Racism In America

Racism, prejudice against another race believed to be inferior to one’s own, continues to persist in America today from its origins in the 17th century. Beginning with the slave trade, African-Americans in society have been discriminated against and treated unreasonably. Even after abolishing slavery, African-American oppression carried on far into the 1900s with traditional viewpoints unable to accept the changes which would lead to equality. Eventually, with the Civil Rights Movement, segregation and outdated laws abated, and on the legal front, racism no longer existed. However, racism involves much more than just technicalities and laws; eradicating racism altogether requires transforming racist culture and mindsets. Beliefs cannot be forced …show more content…
Most commonly known in reference to the group, the Ku Klux Klan, white supremacy consists of multitudes of other groups and individuals all joined under the belief that other races will dominate the world and force whites into extinction (“With Hate in their Hearts”). Extreme actions performed by those who identify as white supremacists, or nationalists, exhibit this radical ideology. In attempt to ensure the superiority of their race, they will go to enormous lengths to degrade other races such as through protesting the removal of still standing Confederate statues that regenerate racist ideals of the Confederate states during the Civil War and offend African-Americans. Often the white supremacist mentality leads towards violence in hopes of eradicating the ‘inferior’ races. For example, self-radicalized Dylann Roof received inspiration from white supremacist websites which encouraged his terroristic act of shooting a predominately African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina in 2015 (“With Hate in their Hearts”). Motivation by hatred, skin color, and racist ideals instilled by the world of white supremacy causes incidents like this to frequently occur. Many others follow a similar suit, sharing Roof’s mindset and resorting to violence to solve their “problems” with African-Americans. In fact, white supremacists execute about 83% of all terror based murders in America (“With Hate in their Hearts”). This stems from their deranged idea that violence benefits the world and fulfills their purpose in life. Supremacists’ heavy reliance on violence in hopes of restoring America to its prior state represents their racist intentions, hoping to achieve what Hitler attempted in Germany, a transformation to an Aryan nation. Furthermore, nationalists hold rallies exposing their beliefs and anticipating newfound support from others

Show More