Racism Still Exists Today
Racism Still Exists Today “Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.” -Unknown In 1954, racial segregation was unanimously ruled to be unconstitutional. However, there is still racism in the modern-day United States. Today, it comes in different forms than in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred D Taylor. In her novel, set in 1933, the main characters, the Logan children, deal with many examples of racism towards them because of their African descent. There are still many examples of racism happening today in the USA, such as color-mute people, support for racist leaders, and race being considered when making decisions, just as it was in Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. In Mildred Taylor’s book, there are many
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characters that are racist towards others. For example, when the Logan children are at the Barnett Mercantile, after they had asked to be assisted, “The [white] woman handed him a list twice as long as TJ’s and the storekeeper, without a word of apology to us, proceeded to fill it” (110). Therefore, the customers who shop at and support the store are implying that they also support Mr. Barnett, and his actions, such as his racism towards people of color. Another example is when the John Henry Berry and his two nephews, all three of them are of African descent, are “...burnt near to death.” (9) .The killers of Mr. Berry, who dies shortly after the burnings, were the Wallace brothers, who are white men who own a store in Strawberry, Mississippi. Many people shop at the Wallace store and attend dances held there. As it is with Mr.Barnett, by supporting the store, people are supporting the Wallaces and what they choose to do. In modern times, there are also many examples of racist leaders. Donald Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” By supporting Mr. Trump in the 2016 presidential election, people are suggesting that they also support his ideas, some of which could be interpreted at racist. These figures of importance focus on race when in cases such as that, racial background is usually not significant. There are two types of people who don’t focus on race. The first is type are called color-mute. This means that in an attempt to not be racist, said people don’t mention race at all. The other type of person is called colorblind. These people don’t take race into consideration when making decisions. Jeremy Simms, a white boy in the novel, is a perfect example of colorblindness. He wants to be friends with Stacey Logan even though they are different races. Colorblind people don’t let race affect decisions they make. Color-mutes often ignore talk of race because they are uncomfortable with the subject of racism or they simply think that not talking will solve the problem of racism. However, that isn't the case. In fact, “While the intended message may be “Shhh… race is a sensitive topic in this country, so be careful what you say out loud, because we don’t want to offend anybody,” what the child is more likely to hear is “Shhh… there’s something wrong with these people, so let’s not talk about them” (Washington Post). If an adult subconsciously tells this to a child, they will develop a false idea that race shouldn’t be talked about because it is an imperfection of a person. Although there are many people who are colorblind, there are also many who don’t mention race when making decisions, but it still is a decisive factor for them. Jose Zamora is a prime example of race being considered when choosing people to do certain jobs.
His story goes like so; every day, he would apply for between 50 and 100 jobs. After months of this with no callbacks, he changed the name on his applications to “Joe”. One mere week later, callbacks began to come. As a result of his Mexican-sounding name, Mr. Zamora did not get requests to come to be interviewed to get the job. A study in 2004 supports this claim, resumes with white names have higher callback rates than ones with “minority” names, regardless of the quality of the application. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, there are several examples of race being a decisive factor. The first one is that white schools and stores have white employees, and African-American schools only hire teachers who are of African descent. Another example is of when the Logan family is driving in their Uncle Hammer’s car, which is the same model as Harlan Granger's’, a powerful, greedy, racist white man. The Logans are approaching a bridge when the Wallaces are trying to cross it. However, when they see the car, they backed up to let the Logans pass because, “‘Hammer!’ Big Ma cried. ‘They think you’re Mr.Granger.’” (139). Although one could argue that because Uncle Hammer was able to purchase a car that was the same as a white man’s, racism was beginning to thin out, and therefore should be gone by now, that is not the
case. There are several reasons that could cause people to believe that racism is no longer a problem in the USA. The most obvious case being that in 2008, Barack Obama, an African-American, was elected to be president of the United States. People have opinions about his decisions and statements, from his thoughts on Muslims to saying, “The IRS targeted Obama’s political enemies including Christian groups, pro-Israel groups, and most prominently, Tea Party groups.” (Townhall). Another example is Black History Month. Although it is a chance for people to become educated on African-American history, it shouldn’t be necessary. These people should naturally have been a part of American history, in a positive way; not as enslaved people. When Black History Month comes around, there is a push for it to be recognized. That push could be interpreted as saying to people that African-Americans are getting recognized,that people should stop complaining that they still aren’t getting acknowledged. It says that people are willing to talk, but just for a month, instead of all the time, about the good and the bad, as it should be. Just as it was in Roll of Thunder, hear My Cry, there are still color-mute people, considering race when making decisions, and support for racist leaders; proof that there is still racism in modern-day USA. In order for racism to become a thing of the past, people must begin to talk about the racism of the past and the present. Someday, racism will no longer exist. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” To achieve that goal, everybody must work together to accept the past and change the future.
characters that are racist towards others. For example, when the Logan children are at the Barnett Mercantile, after they had asked to be assisted, “The [white] woman handed him a list twice as long as TJ’s and the storekeeper, without a word of apology to us, proceeded to fill it” (110). Therefore, the customers who shop at and support the store are implying that they also support Mr. Barnett, and his actions, such as his racism towards people of color. Another example is when the John Henry Berry and his two nephews, all three of them are of African descent, are “...burnt near to death.” (9) .The killers of Mr. Berry, who dies shortly after the burnings, were the Wallace brothers, who are white men who own a store in Strawberry, Mississippi. Many people shop at the Wallace store and attend dances held there. As it is with Mr.Barnett, by supporting the store, people are supporting the Wallaces and what they choose to do. In modern times, there are also many examples of racist leaders. Donald Trump said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best… They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” By supporting Mr. Trump in the 2016 presidential election, people are suggesting that they also support his ideas, some of which could be interpreted at racist. These figures of importance focus on race when in cases such as that, racial background is usually not significant. There are two types of people who don’t focus on race. The first is type are called color-mute. This means that in an attempt to not be racist, said people don’t mention race at all. The other type of person is called colorblind. These people don’t take race into consideration when making decisions. Jeremy Simms, a white boy in the novel, is a perfect example of colorblindness. He wants to be friends with Stacey Logan even though they are different races. Colorblind people don’t let race affect decisions they make. Color-mutes often ignore talk of race because they are uncomfortable with the subject of racism or they simply think that not talking will solve the problem of racism. However, that isn't the case. In fact, “While the intended message may be “Shhh… race is a sensitive topic in this country, so be careful what you say out loud, because we don’t want to offend anybody,” what the child is more likely to hear is “Shhh… there’s something wrong with these people, so let’s not talk about them” (Washington Post). If an adult subconsciously tells this to a child, they will develop a false idea that race shouldn’t be talked about because it is an imperfection of a person. Although there are many people who are colorblind, there are also many who don’t mention race when making decisions, but it still is a decisive factor for them. Jose Zamora is a prime example of race being considered when choosing people to do certain jobs.
His story goes like so; every day, he would apply for between 50 and 100 jobs. After months of this with no callbacks, he changed the name on his applications to “Joe”. One mere week later, callbacks began to come. As a result of his Mexican-sounding name, Mr. Zamora did not get requests to come to be interviewed to get the job. A study in 2004 supports this claim, resumes with white names have higher callback rates than ones with “minority” names, regardless of the quality of the application. In Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, there are several examples of race being a decisive factor. The first one is that white schools and stores have white employees, and African-American schools only hire teachers who are of African descent. Another example is of when the Logan family is driving in their Uncle Hammer’s car, which is the same model as Harlan Granger's’, a powerful, greedy, racist white man. The Logans are approaching a bridge when the Wallaces are trying to cross it. However, when they see the car, they backed up to let the Logans pass because, “‘Hammer!’ Big Ma cried. ‘They think you’re Mr.Granger.’” (139). Although one could argue that because Uncle Hammer was able to purchase a car that was the same as a white man’s, racism was beginning to thin out, and therefore should be gone by now, that is not the
case. There are several reasons that could cause people to believe that racism is no longer a problem in the USA. The most obvious case being that in 2008, Barack Obama, an African-American, was elected to be president of the United States. People have opinions about his decisions and statements, from his thoughts on Muslims to saying, “The IRS targeted Obama’s political enemies including Christian groups, pro-Israel groups, and most prominently, Tea Party groups.” (Townhall). Another example is Black History Month. Although it is a chance for people to become educated on African-American history, it shouldn’t be necessary. These people should naturally have been a part of American history, in a positive way; not as enslaved people. When Black History Month comes around, there is a push for it to be recognized. That push could be interpreted as saying to people that African-Americans are getting recognized,that people should stop complaining that they still aren’t getting acknowledged. It says that people are willing to talk, but just for a month, instead of all the time, about the good and the bad, as it should be. Just as it was in Roll of Thunder, hear My Cry, there are still color-mute people, considering race when making decisions, and support for racist leaders; proof that there is still racism in modern-day USA. In order for racism to become a thing of the past, people must begin to talk about the racism of the past and the present. Someday, racism will no longer exist. As Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.” To achieve that goal, everybody must work together to accept the past and change the future.