What Is Racism In America

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Racism In America “I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” -Nelson Mandela Everywhere you go there are schools, streets, bridges and huge amounts of information on Dr. Martin Luther King. His message simple and straight to the point explaining the founding fathers promise, that “all men are created equal” and have a right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. His “I have a Dream” speech has had a great impact on America. But we are far from this great dream. America is suppose to be the great land of opportunity, where most people are considered to be color blind, but people of color continue to be victimized by interpersonal and systemic racism. To understand this belief we must first understand what racism is. When …show more content…

Native American, the first indigenous people, was the first to experience this violence followed by black Africans and later to some degree other people of color as they migrated to America. Many view racism as an unconcealed act against people of color. Regardless of conscious intent, everyone in this society is conditioned, affected, and infected by racism (Ponds, 2013). Racism assumes that one group is superior over another group, an attitude of arrogance. Racism extends far beyond personal beliefs and values. There are systemic racism disadvantages as well with people of color and it operates to the advantage of the whites, whether or not they are aware of these privileges or not (Glasswing, 2012). When people of color migrated it disrupted white control, oppression took on a new look. Exclusion from land use, rising housing cost, and the convictions box on job applications for major employers have ensured that people of color remain excluded from the

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