Getting rid of America’s racism

Racism

Racism refers to the assumption that one race or culture is superior to another person based on culture or nature, despite the contrary findings by anthropologists that all humans are the same. Racism is a subject that has contributed to numerous clashes between different people, as well as between the police and the general people. In the United States, bigotry has remained a significant problem, as shown by continuous press reports. Over the years, various tactics have been developed to resolve the issue of injustice in the United States. These tactics and policies have proven unsuccessful, as seen by the ongoing struggle between the police and the black community of the US. However, there are signs that show some of the policies have worked in overcoming to a certain extent the level of racism in the US. Compared to the Jim Crow era, the people currently are treated better. With the new generation, it is essential that the government with the help of the people get rid of racism to foster multiculturalism.

History of Racism in America

The history of racism in the United States can be traced to the sixteenth century. The poor African Americans and whites had stood together to demonstrate against the wealthy whites. The wealthy whites planted the idea of a less superior black people and a superior white race. As such, racism manifested itself in the society with the African Americans suffering the most. The height of racism was during the Jim Crow Era. During this era, the government especially in different states set rules to favor the whites at the same time condemning the black to harsh rules. The early uprising of the blacks started to change the course of history until the 1960s where the blacks’ civil movement led to the collapse of Jim Crow rules. As of 2017, the rules and policies in place are fair to every people of different race. Despite these changes, racism still thrives within different regions as exemplified by constant shooting of African Americans by the police.

Current situation on racism in America

Currently, racism still thrives in the United States. As late as August, 2017, many white supremacists could be seen holding rallies to a point where one killed people by ploughing into them with his car. The show of might by these individuals shows that racism has not ended in the country but is still thriving within particular groups. The lowdown of the whole spectacle is that the government so far has not done anything to shut down such groups who physically and openly show their hate towards a particular group of people. The government has left such groups to thrive instead of conducting investigation to arraign them in court. Additionally, the police have been accused of being racist. They have so far killed many African Americans even for petty issues which could be handled with less force. Their superiors have failed to nab down such policemen leaving the people hopeless about the whole situation. Racism is still existent in the United States as well as other countries globally.

Previous measures against racism in America

One of the ways that the country has tried to tackle racism previously includes mixing the people. This was done through organizing neighborhoods that contained both whites and blacks. However, the people would make their own communities such as whites communicating with one another and the blacks sticking to their own communities. As such, it did not help the people generally. Another way which has been used to tackle racism is through intermarriages. The shortcoming of this approach is that it cannot be replicated on a national case. The choice of a partner is personal and the government does not have control over it. As such, it has not yielded the results that would be desirable. Policies put in place to favor African Americans have failed as well because it has created a divide between the different groups further increasing racism. Despite these failed measures, other measures such as banning unfair rules has made the field fair for both the whites and the blacks.

Success and Limitation of previous measures

The previous measures resulted in poor results. One of the limitations of the previous measures is that racism was within the individuals. It was how a person as raised and not particularly based on color. As such, the best way would have been educating the younger ones so that they could not emulate their parents. Additionally, the measures concentrated on the whites whilst leaving some of the racist African Americans thriving. The measures should have included ensuring that the few racists within the African American group were controlled as well. However, some of the policies have been a success. Illegalizing laws that subjected Africans to unfair treatment in getting jobs has ensured that most people respect one another. Additionally, most of the younger generations have learned to live with one another compared to the previous generations.

Measures of getting rid of Racism in America

One of the ways of getting rid of racism in America is by ensuring both the whites and the blacks join forces in standing against hate. The churches, schools and any other civic groups should be funded to fight or march against hate. The society invests in educating the masses. The source of racism is ignorance. By making individuals learn that all people are the same, racism will slowly end in the United States. The leaders should be pressurized to give hard penalties to people who participate in racial activities. Only then would these individuals realize that racism is bad to the society and may result in a person being incarcerated. The way sexual harassment has been handled, racism should be handled the same way.

Implementation and Follow up

The implementation of such measures can take years. However, by ensuring that the government backs such policies and strategies, overcoming racism will be easier. One way of implementing the measures is by creating an act that protects such laws. The law courts have a way of helping the masses believe in a particular behavior. If the law courts can back up these measures, the people will have to follow the rules or rather respect one another. The measures can then be evaluated after 5 to 10 years looking at how people respect one another. It is essential that the African-Americans and the whites are integrated into the system as one rather than creating differences such as making harsh laws to one community. The measures should go both ways. With such measures, racism will end in the United States.

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