Prejudice And Discrimination In America

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Discrimination and prejudice, both being inflammatory & divisive issues today, will only hurt the black youth of America. According to Merriam Webster the definition of discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Discrimination plays a very large role in the downfall of black youth in America due to its ability to make a child believe that their life is worth less than someone else’s. Discrimination and poverty is a self-fulfilling prophecy for young black men and women in American today.

The patterns of discrimination in law enforcement, employment, housing etc. perpetuates the fear of being a victim of such practice, which is a belief …show more content…
According to Ouseley (1994), “Young black males are being expelled or excluded at four times the rate of other children in the same schools” p31. The feeling of being ostracized at a time when your self-esteem is fragile and is still in development is can devastate an adolescent. School administrations understand and are well-aware of discriminatory practices that are used in the real world, and yet, instead of interfering and offering a hand, they remain as bystanders. This rising self-doubt and insecurity only adds to the distress of black adolescents. Schroth states that “We follow the three as they ‘struggle’ -- an overused word that can give its subject more slack than he may deserve -- to pass a high school equivalency exam, show up for work on time, live with a drug-addicted mother,” and despite a black man’s considerably higher chance of getting racially profiled, “stay out of the juvenile detention home” (p. 13). Schroth mocks those who mercilessly criticize the struggle, making it seem as though it is something that can be easily overcome. He acknowledges the hardships African Americans go …show more content…
Akil (2016) expresses his grief for not only having to explain prejudice to his 12 year old son, but seeing his own paranoia and fear of police being mirrored back to him on his child’s face. “I know that you can see the hypocrisy; you can feel that boys and girls like you are still considered three-fifths of a white person” (Akil, 2016, p12). The sad thing is, Akil knows he is not alone. There are thousands of other black parents who struggle with the idea that, because of discrimination, their child might see less worth in themselves or their own lives. As a form of satire, “The Talk” illustrates the divide between the childhood of a white child and that of a black child. Black children are forced to grow up faster and be aware of the realities of their environment. The illustration conveys that black parents don’t get to talk with their children about getting older and plans for their futures. Instead, they have no other choice than to expose them to the inequity in the justice system and it’s flawed use of prejudice when it comes to conviction. These same children grow up thinking they are inferior to kids of other races, expendable, because so
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