About Racism

Police stops are one form of racism I always face. The police racialise heavily who is halted in a car or walking distance. As an African American, I am more than my fellow white friends ever randomly stopped by the police. In the United States, racial profiling continues to accumulate and African Americans and Hispanics are more likely to be stopped than white ones. The police always assume that you either abuse drugs or are participating in illicit activities like robbery, being an African American or Hispanic young man. According to research conducted by the University of Kansas, a black male in Kansas, aged 25 and below, face a 28% chance of being stopped as compared to whites. The police always assume that being an African American or Hispanic young male, you are either abusing drugs or involved in illegal activities, such as theft. According to research conducted by the University of Kansas, a black male in Kansas, aged 25 and below, face a 28% chance of being stopped by the police. On the other hand, a similar white male faces a 12% chance of being stopped (Hardeman, Medina, & Kozhimannil, 2016, p. 2114). The number reflects this deep rooted assumption by the police force.

One reason why racism still exists today is that of stereotyping,  accepted as a norm in our society. For example, the war on drugs in the United States has been waged mostly in African-American and Hispanic communities, with offenders likely to face serious charges and locked away for longer sentences. Apart from the war on drugs, the war on terrorism is on the assumption that all Muslims and Arabs can be terrorists.

History plays a major role in acts of racism. It is normal for the current generation to learn from history. However, the difference is on whether the lessons from our history influences us positively or negatively. Although many people shun the previous acts of racism, a few still take pride in these acts, thereby influencing how they treat others. Most of the people who still practice racism feel that what others did before was right and justified.

Reference

Hardeman, R. R., Medina, E. M., & Kozhimannil, K. B. (2016). Structural Racism and Supporting Black Lives-The Role of Health Professionals. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(22), 2113-2115.