Debate: Racism in America
When Barack Obama was elected President in 2008 it was an important milestone in race relations in America, however, despite the progress that America has made there are still significant problems in with race and racism in America. While some will point to the election of a black man as President to illustrate that racism is no longer major a problem in America, there is an abundance of sociological research that shows that racism is still a major problem in America. The persistent social problem of institutionalized racism continues to affect millions of Americans.
Research shows that people of color with light skin are overrepresented in public office; light-skinned people of color are more likely to be elected than dark-skinned people of color. In fact this racism manifests itself in how an individual perceives whether or not a person of color is light-skinned or dark-skinned. Another study found that when shown photos of President Obama that had been altered to be either darker, lighter, or unaltered those you did not support Obama identified the darker image as the correct image of the President, while those that did support Obama identified the lighter image as the correct image.
Sociological research also shows that when lease applicants where perceived as speaking with black vernacular they were less likely to secure an appointment to view the apartment than those who were perceived as speaking with a white vernacular. In fact it is not only evident in how whites perceive the speech of people of color, but even in how whites perceive the names of people of color. Another study found that job applicants that had names that where perceived as being black were 50% less likely to receive a call for an interview than applicants whose names were perceived as being white.
There is still structural inequalities and institutional racism that affects people of color in America. According to several studies, people of color are affected by disparities in health care and are also more likely to be affected by hypertension and other health care problems as a direct result of racism. While whites make up 70% of drug users in this country they only make up 10% of the people incarcerated for drug possession, while people of color make up 25% of drug users they make up about 90% of the people incarcerated for drug possession. A black defendant who kills a white victim is up to 30 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a white defendant who kills a black victim.
While the unemployment rate in the United States is currently at about 10%, the unemployment rate for blacks in the United States is closer to 17%. A study found that the income gap between blacks and whites has continued to grow, and that the typical black family’s income that was 58% of a typical white family’s. According to a study about hiring discrimination, at least 1.3 million qualified people of color will face job discrimination in a given year.
The idea of a post-racial society does not exist; there is no such thing as being color blind. The election of Barack Obama does not signal the end of racism in America, the success of one person of color does not change the fact that racism is still a significant problem. Racism is going to continue to be a problem in America for years to come, and the election of the first black President may actually make progress more difficult. Forty years of racial progress and one election does not change 400 years of racism oppression. Unfortunately we do not live in a society in which people are judge purely on the content of their character.