Black and White: Racism an Uncomfortable Issue in US

The issue of racism in the United States remains strong, especially following the election of an African-American president. However, non-whites aren’t the only victims of discrimination and marginalization. So-called “white racism,” where whites are marginalized along with African-Americans, has now become popular.

Could it be said that the issue of racism is not an issue anymore in the modern United States? Of course not. Even the election of Barack Obama, who is a representative of the African-American population, does not mean that racism has ended in America. It is understandable that some sins of a community are rarely possible to exorcise completely, but how strong is the phenomenon of racism in the United States?

There is no need to go far looking for examples. Recently, one of the parishioners of a church in Mississippi protested against the impending wedding of an African-American couple, according to the WLBT TV station. Two young people, Charles and Te’Andrea Wilson, planned to hold a wedding ceremony in a Baptist church in Crystal Springs, where, by the way, they had visited all their life. However, according to the pastor, a group of white parishioners protested plans to hold the ceremony in “their” church. Stan Weatherford, the pastor of First Baptist Church of Mississippi, married the couple in another church not far from the first. According to him, he was trying to avoid a scandal with the protesting group of parishioners, but Wilson’s family believes that the pastor simply feared that he would not be re-elected for another term. White people protesting against the wedding of black people: What is it, if not discrimination?

Now, however, the laws of the United States are so loyal to black people that there are precedents of oppression toward… white people! Yes, yes, exactly. Not so long ago in the city of New Haven, Connecticut, there was a scandal. A group of white firefighters who had successfully passed a service test was not given a raise only because of the fact that their African-American colleagues did not pass the test. In order for the whites’ raises not to look like an act of discrimination toward blacks, the results of the test were dismissed. The fire department’s chief went to such measures because the black firefighters, who did not get the raise, could sue for discrimination. The white firefighters then turned to the city’s court, but the court supported the administration’s decision. However, the Supreme Court showed good sense: Those who passed the test have been raised in rank.

In short, creating a law of universal equality does not mean settling love of neighbors in the souls of people, especially if those neighbors are a different color. It is possible that there is a slave or slave-owner mentality in the minds of every member of any race. Among progressive and sane people, such mentality does not manifest itself, but among people who think narrowly, it can flourish. How strong is racism in the United States in comparison with other countries in the world? In Asian countries, racism manifests itself more clearly, but the basis of that racism is different religions coexisting side by side. The feeling of superiority of the American citizen, with one race over the others, is a consequence of the not-so-distant past of the country.

By the way, the election of Barack Obama for president has caused a strong surge of racial intolerance in the country. It would seem that this reconciling decision — an African-American is the U.S. president, a step that America has tried to take for almost 150 years — is the crowning move in the eradication of racism in the country. However, it only further emphasized the racial differences in people. Moreover, the aggression has been displayed by representatives of the white and black populations. The first few days after the election of the president were the most intense. In New York, four white men beat a black teenager with a baseball bat “because our president is black,” according to them. By the way, the Ku Klux Klan once again thrives in the country; the police even arrested several of its members who were preparing an attempt to attack Obama.

Many white Americans believe that the American nation is destroyed and the election of the “dark” president is the culmination of collapse. However, anti-discrimination researchers say that the election of an African-American president has been a serious step that will make people reconsider their stereotypes and change their life views.

The issue of racial inequality has been relevant to the progressive United States for a long time. It started with the oppression of indigenous Indians, who were not considered people. Hundreds of thousands were rounded up and exterminated in the reserves. Then the U.S. population was supplemented by black people from Africa, who were brought over like animals to be used for heavy farm work, mainly in the American South. In the North of America, things were better: Black people were used as domestic servants there, but the slave status remained. In fact, slavery was abolished only in 1883,* when black people officially received U.S. citizenship. But the racial superiority of white people remained. Black people were assigned separate schools, hospitals and even seats in public transportation. Progressive changes in policy occurred only in the 1960s, when laws were passed that equalized the social status of American citizens of all nationalities.

And yet, racism in the United States is still quite strong. Blame is on the people’s consciousness and the history of the country, which not so long ago equalized the rights of different races, but only did so through legislation. Psychologically, the same laws on racial discrimination only emphasize the inequality of black and white U.S. citizens. Now, the situation has begun to reverse itself. For example, if a white person hits a white person, the crime is not too serious. But if a white person hits a black person, the crime is considered to be motivated by racial hatred! The laws which emphasize that people with different skin colors are not equal do not let citizens forget about racial differences.

Racial discrimination is still an acute problem in the United States, and now all citizens, both white and black, have to watch themselves. When doing any action, even the most innocent, they have to keep this in mind and police themselves. Is it possible to interpret an action as a crime or a deed motivated by racial hatred?

Researcher William Ferris of the Center for the Study of the South at the University of North Carolina noted that racism is like cancer and cannot be completely cured; one can only achieve remission. It turns out that the improvement of the situation in the United States will take years, decades or even centuries. Well, let’s see what happens.

*Editor’s note: Slavery was abolished in 1865 with the Thirteenth Amendment.