The Negative Impacts of Racism
Although racial relations in America has improved over time, racism is still present and a major issue in our society. In a survey (RawStory) taken by the government, 56% of Americans said that they have somewhat of racist and hatred feelings towards others. That is over half of our population. Still to this day, African-Americans are the ones who receive most of the racism. Skin color should not define somebody or make others treat them differently. Although some people are racist to certain degrees, there are still the half of Americans that are not. Americans need to take a stand to stop a major problem in our society. Many organizations such as the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) are taking a stand against racism. America needs more people to take a stand to stop racism, a problem our ancestors caused. In conclusion, racism is a problem that our world needs to get rid of if we want to keep on moving forward to racial equality.
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates of The Atlantic published an article, “Your Stories of Racism”, that retells stories that his readers have witnessed relating to racism. Our world needs to eliminate the racism between whites and blacks. One example from the site is a story about a 18 year-old African immigrant. One morning he was out jogging in a predominantly white community. A white police officer thought that he looked suspicious because he was black. There were no crimes or reported crimes during that time. The officer then pointed a gun at him and brought him to the ground while screaming commands at him. The man kept on trying to tell him he did not do anything. He finally left him with a sarcastic “have a nice day.” This would not have happened to a white person jogging in that community. The African immigrant had another instance where a police officer rolled up on him and his white wife and asked her if she was okay. The police officer then gave the young couple a look of disgust and drove off. How are is America going to get rid of racism if the people in charge of keeping our society safe think black people are always committing crimes? It is clear to see that racism needs to end because we are discriminating towards people who are just as innocent as we are.
The YWCA published an article,” Stand Against Racism”, which tells about what they plan to do to end racism. The Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) is an organization, founded in 2007, that focuses on stopping racism for women all around the world. They are located in almost every state. Last year their campaigns appeared in 44 states. They also do many campaigns around the world. They even appeared on national TV stations such as ABC. Some of their successes last year was getting over 50 police stations and schools to pledge against racism. This year they will be doing a stand against racism act that will take place April 28-May 1. This a yearly act that is one of their larger strategies to remove racism from our world. Their main focus this year is to eliminate racism towards girls of color. Their goal this year is to get every state to host one of their acts. You can get in on the action as they will be hosting one of these acts in almost every state. Connect with the stand against racism on twitter and donate on their website.
Racism is still an ongoing problem in America to this date. Many people's lives are ruined because of racism. One example of racism is, as stated above, when a person of color is discriminated because of their skin color or the skin color of their spouse. We judge people based on their skin color not who they are. Although some of the stereotypes we hold of people are true does not mean we have to judge them different than others. If we want to keep our world moving forward to racial equality we need to think of others as equal to us. If we do not change our ways then America may have history repeat itself. There are also over 45 organizations against racism that are trying to take a stand for racism to end. Make a difference in the world and join one of these organizations to help end racism. As you can see, racism is an ongoing problem that needs to end. With the help of millions of people racism can come to an end.
Works Cited
Terbush, Jonathan. "Poll: Majority of Americans Are Racist against Blacks.”. Raw Story, n.d. Web. 03
Mar. 2016.http://www.rawstory.com/2012/10/poll-majority-of-americans-are-racist-against-black/
"Your Stories of Racism." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, n.d. Web. 10 Feb.
2016. http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/07/your-stories-of-racism/398117/
"Stand Against Racism 2016:On A Mission for Girls of ColorRegistration Is Now Open!" YWCA. YWCA, n.d.
Web. 18 Feb. 2016.http://www.standagainstracism.org/
"Anti-Racism Groups in the United States of America." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web.
03 Mar. 2016.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Anti-racist_organizations_in_the_United_States