Racism is a belief that the race of one individual is superior to that of another person. During the era of the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans leaders viewed racism as a barrier to the progress of African Americans. This challenge of racism made them protest, preach, and take legal action to ensure that African Americans would be treated the same way the white people were treated. However, even after the Congress passed the Civil Right Act in the year of 1964, racism still exists today in the U.S.
The United States’ schools are an example of institutions that still face the challenge of racism today. Despite the fact that there is a stated goal that all youngsters should gain education regardless of the background of their families, a big number of African American learners do not. There is even the empirical evidence indicating that learners of color face inequitable treatment in most of the public schools.
A big number of children of color are marginalized in those schools where inferior education is offered. The experiences and opportunities of those black American students are affected in a big way because of the education offered in those schools. They have limited resources; the curricula and the textbooks are out-dated, and the computers that exist are obsolete. A large number of teachers who teach lack credentials in the subjects which they teach. In addition, a big number of African-American males are usually suspended from school or face corporal punishment compared to the number of the whites (Lunensburg &Ornstein, 2012).
Racism has also become a major challenge in the health-care institutions of the United States. The data that collected in the 2000 census showed that a white who is born today is expected to live up to 79 years. On the other hand, a black individual can only live for 69 years (Gallar & Lippard, 2014). Diseases such as stroke, prostate cancer are believed to be the ones which kill most of the African Americans. All this happens because the institutions that carry research based on health issues excludes the African Americans when creating their research designs. The exclusion, therefore, deprives the African American an avenue to give their viewpoint regarding their community hence making the community of the blacks suffer from the illnesses, which are easier to control.
There is a law in the U.S that states that everyone who gets in the emergency room is supposed to be treated. However, fewer tests are performed by doctors to the black individuals who get in the emergency rooms compared to the white people (Gallar & Lippard, 2014). This behavior is another reason as to why many black people suffer from some illnesses that can be prevented if tests are performed properly when they get in the emergency rooms.
Besides the schools and the health institutions, the black people who enter the workforce are also affected by racism. There is evidence that workforce diversity in most of the organizations is addressed passively (Lugo, 2014). This makes it difficult for most of the black Americans to live the life they desire and at the end live a life that is different from that of the white people.
In conclusion, racism that affected many during the 19th century when slavery existed in the United States is still a pressing challenge today. Many black American children go to schools that offer education that prevents them from entering the most competitive colleges. Also, major illnesses affect many of the black Americans compared to white individuals because the black people are discriminated in the health institutions. These are just but examples of some of the racial challenges that affect African Americans today, even though the issue of racism was legally ended many years ago.
References
Gallagher, C. A., & Lippard, C. D. (2014). Race and racism in the United States: An encyclopedia of the American mosaic. Santa Barbara, California: Greenwood.
Lunenburg, F. C., & Ornstein, A. C. (2012). Educational administration: Concepts and practices. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Lugo, L. (2014). How do Hurricane Katrina's winds blow?: Racism in 21st-century New Orleans. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
