RACISM: THEN AND NOW

Racism has always been one of the most major issues worldwide, and many attempts have been made throughout the history in order to suppress it. Although there is no doubt that racism is changing rapidly, the result is neither positive nor negative.

Racism is less brutal nowadays than it used to be. In the eighteenth century, black people weren’t regarded as human beings but merchandise; a slave was simply a replaceable tool that made money for the white owners. In addition, there were anti-black hate groups like the KKK, who killed about 3446 blacks in 86 years.  After that era of slavery, Jim Crow Laws came in to segregate the lack and the white such as interracial marriage could be penalized with a fine of $1000 or up to six months in prison (Nevada, 1957). However, today, the black and white study and work in the same environment: the number of people who were to move when somebody of a different race moved in nearby dropped drastically: from 70% in the 50s to 5% in 2000. African -Americans now have the right to vote. The percentage of approval on an interracial marriage has risen steadily over the past years: from 25% in the 70s to 87% in 2013. These facts point out that the US is getting closer to become a color – blind society.

Despite those positive changes, racism is not vanishing. Compared to the past, racism these days has taken on a new form: less blatant, more subtle. Although most of the laws endorsing racism have disappeared, African- Americans still receive disadvantages from the community. The U.S. Sentencing Commission cited the fact that for the same crime, African-Americans receive 10% longer sentences than whites through the federal system. Another study pointed out that college professors are more likely to respond to queries from students they believe are white. It seems that people are used to racism, which makes it normal to discriminate the blacks from the white.

This situation happens because people have been living with racism for such a long period of time. They either are used to discriminate that way or was taught to think of other races that way. No one is a racist when they were born; it is the society which contaminates their mind with racism. As a result, putting a complete stop to racism will be a long-lasting fight.