Race And Racism In Ruben Martinez's 'The Crossing'

In 2008, Barack Obama was elected the first African-American president of the United States. As a result, many scholars, journalists, political pundits, and cultural critics argue that this monumental achievement indicated the commencement of a post-racial society in the United States. Based on this notion, they have made the assumption that race and ethnicity no longer influence one’s experience or how the country operates. However, in spite of the monumental achievements this country has undergone in an attempt to create a post-racial society, racism and discrimination have not been destroyed, they have simply taken a new form.

Racism still exists in the United States through our Criminal Justice System which unfairly targets African American and Latino

He explains how, compared to other immigrant groups (like in Shih’s story that depicts her immigrant group as a “model minority”) certain immigrant groups are not equally valued and treated in the United States. Similar to the Criminal Justice system that indirectly targets a particular group of individuals, Immigration laws and policies in the United States treat certain racial groups differently, targeting those who are not “valuable” to society through the federal and state laws, some immigrants who cross the border are criminalized and subjected to discrimination and exploitation. Similar to the issue presented in “The New Jim Crow,” the criminalization of certain racial groups (in this case Latin American immigrants) who cross the border without papers proves that there continues to be an ethic hierarchy where particular groups (because of their race) are excluded from having equal opportunity, forced to live in ghettos and barrios where they often face inhumane treatment as well as the constant fear of being deported by law