Wagner1

JakobWagner
Mr.Conrad
ERWC
4/10/2016
Racism

Racism,itsawordthatisthrownoutalotlately.
Someunderstandthemeaning,whileothersdont.
Itissomethingweshouldallbeawareof.
Throughouttheyearssomesayithasgottenbetter,
whileotherssayitisontheriseandcouldpossibly
gettoanalltimehigh.TheU.Sisnostrangerto
racism,ithasbeentheresincethebeginning.We
cangoallthewaybacktothe1600s,whenblackswereslavesorinthe1960swhenthereweretherace
riotsandMartinLutherKingJunior.NowbacktoourdayofagewherewehavehadtheBlackLives
MatterMovement.Isitreallyasbadaswethinkitis?First,wearegoingtohavetounderstandwhat
racismis.
So,whatisracismyoumightask.Racisminthedictionarymeans:Thebeliefthatallmembers
ofeachracepossesscharacteristicsorabilitiesspecifictothatrace.Especiallysoastodistinguishitas
inferiororsuperiortoanotherraceorraces.Thenitgoesontostateprejudice,discrimination,or
antagonismdirectedagainstsomeoneofadifferentracebasedonthebeliefthatonesownraceis
superior.Which,basedoffoftodayssociety,wecanmakeafewreferencestoracism.Likewhenyou
areyoungyouaretaughtracistjokesfromkidsintheschoolyard,orhowyouaretaughtracialslursagain
inschool,orsometimeswheninaghettoneighborhoodparentstellthechildrentolockthedoorsand

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rollupwindowsduetojudgingwholivesthereor
whatacertainpersonlookslike.Itissomething
thathasbeenwithusourentirelivesandwe
haventevennoticeditbut,isitasbadasitwas
backthen.Tofindoutwearegoingtohavetolook
throughouttheyearsandcompareonetoanother.
Goingallthewaybacktothe1600s.
Inthe1600s,whitesenslavedblackstodo
alltheworkforthem.Inthistimeperiodwealso
adoptedmanyoftheracialslursyouheartoday.Anyways,whitesfeltentitledtogotoAfricaand
basicallyhuntdownAfricanstotakebacktotheU.Sandmakethemtheirpetssotospeak.Theywere
lookedatnobetterthandogs,werenoteducatedtokeepthemstupid,astheythoughttheywere.When
theydisobeyedtheywerepunishedbrutally,theywerewhippedsometimestodeath.TheAfricanwoman
inthistimeperiodwererapedbytheirownersormastersforthesolereasonbecausetheownercould
andfeltnosympathyforthemwhatsoever.Theyweretrulytakenadvantageof,untilAbrahamLincoln
becamepresident.Bythistimethecivilwarhadbegun,andoneofthereasonsofthisbattlewastofree
blacksfromslavery.EventuallyasweallknowtheNorthwonandMr.Lincolngotridofslaveryall
together.Tryingtopushthattheybeacceptedbysocietyasfunctionalmemberstoo.Theyalsogot
educationfinally,itwasnotthebestbutitwasamilestoneforracialequality.
Thenexttimeperiodwouldbethe1950swithhispanicsandtheirveryownCesarChavez.Atthis
timeHispanicsweregiventhegruntjobsofamerica,andwerelivingonverylowincomesforsome,very
largefamilies.Childrenwerealsoforcedtoworkinthefieldstomakeasmuchextramoneyaspossible.
Theworktheydidwastedious,andnotverysafeconsideringtheywerearoundpesticidesandother
chemicalsthatweresprayedonthecrop.Theeducationtheyhadwaspoor,someneverevenwentto

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schoolbecausetheyweretoovaluabletothefamilyincome.Then,finallyonemannamedCesarChavez
camealongandfoughtforallhispanicsaroundthecountry.Hepushedtomakelaborunionsforthe
workersandalsotriedtogetsaferworkingconditionsforthepeoplenotonlythisbutalsohigherwages
forthepeoplesotheycouldhaveabetterliving.Heheldpeacefulproteststogethiscausesome
recognition,andeventuallygotwhathewantedforhispeopleintheU.S.Thingswerestartingtolook
goodforallraces.
Thencamealongthe1960s,whereabunchofriotsbrokeout.TheyareknownastheRaceRiots
ofThe1960s.Thereweretonsofthem,theyoccurredallovertheU.S.whichincluded:Birmingham,
Alabama,NewYorkCity,LosAngeles,Chicago,Illinios,Tampa,Florida,Cincinnati,Ohio,Atlanta,
Georgia,NewJersey,andDetroit,Michigan.AlotmoreeruptedonthenightMartinLutherKingJunior
died.Anyways,theyallstartedwheninHarlemacopshotandkilledateenageboyfornoreason.Hesaid
itwasselfdefense,whoknowsifthatistrue.Forthenextcoupleofdays,peoplestartedpeacefulprotests
inmemoryofthiskid.Policebeatsomeoftheprotesterswhichaggravatedmanyoftheothers.They
startedriotingandintheprocessdestroyedbunchofprivateproperty,andcitybuildings.Theylooted
stores,brokewindowsandsetthingsonfire.Afteracoupledaystheriotsettleddownafterthepolice
calledintheMilitary.Thesamethinghappenedeventuallyontheothersideofthecountry,whenwhite
policemenusedforcetoarrestablackforDUI,abunchofblackbystandersthoughtitwasverywrong
whattheyweredoing.Itallbrokeoutwhenacopusedfortotrytoarrestawomanforallegedlyspitting
onhim.Thecrowddefendedherandstartedrioting.Theypeltedcarsandbusseswithrocks,theydidthe
sametocopswhorespondedwithriotsticks.Newsreporterswhostayedintheareatoreporttheriotwere
attackedandbeaten.Themilitaryeventuallygotinonthisonetooandhadtotrytocontrolfiftysquare
milesofthecitywhichtheyeventuallydidandtheriotcalmeddown.Thirtyfourweredead,mostof
themparticipantsintheriot,andmorethanathousandwereinjured.Sixhundredbuildingswere

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damaged,athirdofthemtotallydestroyed.Propertydamagewasestimatedat$40million.Thishitthe
cityveryhard.Asyouknowmanymorebrokeoutafterthisaroundthecountryforblackrights.
NowwehavetheBlackLivesMattermovement.Thisonewasalsosparkedbypolicebrutality,
inthesouthernstatesoftheU.S..ApoliceofficerwasarrestingateennamedTrayvonMartinandoutof
nowhereshotandkilledtheteen.Whenincourthesaiditwasforselfdefense,littletonoonebelieves
that.Despitetheoddsbeingagainsthim,thepoliceofficergotawaywithit.Thereweremanypeaceful
protestthatfollowedthistragicevent.Eventuallyanuproarintheblackcommunitycameupoverthe
relationshipbetweenblacksandlawenforcers.Thisresultedinthehashtagbeingmadeonsocialmedia
calledblacklivesmatter.AfterthiswehadtheFergusonriotswhichhappenedaftertwomoredeathsof
blackteensbythenameofMichaelBrownandDarrenWilson.Peoplewerestartingtogetfedupwith
policeandshootingpeopleaftertheyareintheircustody.Shortlyafterthisothersnotassociatedwithany
movementgottogethernotforapeacefulprotest,butforviolence.Agroupofblackswantedtokillor
hurtwhitesinrevengetowhattheirpeoplehavedonetotheirs.Theyweresayingthattheywillkill
somewhitepeopletomakethemseehowitfeelsandhowitistobetreatedpoorly.Quiteascarythingto
thinkabout,yes?
RacismisdefinitelystillaliveandwellintheU.S.Sincetheblacklivesmattermovement,inmy
opinionitfeelslikewehaveincertainareaswehaveregressedintermsofracialequality.Racialequality
isthethoughtthatindividualsregardlessoftheirracialcharacteristics,aremorally,politically,andlegally
equalandshouldbetreatedso.Intheoryitisasimpleconcept,butinthebigpictureitisveryhardtodo
so.Somanypeoplehaveprejudicesforalldifferentreasons,nomatterifitisadumbreasontohaveone
ornot.Weneedtolearntoloveeachotherandworktogether.Throughouttheyears,ifyoubreakthings
down,thingshavegottenworse.Iwentfromgoingfromhearingclosetonothingaboutracismgrowing
andnowitiseverywhere.Americawillneverbegreatagainifitisnotwillingtoaccepteveryone.

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Yesthereisracism,butitcangobothways.WhatImeanbythisispeopleareracist,butwhen
yougointoasituationexpectingracism,somethingbadisgoingtohappen.Someparentshavetaught
theirkidsthatthepoliceareracistandaregoingtoassaultyou.Whenyouplantaseedlikethatin
someonesmindatayoungageandtheygrowupwiththatalwaysinthebackoftheirmindandtheywill
hatethosekindofpeople.Thatgoesforwhites,blacks,andpeopleofeveryculture.Itisthesamewith
anythingelse,ifyoutellakidsomethingandtellhimthisthroughtherestoftheirchildhood,whenthey
growuptheywillmostlikelythinkit.Iwatchedavideowheretheparentstoldtheirchildtoduckwhena
copdrivesbyyousohedoesnotseeyou,sohekeepsdrivinginsteadofpullingovertoharassyou.Ifyou
thinkaboutitthatisaformofracism,racialprofiling.
Racismisarealthingthataffectsmanypeopleeveryday.Somepeoplechoosetositinsilence
andwatchasmanygethurt.Racismwasgettingbetterforacoupleofyears,butcurrentlyitislikethe
nationtookacompleteUTurnbacktothe1960s.Whatisitgoingtotakeforpeopletobeniceto
everyone?Weareallonthisearthtogethersojustgetusedtoit.Thereneedstobemoreloveinthisworld
fullofhatred.Racismdefinitelyisdefinitelystillprettybad,andifwedonotdoanything,itcould
possiblygettoanalltimehigh.

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WorkCited
"RaceRiotsofthe1960s."
UXLEncyclopediaofU.S.History
.SoniaBenson,DanielE.Brannen,Jr.,andRebecca
Valentine.Vol.7.Detroit:UXL,2009.12791285.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.28Apr.2016.

Streich,GregoryW."RacialEquality."
NewDictionaryoftheHistoryofIdeas
.Ed.MaryanneClineHorowitz.Vol.2.
Detroit:CharlesScribner'sSons,2005.704708.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.28Apr.2016.

Winant,Howard."RaceandRacism:Overview."
NewDictionaryoftheHistoryofIdeas
.Ed.MaryanneCline
Horowitz.Vol.5.Detroit:CharlesScribner'sSons,2005.19871989.
StudentResourcesinContext
.Web.28Apr.
2016.