Research Paper Proposal - Essay Example

If we believe that racism is dead and quit looking for it, we are being set up for a repeat of our past. When we no longer openly discuss racism, we allow it to slowly fester beneath the surface of our society. We are ignoring the elephant in the room while it is slowly growing larger and larger. I hope to prove that racism is still alive. I hope to find evidence that society destroyed the old Jim Crow laws and other forms of open racism only to replace them with hidden racism. I want to discover how racism, now that it is no longer openly tolerated in society, has gone underground.

I want to discover how, when we no longer discuss racism, it grows outside of our consciousness. I care about the topic of racism because it is a part of our society that I believe will never fully disappear. Humans always make snap judgments based on appearances. This reflex is what allows us to avoid poisonous snakes based on the shape of their heads or the patterns on their backs. But, this same reflex causes us to make snap decisions about people that grow and become racism. These decisions then become a part of our society and become tolerated.

Regardless of your race, racism affects every member of our society. Racism keeps our society from making progress by insuring that certain members of our society do not make social progress. If we subjugate members of our population, our society is unable to fully realize its potential. Discoveries that these members may make are nullified by the fact that we tolerate discrimination and racism. Currently, most of our society wants to believe that racism is dead. However, just one example that it is not is the current social status of black members of American society.

Historically, the black population has been less wealthy than other members of society. This disparity is a result of slavery and institutional racism. If we are to believe current commentators, education is the path to wealth and