Racism Essay
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Racism Racism is the mistreatment of a group of people on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, place of origin, or ancestry. The term racism may also denote a blind and unreasoning hatred, envy, or prejudice (New Brunswick Human Rights Commission). Racism has had a strong effect on society. Despite the many efforts made to alleviate racism, what is the future of African Americans? Racism's long history, important leaders, current status, and future outlook will be the main factors in determining how to combat racism. Racism is still present in many societies, although many people are doing their best to put an end to racism and its somewhat tragic ordeals. Though racism is a controversial subject, many other subjects have received just as much controversy. One of these is discrimination. Discrimination is the denial of equality based on personal characteristics, such as race and color. Racial jokes and ethnic slurs are obvious examples of racial discrimination. These comments not only leave the victim feeling helpless and fearful, but they have a negative impact on worker productivity and economic performance. Other examples of these controversial subjects are stereotyping and prejudice. Stereotype means, "set image." Stereotyping refers to forming an instant or fixed picture of a group of people. Prejudice is very similar. It literally means to "prejudge." No law can prevent prejudiced attitudes. Law can, however, prohibit discriminatory practices and behaviors. Racist and racism are provocative words in American society. To some, they become curse words. They are descriptive words of reality that cannot be denied. Some people believe that race is the primary determinant of human abilities and capacities and behave as if racial differences produce inherent superiorities. People of color are often injured by these judgements and actions whether they are directly or indirectly racist. Just as individuals can act in racist ways, so can institutions. Institutions can be overtly or inherently racist. Institutions can also injure people. The outcome is nonetheless racist, if not intentional. Whenever people discuss race relations today and the effect of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, they remember the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He was and continues to be one of the most influential people that have ever lived. His thoughts and dreams of a day when all people will live together in harmony are still not accomplished. Throughout his life, King felt the pain of racism, and being the kind of person he was, he knew he needed to do something. In 1957, he founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. The conference was very influential and invaluable during the Civil Rights Movement. Through this group, King was able to build a strong reputation for having a strong will and desire for equality and justice for all people. This reputation made him a leader, if not THE leader, of the Civil Rights Movement. With the SCLC and the passive resistance philosophy, King was able to lead actions such as the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Selma, Mississippi. The most widely-known march is the March on Washington. In his speech, he talked about his dream for unity and equality among all people. However, because of his marches and protests, he was arrested over thirty times. Despite these arrests, King still made many other accomplishments. In 1963, he was named "Man of the Year" by Time Magazine. He also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. King's awards show the support that people had for his ideas and improvements of Civil Rights ("Martin Luther King"). Another influential Civil Rights leader is Jackie Robinson. Rarely do people find an individual who has the courage and perseverance to break down social barriers. Jackie Robinson is one of these ground breaking individuals. Robinson not only broke the color barrier in baseball, but he was also active in the Civil Rights Movement ("Jackie Robinson"). After accepting an athletic scholarship to UCLA, Robinson joined professional baseball in the spring of 1945 with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro American League. Branch Rickey, owner of the Brooklyn Dodgers, signed him to a minor league contract on August 28, 1945. During his baseball career, he had to go through racial taunts and attacks. He had to be tough to withstand the racial pressures from coaches, players, and fans. It was especially tough at away games. Despite this, Robinson was selected as "Rookie of the Year," elected the league's most valuable player, and led the Dodgers to the World Series. He also went to the World Series six times in his 10-year major career and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 ("Jackie Robinson"). Along with his many athletic achievements, Robinson was also an active member of Civil Rights Organizations. Robinson was a main speaker for the NAACP. In 1956, he received the NAACP's Spingan Medal for Service to black Americans. He was also involved with the integration of the Little Rock schools ("Jackie Robinson"). Thurgood Marshall, a leading black activist, is the one who ended segregation. He broke the color barrier in housing, voting, transportation, and education. When he realized he wanted to do something about segregation, he decided to go to Howard University of Law School. Many of Marshall's cases involved Civil Rights issues, and he was an extremely important legal figure for almost 60 of the 84 years he lived. Marshall was also appointed assistant to Counsel Charles Hamilton Houston, Marshall's mentor and the first black lawyer. In 1938, Marshall began working for the NAACP. While working for them, Marshall won 32 of 35 cases. His most memorable case is Brown v. Board of Education, which ended school segregation ("Thurgood Marshall"). Marshall's most significant achievement came on August 30, 1967, when he became the first African American to serve as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Lyndon Johnson appointed Marshall to the honorable position. Marshall served for 24 years on the Supreme Court until 1991 when he retired. Marshall paved the way for many black advancements ("Thurgood Marshall"). On December 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks walked into the history books when she refused to give up her seat for a white man on a city bus. She was arrested for a violation of the city's segregation laws called the Jim Crow Laws. After challenging the laws in court with no success, Parks and others organized the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The 382-day boycott led to the desegregation of the city's buses. Parks and other people had lost their jobs, and they were harassed and threatened during the boycott, but the boy cotters held. It was an important turn in the Civil Rights Movement ("Rosa Parks"). Later in life, the Parks moved to Detroit where Rosa took a job working for Congressman John Conyers. She then founded the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development. Parks continued her work for the NAACP and other civil rights organizations. In 1986, she received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her achievements in this area. She was also inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame. Parks is often known as the Mother of the Civil Rights Movement. On her seventy-seventh birthday, Parks said, "‘I would like to be known as a person who is concerned about freedom and equality and justice and prosperity for all people'" (qtd. In "Rosa Parks"). So, the problem has remained. Racism has swept through history and managed to survive even though there have been leaders, protests, and even laws to try and stop it. Therefore, people today are left with only one option. We cannot change the past, so why do we not try to learn from it? Of course, changing the fate of racism at present time is not an easy task. Even though Civil Rights leaders have made many advancements for African Americans, the battle has still not been won. It has been over 130 years since the Civil War ended slavery. However, race relations have not changed that much. The country is still rebuilding...
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