The recent events in Ferguson, Missouri have brought the issue of race and discrimination to national attention once again. Many believe the days of racism are relics of black and white photos where African-Americans were humiliated by signs that read “Whites Only,” but the reality is far different. Racism still exists today but occurs on a more subtle, sometimes subconscious level.
Every year I ask my students the following question: Would you rather live in a society where people openly discriminated against minorities or our modern, more accepting society? They always answer emphatically that now is better because minorities have rights that are protected by the government. I tell them that I agree with them but my next question is, does discrimination still exist? They answer equally as strongly that it does.
The problem is no longer institutionalized racism but a string of small decisions that are made individually. If an African-American applies for a job and never hears back from the employer they have not suffered a humiliating shame, or been denied their basic rights. They just assume that the company decided to hire somebody else. Yet, if this person was denied the job because of their race it creates an economic disadvantage that has much greater long term consequences than somebody yelling a slur at them.
CNN recently posted an article that combines information from multiple studies to tackle the issue of modern racism. It is a worthwhile read that analyzes how we have created a society in which racism obviously still exists, yet few people are branded with the label of racist. Please follow the link below for a breakdown of discrimination in the United States in 2014.