The Issue Of Racial Profiling

Racial bias is not an inherent practice, but a result of social conditioning exacted by centuries of a culture built on the oppression of minorities. Though slavery ended in the 1860s, the fight for civil rights continued long after, and remains relevant to this day. Slavery is lauded as a non-issue, a thing of the past that has no bearing on our current ethos, but some maintain a flippant attitude toward casual racism. It’s this insidious form of racism that creates a hostile environment toward people of color, an issue that has festered into not only nationwide racial tension, but an atmosphere in which racial bias can not only be troublesome in matters of law, but also deadly. Racial profiling is the act of categorizing particular people or groups unfairly based on their predetermined physical attributes, behavior, religious affiliation, nationality, and/or race. When one puts people or groups into certain categories based on these things, they begin to perceive them as dangerous, negatively impacting the entire community.