Examining Racism in American Politics and Employment

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When Barack Obama was elected to be President of the United States in 2008, many deemed it as the ultimate breakthrough for African-Americans. Considering the social position of African-Americans only 50 years ago, to have an African-American serving the most powerful role in the world was no mean feat, and yet, despite this, in many areas of society, African-Americans still seem to be suffering from undue discrimination. This begs the question, just how racist is America? Prior to the 1960s, rarely was there black representation in Congress. Putting aside for a moment the irony of this in a country that declared its independence under the banner of “no taxation with representation,” this posed a serious issue for the black community. However, when the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964, it set the path for African-Americans to leap up the social ladder and become equal in all aspects of life as whites, and potentially opened the gates for equal racial representation in the federal government. Yet, 47 years on, blacks are still not proportionally represented in Congress. My calcul...

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