Racism - The Problem With A Growing Tendency

We see racism as a problem in the past, but racism is still very present in our lives today. More than that, racial issues have a growing tendency. Derrick Bell, author of Faces At The Bottom Of The Well, describes that American racism is permanent. Racism is evident in American society as seen by gun violence, education, and work.

Gun violence shows the different influence of race. In Faces At The Bottom Of The Well, Erika Wechsler, a white woman who carried a semiautomatic rifle, wanted to explain the importance of the White Citizens for Black Survival (WCBS) to Professor Bell. When Erika left to find a manual, Professor Bell thought that "This woman not only did not seem to be functioning on all cylinders but had a gun that posed a danger to anyone in her vicinity" (96). Even though Erika claimed that carrying a gun was a maneuver to show her safety to the other whites, a gun was life-threatening to Professor Bell. The different races have an influence on starting a disturbing conversation with a gun. Gun violence is one of the examples about American racism. In addition to Professor Bell's experience in gun violence, many African American are killed by shootings presently.

Today, there are lots of shooting cases in America. In addition, most people are not surprised that blacks want stricter gun controls because the likelihood of a black man being killed by gun violence is quite high. Gary Gutting, the author of "Guns and Racism," reported that "In 2010, blacks, who make up only 13 percent of the population, were 55 percent of gun homicide victims." This clearly shows that the high amount of African Americans killed by guns is not coincidental. Therefore, gun control is a necessary step in America, especially to African Americans. Gun violence is one of the outcomes of racism around African American's lives. Not only does gun violence show racism is around American society, but also education.

The education system reflects racism. Professor Bell told Mr. Semple who was a black driver that Professor Bell had fought for a better education for black children, but failed. Professor Bell claimed that "It took me a long time to recognize that school officials-when they finally complied with desegregation court orders-were creating separate educational programs for black children within schools that were integrated in name only" (18). The school officials promised to create a quality and desegregated education for blacks, but they did not act on their commitment. Children have the right to learn, getting a better education without worrying racism. Education should not be a thing dividing races, yet education plays a part of the racial issue. Furthermore, educational problems are getting more serious due to different treatments of different races.

In schools, black children may be more likely to get suspensions. Jeff Nesbit, author of "Institutional Racism Is Our Way of Life," proved the existence of institutional racism from schools. Nesbit wrote that "Once you get to K-12, black children are three times more likely to be suspended than white children." In addition to this, there is a larger probability that black kids will not continue their education, compared to those of white kids. Whether black or white or any other races, children should be worthy of education. Racism brings about the unfair educational opportunities. With the disadvantage of the lack of a full education, it is no surprise that African Americans do not do well in the workplace either.

When the African Americans go to work, they may not get equal treatment. Professor Bell stated when he started to work at the Justice Department, Maceo Hubbard, a senior, taught him that the blacks could not give positive evaluations to other blacks. Hubbard warned that "However carefully you say it, you can hurt the brother, but you can't help him" (112). The blacks cannot get good ratings for work due to their race, and they cannot even help other blacks to earn a good one either. In the job application process, most blacks would not be entitled to serious consideration to recommend other blacks for a position or a promotion. Racism is around the workplace in America. Currently, many workers still get discrimination in the workplace simply because of the prejudice around their races.

Not only for African Americans, but also for Asian Americans are hard to get rid of racism. In 2012, Sherry Chen, an American citizen of Chinese descent working at the National Weather Service in Ohio, was accused of spying for the Chinese government, triggering a federal government investigation. After the investigation, Chen was found innocent. "Chen's attorney, Peter Zeidenberg, a partner at Arent Fox, said part of the suspicion against Chen was based on 'racial profiling,' and the fact that one of her colleagues called her a 'Chinese national'." An Asian-American was suspected of working for the Chinese government for no reason in her job. The racial label was deeply imprinted on Mrs.Chen. Racism is not a bygone, so we should not treat it like one.

Gun violence, education, and work are parts of the manifestations of racism in American society. We are the racist in this country whether we admit it or not. While we know this is unfair to others, racism still continues to exist in America today. However, it will not be too late to recognize this mistake in our lives. Accepting racism in our lives, we can be better to prepare when we face it.

Works Cited:

1. (gun control)http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/12/28/guns-and-racism/?_r=0

2. (education)http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/at-the-edge/2015/05/06/institutional-racism-is-our-way-of-life

3. (work)http://money.cnn.com/2015/11/25/news/economy/racial-discrimination-work/