Written by: Ishan Raj Upadhayaya - 2022008, Grade XI
Posted on: 23 September, 2020
“At the heart of racism is the religious assertion that God made a creative mistake when He brought some people into being.” – Friedrich Otto Hertz
Racism is a concept in which society places individuals in superior or inferior positions on the basis of physical characteristics (such as skin color, hair type, facial form, and eye shape). Though many believe that race is determined by biology, it is now widely accepted that this classification system was in fact created for social and political reasons, and to oppress people on the basis of color that privileges white people.
According to the statics, In 2018, the number of African Americans in U.S. prisons was at its lowest in almost 30 years and yet, "the imprisonment rate of black males was 5.8 times that of white males, while the imprisonment rate of black females was 1.8 times the rate of white females," the Bureau of Justice Statistics said in a report in April. For every 100,000 black residents, 1,134 were in prison, compared to 218 for whites.
Racism in the United States has existed since the colonial era, and it involved laws, practices, and actions that discriminated against various groups or otherwise adversely impacted them based on their color and ethnicity, while most white Americans enjoyed the rights which were denied to members of other races and minority groups. Groups that were especially impacted by racism included immigrants from Europe, including the Irish and Italians, who were often subjected to racist exclusion and other forms of ethnicity-based discrimination in American society until the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to the most recent census data, there are nearly 160 million more white people in America than there are black people. White people make up roughly 62 percent of the U.S. population.
Fifty-six percent of black Americans, 33 percent of Hispanics, and 27 percent of Asian-Americans said they experienced racial discrimination when applying for jobs, according to a 2017 survey. Their self-reporting is backed by data. A 2017 meta-analysis of field experiments on racial discrimination found that for black Americans, discrimination has been static and has not changed since 1989. Whites still receive more than a third more callback for jobs. So by these sources, we can analyze that discrimination still exists in this era.
After reviewing all the factors, I believe that racism should be stopped. Racism has occurred for centuries, but there is still a chance to end it. I believe racism should end because if it continues, it can split the unity of the human race. It may also lead to more violence within the countries. Racism should be stopped because no race is superior. All races must be given equal opportunities, rights as other races.
