Racism Is Alive Essay - 1506 Words

Racism is Alive Growing up, race was never an issue for me. I have almost always known what racism was, but I always thought it was a thing of the past, and completely ended when Jim Crow laws were abolished. I thought race did not affect my everyday life, but recently I have learned that even today, being White in America has greatly affected my life. Being White in America has affected how I identity racially, where I grew up, who I grew up with, where I went to College, where I went to high school, and provided me with advantages that many minorities are not lucky enough to have. I have realized this by looking at my life and reflecting through C. Wright Mills’ Sociological Imagination(Lambert Lecture). Racially and Ethnically I†¦show more content†¦This shows that race plays a direct factor in how some people treat you, and being white means that people naturally assume you are not a criminal. Because 77% of people in America are white, I never have to give the â€Å"white perspective† while teachers and professors may ask colored students to provide the class with the â€Å"African American Perspective† of an issue. (â€Å"QuickFacts†). Being a white American has given me more opportunities than people of color get. Not only do I believe this, but 65% of people of color believe it too ( Lambert Lecture) Being White in America means a lot, especially when it comes to my neighborhood and where I grew up. The neighborhood that I grew up in is a very rich, white neighborhood. Living in the neighborhood are roughly 30 families and only 2 of them are non-white. There is one Chinese family and one Indian family. Although I am not entirely sure as to why my neighborhood is the way it is, It could be due to racial segregation and redlining, which is denying services to certain area based on the racial composition of the area (Lambert Lecture). The result of redlining not only lead to people of color being stuck in the same neighborhoods, it only allowed white people to get out of these neighborhoods, which in turn lead to residential segregation. Because of this, when I was growing up all the â€Å"neighborhood kids† that I would hang out with, play sports and videogames with, were all white. Although we did not intentionally not hangShow MoreRelatedEssay Racism Is Still Alive in America626 Words   |  3 PagesAfter being followed George Zimmerman, a local neighbourhood watch volun teer, Martin decided to confront Zimmerman. The end result leaving Trayvon Martin dead and George Zimmerman a free man. The story of Trayvon Martin proves the point that racism will is still alive and always will be. The repercussions were substantial. Martin’s death left the United States in hysteria. 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However, in today’s society African Americans are still being affected by racism not only in a physical, emotional, and mental manner but, also in their way of living. How would you feel if you were judged by the color of your skin to the point where you can’t even make a living? Racism is alive and well in America