Racism is a Problem in Contemporary America (Essay Sample)

Racism is a Problem in Contemporary America Student's Name Instructor Course Date Racism is a Problem in Contemporary America Introduction Martin Luther King was an activist, or rather an American icon, in respect to racism in America, considering his public condemnation of racism. He led the Civil Rights Movement, which saw to the abolishment of segregation, and subsequent achievement of equal treatment of African Americans in the American society. 51 years have passed since Martin Luther King delivered his popular speech, "I have a dream," in a meeting attended by both blacks and whites at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. In attendance, there were more than 200, 000 people, and others watched the proceedings on television. The motive of his speech was to condemn racism in the American society. Martin Luther preached equality among all people regardless of their skin color. In addition, he was sure that he would not witness the transformation of the American society. Therefore, he encouraged the American people to shun racism (Callaghan 113). Racism, since the times of Martin Luther King to date, has proven to be an integral part of the American society. It is unfortunate that, although racism begun during the slavery period, it continues to thrive today. In this regard, the traces of racism, even after abolishment of the slave trade, shows that racism is still a significant problem in contemporary American society. The main difference today is that, racism has evolved to take new or advanced forms. In the past, there was segregation of the black and white people in that, they could not use similar means of public transport, attend similar schools and many others in the same line. Being a multicultural and multiethnic society, it is the government's responsibility to ensure there is a peaceful co-existence, regardless of their color, race or religion. It has proven hard for the governments to achieve such (Takaki 246). Modern Forms of Racism in Contemporary America Racism in America has evolved to take advanced forms. The evolution enlightens on the differing perspectives from sociologists, psychologists and social psychologists concerning the modern forms of racism. In contemporary America, racism today is more subtle, covert and "gentler" than the eras of Martin Luther King (Byrd 1005). These different perspectives have further seen to the conflation of racial concepts, such as racial prejudice, racial discrimination and racism in the current racism literatures. It may appear natural, but there are consequences of conflating the key racialism concepts. In this regard, readers may understand racism from a different perspective, which may result to different understandings. Thus, there might be inadequacies in addressing racial inequalities in the American society (Byrd 1008). Colorblind Racism Colorblind racism is an approach, which explains and justifies racialism in the American society. The approach supports and sustains white privilege in contemporary America. It is similar to disguise in that, the white population in contemporary America appear to advocate equality, but they continue with racists activities. Alternatively, White politicians may appear to address race-related issues, but at the same time, they portray Whites as moral and reasonable despite their racist activities (Byrd 1009). White privilege; however appears to be the most significant form of racism in this context. Whites perceive themselves as better when compared to other minorities based on wealth and social status. Therefore, they cannot accept that white privilege exists. The above is a way of justifying their acts (Leonardo 137-152). Symbolic Racism In contemporary America, symbolic racism is rampant. Symbolic racism resembles most of the concepts originally developed in the past. Social scientists conceptualized symbolic racism in the 1970s and 1980s. During the time, and currently, social scientists have managed to find out similar trends in Whites. Similar trends are central in the traditional perspectives of Whites in relation to morals and values, which have seen to Whites viewing blacks as not deserving special favors; hence, increased levels of anti-Black effect. In the same context, whites are using racial individualism to dismiss the rampant structural inequality; hence, imply that blacks fail to live up to the contemporary American ideals of self-reliance and hard work (Byrd 1011). Challenges Faced by Minorities in Contemporary America Although the preceding presidents of America addressed the problem of racialism, they did not eradicate it in the society. Therefore, the election of an African-American president in America was anticipated as the solution to racism in contemporary America. President Barack Obama became the 44th American president, and as stated, many Americans hoped that he would contribute to the achievement of Martin Luther's dream; hence, eradicate the racial problems, which have continued to haunt the American society to date. Despite having black president, the American society faces individual, institutional and cultural racism. The minority groups of America face hostility from the Whites. Institutional racism is central to inadequate housing, and unequal job opportunities. Cultural racism is central to the perception that Whites' cultures are valuable than those of the minorities. Discrimination, to date, is still a significant racial challenge in America. In addition, inadequate housing has also become a contemporary problem. Many blacks living in urban centers dwell in ghettos. In this context, majority of the whites live together; hence, people live in clusters, which is a form of segregation. On the record, still in the ghettos, the living conditions of the blacks are inadequate, which stimulates racist thoughts. As stated earlier, the objective of Martin Luther's activism activities, particularly via the Civil Rights Movement, the problem of racial segregation is still evident in contemporary America. It is as if the similar problems experienced during eras of Martin Luther, have traces in contemporary America. Notably, there are high rates of unemployment, decline of blacks in the labor force, large numbers of blacks on welfare role, high rates of single-parent households and challenges of black crime, and black victims of crime (Takaki 207). Although the Civil Rights Movement was to fight for the entire African-American society, a section of the society, mainly the middle-class blacks experienced improved livelihood, whereas the poorest blacks still feel the effects of racialism in contemporary America (Takaki 208). The Way Forward Affirmative Action Racism affects minorities in America who include Hispanics, Native Americans, Jews, Muslims and African Americans. As stated earlier, racism has evolved and taken advanced forms, which show that Martin Luther's' dream is yet to come true. One of the approaches put forward to eradicate racial thoughts s affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy that aimed at making sure minorities of contemporary America access similar opportuniti...