both anthologies explores and examine similar themes, the introduction in “Rivers of Struggle and Resistance” related more to Michael Goldfield’s “The Color of Politics” excerpt.

America and its people have worked hard to create a home in which everyone is treated, and feels equal. We’ve fought wars, held protests, and lost many lives in situations where we were fighting for fair treatment. After all of these sacrifices, it's safe to say that Americans have the right to love, and cherish the equality that their home presents them with, but to an extent. Equality in society, government, and basic human interactions should always be kept, and held with great importance. However, we also need to keep in mind that we are not the same people. This is where the government in the story, ‘’Harrison Bergeron,’’ gets out of hand. They tried to make their citizens equal by making them the same which prevents

All of these different aspects of social stratification are found all over the US today. This article discusses events that took place in 2013. This shows that even today, racism is still alive and something that is a day to day battle for people all over the country. However, today it much more prominent in the fact that it is often hidden. Neo-racism is much more commonly found because it is

It is very true that African Americans have made many strides in the past few decades in relation to equality and freedom. However, racism and segregation are still present to this day. Many African Americans are killed and mistreated simply because of the pigment in their skin. The only difference is, many people are still oblivious to this fact more than they were years ago. This blindness comes from the idea that America has overcome these racial conditions. Is this the fault of the African American “failing” to live up to the standard set by their civil-rights-era forebears? (Smith, Denzel).

The United States of America is a land where, according to Thomas Jefferson, all men are created equal, and while that ideal has been recounted a myriad of times throughout the nation’s history, to this day the people of the United States are still unequal. The country’s past is permeated with injustice and tragedy supporting the inequality of people. Whether through the forced exile of Native Americans, the enslavement of an entire race, or the atrocities committed prior to modern labor laws, the U.S.’s history exemplifies the fact that it is far perfect. Racism has recently re-entered forefront of society’s collective agenda, and, despite the passing of 55 years from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream speech,” it is far from a resolution.

“ According to the National Association of Social Workers Web site, racism is “the ideology or practice through demonstrated power or perceived superiority of one group over others by reasons of race, color, ethnicity, or cultural heritage....” The definition further goes on to note that “racism is manifested at the individual, group, and institutional level.” (Blank, 2013)