Analyzing Race Relations: Discrimination and Progress in America

This essay provides an overview of race relations in America, highlighting the historical context of racial discrimination stemming from the slave trade and the ongoing challenges despite progress made through campaigns and activism, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s efforts. It recounts a personal experience illustrating the deeply rooted nature of racism, even within the African American community. While acknowledging significant advancements, such as increased representation and the election of a black president, the essay delves into the reasons why racism persists, drawing from Dyson's analysis of white grief, which includes fears of losing dominance and a desire to rewrite black history. The essay concludes by emphasizing the need for continued efforts to eradicate racism and foster true racial equality in America; students can find this essay and more study resources on Desklib.

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Course
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Race Relations in America
One would be tempted to believe that racial discrimination reduces day by day. There
have been so many campaigns aimed to eradicate racism (Lauren, 7). Racism has been an
issue of concern in America since the early times. Slave trade contributed to the situation
witnessed in America (Omi, Michael, and Howard, 14). During the slave trade, the black
people were sold as slaves to work in the farms of whites. They were treated as though they
were children of a lesser god. They were denied so many rights including the right to
reproduce and have offspring. The white masters further used force to make the living
conditions as harsh as possible (Hernandez, 14). They were not given enough foods yet they
were overworked. This seems to have laid the foundation for racism. It can only be concluded
that the foundation was very strong. The Whites has always treated their race as superior to
that of the blacks. The discrimination therefore makes the black suffer more than the white
does. After the end of slave trade, there has been numerous campaigns aimed at ending
racism. One of the greatest supporters of ending racial discrimination was Martin Luther
King who said that he has a dream of an America where there would be no racial
discrimination. In the 21st century, practising racial discrimination does not only seem a
foolish thing to do but also absurd. It is sad to note however, that racial discrimination is still
widespread and common in the contemporary America (Chae, 104). It is worth noting though
that the condition has improved and it cannot be compared to the early years. There is now
more representation for black people and racial discrimination has significantly reduced.

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Experience with Racism
I recall an encounter that my friend had. This encounter made me understand the
extent to which racism is rooted in our society. The friend is a young black person from
Africa. He told me of one day when he was walking to schools after being left by the bus. He
had been waiting for the school bus at the stop, but the bus picked the white students and left
him. He had no other option but to walk to school. This encounter shows us some hostility
that was extended to the student. One can easily guess that the main reason why he was left
was because he was a black. This is not all. After walking for a few metres, he met an African
American lady who greeted him warmly. Thinking that he finally found a person who he can
resonate with, the friend greeted the lady. The lady offered to take him to school with her car
which she claimed was just a few meters from where they were. My friend gave in to this
request. After walking to the direction where the car was supposed to be, the lady persuaded
the young African to join her in a room nearby where she would supposedly pick the keys.
My friend regretted ever entering that room. After entering, the lady sat on the sofa and
screamed. A man came from upstairs holding a gun. Amazingly the man was African
American too. The friend was perplexed and did not know what was going on. After some
time, the lady together with the man who emerged from upstairs with a gun solicited
everything that my friend had and told him to go way. This incidence demonstrates how
racism is greatly rooted in America, not only among the blacks and the Whites but also
amongst the blacks. There is still much to be done if racism is to be wiped out of America
completely or significantly.
Progress Made on Race Relations

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It is worth noting that there has been much progress that has been made when it
comes to eradicating racism since the time of Dr Martin Luther King. Discrimination based
on skin colour has significantly reduced. Representation of the black people in the
government has increased (Edelman, Benjamin, Michael and Dan, 21). It is wonderful thing
that even a black president has been elected for two terms to lead the United States of
America. This is an illustration that the racial relations between the black people and the
white has improved. This could be attributed to the numerous campaigns held by human right
activists and organizations such as the United Nations High Commission of Human Rights.
Although the racial relations in the United States has improved, the issue of racism
still persists to a significant extent. One may wonder why this problem is still there in the 21st
century while there have been numerous campaigns to curb the vice. Following are some
explanations on why this may be the case. The five stages of White Grief explained by Dyson
in his book ‘Tears We Cannot Stop’ could help us understand this issue. He argues that that
one of the reasons is that the whites fear losing their dominance to the blacks (Dyson, 76).
The second reason is the belief that it has always happened and therefore should continue.
The other argument is that if the black has always suffered, then the whites do not have any
role to play in ending that. The other argument is that Africans came to America as slaves.
Their condition has improved now and is unlike that of their forefathers who were treated as
slaves. Lastly is the urge to rewrite the history of the black people. Therefore, there are
several factors that contribute to racial discrimination.

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References
Chae, David. "Discrimination, racial bias, and telomere length in African-American men."
American journal of preventive medicine 46.2 (2014): 103-111.
Dyson, Michael Eric. Tears we cannot stop: A sermon to white America. St. Martin's Press,
2017.
Edelman, Benjamin, Michael Luca, and Dan Svirsky. "Racial discrimination in the sharing
economy: Evidence from a field experiment." American Economic Journal: Applied
Economics 9.2 (2017): 1-22.
Hernandez, Tanya K. Racial Discrimination. BRILL, 2018.
Lauren, Paul Gordon. Power and prejudice: The politics and diplomacy of racial
discrimination. Routledge, 2018.
Omi, Michael, and Howard Winant. Racial formation in the United States. Routledge, 2014.