Racial prejudice is not uncommon across the states. Even during this “progressive” era, the roots of racial discrimination have been buried deep in society, ranging from policies to education. Ostracizing and discriminating against someone due to their culture, beliefs, or race goes against our understanding of humanity. This article will first identify the start of racial prejudice and then show its prevalence in modern society.
Where it all started and how is it prevalent in today’s society?
Racism is not a new concept. It was always there, even after the abolishment of slavery. Segregation policies are it in the government, jobs, or even daily life necessities such as trains, busses are the prime factor of racial prejudice being prevalent across the states. These policies gave rise to resentment from the non-white community. These led to even harsher responses, i.e., the Jim Crow laws and widespread segregation. Be it schools, public transport, or anything involving the public; you would find a sign separating the white from the non-whites. Escalation of violence against black communities was not uncommon as well. Lynch mobs and other small-time criminals predominantly attacked non-white communities. It was because the American system disregarded them and would even face further problems were they to report their injustice to the respective authorities.
However, throughout the century, with Black activist movements and public opinion shifting towards progressive ideas, we can see a rapid destabilization in racial injustice. While it may seem that racial injustice has disappeared as a whole to most people, people living in that bubble will be surprised to know that it is not the case. Injustice against non-white people is still prevalent across the states. As mentioned above, injustice against black people was common in the early 19th century. The biggest problem regarding this was that even if they were to report the cruelty inflicted upon them to authorities or other public figures, the vast majority of them would take a stance against them. Even now, police generally pin most crimes on non-white people. A black individual is more likely to be arrested over petty crimes than a white person, which remains true to this day.
Injustice in the System – One-Sided Law & Order
It comes to no surprise that both government policies and the ones enforcing those policies tend to be prejudged towards non-white inhabitants of a state. Before the invention of dash cams, law enforcers would take it upon themselves to commit various acts of injustice towards these helpless victims of police brutality without any representation. If they were to speak out against the injustice done towards them, it was always their word against the officer, and the offender would do his best to attack the person’s character to get out of trouble Scott free. Even if the offender were caught, they would be given a lenient punishment and allowed to continue their lives without consequence. In contrast, the victim would be silenced on an empty victory with no resolution.
You can see how scary it would have been to be a non-white person in America during those trying times. However, the invention of dash cams only partially solved the issue. Even now, racial prejudice is not uncommon even amongst officers with a dashcam, and was they to be implicated; the chances are that they will not have to face harsh consequences. By allowing this rotten disease called racism to fester and bury itself deep in all of America’s systems, we have created a society where hate against non-white still exists behind closed doors.
The most prominent example in recent years is one of George Floyd. On May 25, 2020, the tragic outcome of years of hidden hatred towards non-white inhabitants of America would result in an innocent African American man’s death. George Floyd was suspected of providing a counterfeit 20$ bill by a grocery store employee. When the officers arrived at the scene, instead of calmly de-escalating the situation and resolving it as their job dictates, they dealt with the matter with hostile intent. Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, escalated the situation and then detained a yet innocent Floyd by pressing his knee to his neck. This lasted for almost 9 minutes and 29 seconds. During this grueling encounter, Floyd repeatedly asserted that he was not able to breathe. However, Chauvin dealt with him with special cruelty and did not listen to him asserting even at the arrival of paramedics.
While tragic and a senseless loss of life, George Floyd is not the only victim of police brutality. Countless other African Americans, Mexican, and people of various colors have been victims of unfair policies, injustice from law enforcers, and prejudice in daily life. Even with the advent of black lives movements throughout the years, racism is deeply rooted in the core policies of America itself. People who do not even support this terrible motion find themselves inadvertently supporting it by not speaking out against unjust, cruel, and racist policies. It is time to change these policies. Discriminating against white people is not the right cause. We should educate them and allow the reformation of their ideas. Through the only reformation, we hope to eradicate the disease called racism in both America and the world.