Racism and Injustices - Essay Example

Running Head: REFLECTION ON RACISM AND INJUSTICES Tittle: Reflection on Racism and Injustices Americahas a rich history of fight against racial discrimination and segregation. It is until 1954 that the court ruled African Americans could attend universities just like the whites. However, the first African American student who had joined University of Alabama in 1956 after a court order was later frustrated and expelled out of the university. In about the same period, Rosa Parks was arrested for failure to give a seat to a white in a bus as required by segregation ordinance in Montgomery, Alabama (Allen & Allen, 1975).

The incidence sparked demonstrations and 381-days bus boycott, which was put to an end by a court ruling that abolished segregation in buses. Above 50 years later, much of racial segregation has been eliminated through legal measures although there are views that racism remains in the heart of many whites (Allen & Allen, 1975; Omi & Winant, 2014). Since the two incidences, there has been marked improvement in change of laws to abolish racial segregation and uphold diversity of all people. The 1963 ‘I have a dream’ by Dr.

King was of great hope to African Americans and was followed by approval of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the following year, that mandated businesses to sell goods and services without discrimination. Moreover, the act mandated employers to hire and promote employees without racial prejudice, dismissed literacy tests to further voting rights, and most importantly allowed African Americans to share public accommodations. Several acts of parliament followed to give Americans equal civil rights enjoyed up to today (Allen & Allen, 1975; Feagin, 2014).

Today all Americans have equal voting rights, equal access to education opportunities, and equal access to public accommodation facilities. Many blacks have climbed the political leadership and positions of authority in America notably governor of lily-white Massachusetts and the current president Obama. Today 15% of marriages are interracial. Courts punish those found with discriminating and those with racism opinions (Opotow, 2011). However, not all is well as intended. Black Americans are still more likely to lack jobs and residential segregation persists although it is reducing.

Houses that are not vacant for African Americans are available for the whites. African Americans are more likely to be poor, be arrested and imprisoned or shot dead by police even when there is a black president in office (López, 2010).The wealth gap between blacks and whites is widening after years of declining. Recently, the court invalidated a clause in Voting Rights Act and the future of it is unpredictable since some states have passed voter disenfranchisement. Strict voter ID laws in eight states including Texas can only be compared with literacy tests and poll tax about 50 years ago.

The court set a high bar for universities that use affirmative action (López, 2010).Decisions with racial motives have not vanished. Outlawing of security searches in New York provides evidence that the police officers suspect blacks more than they suspect whites. Shooting of Michael Brown with twelve bullets even after he surrendered to the police, is an example of estranged relationship between African American and white police officers. Although overly represented in special education programs, African Americans are underrepresented in gifted programs.

The attack on social media has propelled publication of racial opinions. The recent social media racial attack on Joel Ward after winning and racial attacks on President Obama and his family is a good example reviews racism is still in the hearts of the young generation (Dorling, 2011; López, 2010).In conclusion racism and racial injustices remain but not as they were about 50 years ago. There has been marked use of law to eliminate them. However, institutionalized racism, brutality, and racial profiling are evident up to today.

Election of president Obama has not created a post racial era but a continued struggle to save the country from racism that has caused significant social, economic, and political impact on African Americans. REFERENCES Allen, R. L., & Allen, P. P. (1975). Reluctant reformers: Racism and social reform movements in the United States (Vol. 1007). Doubleday Books.Dorling, D. (2011). Injustice: Why social inequality persists. Policy Press. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=r1ddnQsj3r0C&oi=fnd&pg=PR1&dq=racism+and+social+injustice+in+1950s+in+America&ots=wVl_yzwshC&sig=WtA3Z7b3t92EG7r_28i_ly0OVd4Feagin, J. R. (2014).

Racist America: Roots, current realities, and future reparations. Routledge. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=OlakAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=HISTORY+OF+RACISM+AND+INJUSTICES+IN+AMERICA&ots=pantwMi65E&sig=KuhBoJInrVw0QUTM8SadVN0sxtELópez, I. F. H. (2010). Post-racial racism: Racial stratification and mass incarceration in the age of Obama. California Law Review, 1023–1074.Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2014). Racial formation in the United States. Routledge. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?

hl=en&lr=&id=T7LcAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=HISTORY+OF+RACISM+AND+INJUSTICES+IN+AMERICA&ots=k4wUFVwV0d&sig=3kDvcq5rlnKTlLyF33CVr3mggycOpotow, S. (2011). Social injustice. The Encyclopedia of Peace Psychology. Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470672532.wbepp256/full