Racial Injustice In America

In 2017 controversy struck when the NFL tried “taking a stance” and protesting the National Anthem. In this protest, many NFL players one by one knelt down while the National Anthem played at their sporting event. The National Anthem is a song for our country and symbol to represent all of the men and women who have fought in our military. This song is not played just for our entertainment, it is to honor the flag and what it stands for. The protesting was started by Colin Kaepernick, last season, when he was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He was the first player to take a knee during the playing of the National Anthem, now many other NFL players this season are following in his path and doing the same thing. Many players and viewers claim it is for police brutality and the injustice that is being served, while other viewers see it as entitled millionaires disrespecting the flag and the military. Everyone has different opinions on the issue, but no matter what the country needs to respect one another as humans and be united; the American Flag is a symbol of our freedom and the NFL needs to recognize the National Anthem rather than kneeling and disrespecting what it stands for.

“Oppression, you seek population control, Oppression, to divide and conquer is your goal, Oppression, I swear hatred is your home, Oppression, you mean me only harm.” (Harper). Oppression is a serious issue in our society today. Although it may be less serious than the past it is still a matter of importance, having to deal with sexism, religion and most importantly racial issues. Throughout the decades we have seen various ethnicities deal with racial oppressions. Many of the problems of the past still exist, and they may push the victims of the oppression beyond the emotional point of no return. A Hispanic male such as myself, can be the victim of several types of oppressions, including racial oppression.

Economic benefits are at the center of white privilege. Dating back to slavery, the majority of labor was provided by African Americans from which both the North and the South benefited and is one of the founding source of economy. Yet, African Americans and other minorities still struggle to get their slice of the American pie. Poor and working class whites strongly object to the idea of white privilege, stating or pointing out what they consider the obvious, that not every white person has wealth and power. Other benefits enjoyed by white people, including one which W. E. B. DuBois called the "psychological wages of whiteness." (Williams, 2004) This refers to that age old membership in the privileged group, even for whites on the bottom rung, confers a social status and recognition which is denied to all but the most powerful members of oppressed groups. The history of racial oppression in American is not disputed. However, what is disputed is whether and to what extent, four hundred years of oppression continues to harm African Americans and other minorities and their life chances unjustly. Looking at the way benefits and damages are allocated in the U.S., for example wealth, income, equality of our court system, treatment from the police, access to colleges and universities we see white privilege. As a group, white people have more income, wealth, political representation, status, power, and social reinforces of their human dignity and self respect than any group in

The United States of America has become a police state. Racism, in America, is not dead, but rather revived and practiced through the criminal justice system; blacks were the main targets of police brutality and patrols. The prison system has been manipulated to put people of color in jail, more than whites. Hispanics, now, are also becoming targets of the American policing system. How can America change its policing strategies to being more just and fair? The United States should stop making racially biased legislation and patrol all neighborhoods equally. The legal system should implement punishments that do not create more criminals, but rather help rehabilitate those who are deemed criminals.

The National Anthem is our country’s theme song and it is very highly respected throughout our great country. The Anthem talks about freedom, liberty, and justice for all and about how there are great men and women who risk their lives every day so our country can be free. So, when the Anthem is played at professional football games everyone stands and holds their hand over their heart and respects our flag and our Anthem because that is the least we can do to help support and show our respects to our soldiers and our great country. As many people can see, a lot of things are changing, and these changes started when Colin Kaepernick (Former Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, now a free agent) decided to take a knee instead of standing during the National Anthem in the 2016-17 season. Colin says he did this not to disrespect the soldiers and war veterans but, to bring awareness of the issues going on in our country. Colin said that he felt that our country is not free and justice is not done fairly. He believes there is too much Police brutality “there are people being murdered unjustly and not being held accountable”-Kaepernick. Also, he believes African Americans are treated and looked at differently and it has been that way in the past and it still hasn’t changed. Once Colin kneeled and said all the things he needed to get off his chest the world shook. African American people and professional athletes all over the world agreed with what he did. I’m not saying white people didn’t agree, but it was more African Americans that felt the same way Colin did and

truly concerned me growing up. Raised on the North side of San Antonio, Texas, I was never

The debate over whether “race matters” is getting more complicated as news and social media put a spotlight on social injustices that are specifically affecting African Americans. Throughout history, race has always been a major factor in determining superiority, in which the framers and founding fathers of this nation created a system to serve and protect the white man. Race is still an issue today as our system of checks and balances go unchecked and unbalanced. These issues are specifically evident for African Americans who are not served fairly and just. How could race not matter when people of different groups live within a system that was designed for a specific group? This is the crux of the problem that many African

Although we seem to see a new news story every day concerning racial bias and blatant racism, it is not a new issue. “We have been engaging in this conversation for as long as I can remember. Fighting this fight for centuries. Caught in a cycle of bias for as long as they can remember.” (Nichols) I believe all the adversity we are facing as a country today can be attributed to the attitudes of the early American settlers who laid the basis for our bias as a country. In fact, historians date racism in America as far back as the 1500’s with the beginning of the Middle Passage and our first look into racially profiling individuals for slavery.

A young African American was accused of murdering an elderly man last winter at a Christmas parade. The young man stated that the elder had offended his little sister by insulting her. The young man got disturbed and decided to stab the elder to death.

Blacks in the South were subjected to many forms of racial injustice in different ways. Most were restricted to jobs providing barely enough money to maintain their households, little or no education; and many farmers and sharecroppers were not permitted to produce enough to make a decent living. The Moody family constantly moved from shack to shack, all of which lacked plumbing and/or electricity. They barely survived on a diet of bread and beans and occasionally received table scraps from the White families of whom they were employed. In addition to the scarcity of food, violence was also very prevalent. The incitement for beatings and murders inflicted upon African Americans often stemmed from Whites wanting to terrorize Blacks or to punish them for doing something that goes against the segregationist, and illegal, ideals of the South. Law enforcement did nothing to prevent these hate crimes and even at time participated in them.

Is it right? The San Francisco 49’ers quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, decided to draw attention to racial issues that have swept of the country. Kaepernick decided to take a kneel during the National Anthem during a NFL preseason game. After the game Kaepernick started a nationwide riot as some might call it. Many feel as if what the quarterback did was disrespectful, and feel the NFL should take action on the matter. While others love that Kaepernick used his position in society as a chance to address the issue. I agree that some of the social issues our country has should be faced, and talked about; although I also think the way Kaepernick did was not the right thing to do. In my opinion what he did ended up causing more arguments than fixing

This examination of poor housing areas also focusses on contemporary racial exploitation. Examples that can be seen in today’s era is the relationship between black customers and insurance and/or mortgage loans. (Lipsitz, 8). Regardless of who they are, data shows that they already pay more for insurance or mortgage than white people. (Lipsitz, 10 - 11). They have little insurance coverage for communities of larger black communities than compared to predominantly white communities. (Lipsitz 10). Although the black community of the present appears to have much more rights (such as being “possible” to obtain services that whites have access to) than compared to the slavery era of blacks, the constant witnessing of unfairness in economics can still be witnessed. With such obstacles, it increases the chance of foreclosure for black families and thus

Justice is a complex subject that affects humans in different ways, depending on their surrounding circumstances. It is carried out through numerous tactics and actions that are enacted in many locations around the world. While justice is a fundamental part of the governments and officials that lead our world, its qualities are not used in all interactions between the government and the people. Over the years, the use of justice has been skewed to fit certain situations but exclude others, especially in America. Some of these situations relate to age, gender, race, personal beliefs, and more social issues that can draw positive or negative political attention to the government. But, the popular belief of

A couple walks down a crowded street. When the people surrounding them look upon them, the effect is instantaneous. The crowd parts like the Red Sea. Some people have disgusted facial expressions, while others blatantly stare. Why? The couple appears to be very respectable; they are polite and say excuse me to the people they pass, even though even though they have an almost clear pathway to walk. What is happening? The wife tugs on her husband's shoulder pointing out to him that people are staring. He looks around, shrugs and then tells her, "People are just acting odd today, that's all." However, despite his nonchalant attitude, he knows what is happening. And he thinks to himself,"This was supposed to be a great vacation, away from everything.

They have came to a shallow position to remind America of the intense immediate help needed now. Right now is not the time to relax and sit back or to not buy into stupefying, mind-controlling beliefs. Now is the time to pursue the real qualities of a democracy. Now is the time to lift from the emptiness stage of segregation and to bring it to the attention of people and end racial injustice. If we don’t bring justice to racial injustice now, the people with no justice will get sucked into it further until its not able to be escaped from and for brotherhood to be stronger and solid as rock, very powerful. This is the ideal opportunity to make equity a reality for all equal man.