Institutional Racism towards Black Americans
Racism, as several experts describe, has been a way of life, for quite some time in the United States (Nesbit). The rise of the pre-colonial era, and immigrations, slavery and the way people drifted towards different shores in search of power can all be accounted to the present day situation that we face in America. While slavery and apartheid ended long before, what is left over is our own complicated melee of whites, blacks, and Asians, and many more races, in a mixed colorful bouquet, and yet, creating a lot of confusion in the minds of both people and the authorities. What we face today, the institutional racism towards black Americans, is something that has been there for many centuries, and therefore, is firmly rooted in our history. It is time, therefore, to explore the history and events behind the present day predicament we are in, before finding a valuable solution.
Institutional racism is described and defined as racism practiced by entities of the government such as the schools, the military, or the Church. Institutional racism is normally found to affect people in huge numbers or the bulk of individuals belonging to a particular race (Nittle).
Racism has thrived well over the centuries mainly, in part, due to institutions practicing racism and discrimination against Black-colored people. In the past, slavery led to keeping the blacks bondaged for many generations. Now, even places like the church perpetuate and practice the condemnable act of discrimination or racism against Black Americans.
When the English landed in the American soil, and slowly and successfully drifted apart from the imperial power of the east, their native nation, they started putting up roots to the present day America. From slowly emerging as ‘immigrants’ to bringing in Christianity to rule the local Cherokee population, they managed to capture the land, to be called a ‘Rogue nation’, and establishing themselves as leaders in power (Ann Dias 6).
This is where it all began, from immigrants to the masters of the land, the English firmly managed to uproot the locals, to gain power, money and position, and thereby managed to emerge as one of the powerful competitors of the Imperial England. With the soil rich in productivity, and the slaves doing a wonderful job to give them monetary gain at a very less price, the country flourished, and so began a tradition of differentiating between the ‘Slave workers’, and the whites. The Africans, (slaves), kidnapped from various parts of their homeland in the 17th century, added on to the ‘Black’ and the ‘White’ races.
Racism and the Present Day Scenario
While the civil war ended, and with the emergence of a stronger nation, the practices like slavery were banned; however, the discriminations towards the races are still very much in place. Many believe that the whole aspect starts from school, and continues in colleges and workplaces too. A survey revealed that almost a major percentage of arrests and police harassment are towards Black Americans.
With only the Blacks occupying a mere 12 percent of the whole population of the USA, almost a whopping 38% of arrests made are from the minority communities (Everett).
This difference in behaviour of the authorities towards the other communities, and the way they are treated, either it is for a job interview or a school admission, as people believe, is a proof enough that ‘Racism’ is very much in place. A simple analysis of the median income of a white household and that of an Afro-American household showed how racism has reared its ugly head wherever it can, and why people still prefer ‘Whites’ for their jobs in higher positions.
“The colour of the skin of the victims matters greatly in the punishment for capital crimes (Nesbitt)”.
As Nesbitt observes, there is definitely a great partiality towards the Blacks in America, and even when we are heading towards a ‘Star-Wards’ kind of century, we still have the same old problem with us. The irony of the fact is that, the ‘Afro-Americans’, or at least their ancestors, were brought here as slaves, and uprooted from their homeland, by the ‘Whites’.
Hence, why the discrimination now, when we have ended slavery long before, and the ‘Blacks’ have contributed towards the history of the building of a great nation, as any of the ‘Whites’? After all, even then Whites were immigrants, who came in search of bounties that the Cherokees had in this unexplored land?
Will ‘Racism’ towards Black Americans Never End?
It is not today that we are talking about Racism. We have been doing it for almost a century now, and some of the speeches that the great leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr gave long before, still looks like it can be taken into account today too (Byron). Is this how we tend to proceed for another century or, are we going to work towards making life easier for everyone around?
For almost a century now, (and long after slavery and apartheid have ended), the ‘Whites’ still believe that they are one step ahead of the Afro-Americans, and still head major organisations or positions in the government. Agreed that the USA had an Afro-American president for the last decade, but has it still managed to make a drastic change in the minds of people or has it altered the way our thought processes work?
‘Blacks’ in America, even today, face a whopping 14% unemployment, and several of their children who come from the ‘unemployed’ homes fail to get basic education. As a result, the whole thing goes a full circle, making it difficult for a majority of Afro-Americans to emerge successful, either in school or in their search for suitable employments.
As Greenfield predicts, “If we remain silent, the racist wins” (Greenfield). However, even the fighting part needs to be done in such a way that the ‘Whites’ or the majorities realise that they need to give in to the pressure, and include the ‘Blacks’ to succeed against the other global leaders. The revolution, like “Blacklivesmatter” have made a slight dent on the ‘White’ hostility, and have managed to change the viewpoints of several authorities.
Can We Expect a Change in the Next Decade?
Only the passing times would tell whether we can eradicate the word ‘racism’, as applied towards Black Americans in the next decades to come. However, a research conducted by the ‘Pew Research Center’, shows that a majority of ‘Whites’ believe that though many changes needs to be made and treatments and attitudes towards the ‘Black Americans’ needs to change, the ‘Change’ is imminent. People are changing, and so, with the ‘old school’ fading away slowly, this attitude towards the Afro-Americans is bound to change, and they will get their due in the near future.
The younger generation does not have time to look into your colour before deciding on whether you can decode a particular software or market a product, since they are more about the ‘results’ at the end of the day. Hence, a major change, as the experts say, is eminent, and is on its way. The change, however, should also be brought into the minds of the Afro-American community, who have been, for decades, brought-up in the belief that they are minorities, and hence, should expect different treatment from the ‘Whites’.
Many researchers believe that the ‘Racism’ is in the minds of ‘Blacks’ as much as it is in the minds of the ‘Whites’. Many Afro-Americans are persistent that they are denied opportunities due to their ‘Race’ and look for ‘racism’ where none exists (Byron). Many times, if a ‘Black’ citizen is denied an opportunity due to a genuine reason, they take up a placard shouting ‘Racism’, without giving a thought about whether the reasons were genuine.
Hence, it is not only the ‘Whites’ attitudes towards the Afro-Americans that need to undergo a change, but the minorities need to also emerge strong in their thought process, and fight their inner insecurities regarding racism.
One can only hope that, with the new computerized, modern and more forward thinking generations emerging, the ‘Racism’ can be buried once and for all, and completely designated to history.
Works Cited
Ann Dias, Robette. “Historical Development of Institutional Racism.” Crossroads Antiracism, May 2013
Byron, Allen. “8 Solutions to Fix the Black American crisis”. The Huffington Post, 6 August 2015.
Everette, Mikala. “Black People Cannot Be Racists, And Here Is Why”. The University Star, 15 Feb 2016.
Greenfield, Daniel. “It’s Time To Call Out Black Racism”, FrontPageMag.com. 5 August 2015.
Nesbit, Jeff. “Institutional Racism is Our Way of Life”. US News, 6 May 2015,
Nittle, K., “5 Examples of Institutional Racism in the United States,” 2017
Pew Research Center, “On Views of Race and Inequality, Blacks and Whites Are Worlds Apart.” Pew Research Center's Social & Demographic Trends Project, 27 June 2016.
