Racism is a belief of superiority that some people claim to have over a race considered by them inferior based on looks, skin colour, background or other discriminatory ideas. For thousands of years, racism has continued to exist, and has been manifested in many different manners. Only a few, brief hundreds of years ago, slavery existed throughout a big part of the world. Slaves were used by rich people as free labour. In the United States, in 1861, the country became divided in two over the issue of slavery. The North wanted to abolish it and the South opposed it, therefore a war broke out that became the bloodiest war in America’s history and is known as the Civil War in history. After the North won the war, segregation was established through a set of laws known as Jim Crow laws. Even though black people were supposedly free, their freedom was still limited so in other words the liberated slaves were still not free. Nowadays, although there is no slavery and most people in a country have the same rights, racism still exists and people are still treated as if they are inferior based on their race.  Other racist groups emerged as a result of the hatred towards other races. The KKK (Ku Klux Klan) was established after the Civil War as well, as a racist group that upholds white supremacism. This group continues to exist today, and its existence raises a question. Why are these groups allowed to not only exist, but to function in society? If the world truly wanted racism to end, then everyone needs to cooperate and put in the effort as individuals. There are so many ways in which racism can be expressed, and so many people turn a blind eye to these discriminatory acts instead of standing up for what is right. No one should be treated unequal or inferior based on race and it is up to us, the generation of today to make a change. This change starts gradually and it must start in the mind of every person before being carried out. There are no excuses anyone can make for the existence of racism. Yes, unfortunately, the world has not seen a great change where racism is concerned, but it is possible to eliminate discrimination with effort and participation. In the United States, for example, the new President has openly said and done many racist acts. If efforts can be made to practice racism, then surely efforts can be made to  stop its spreading.