Choose one of the three modern connection you wrote about in the Making Connections assignment. PLEASE FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!! ALSO PLEASE INCLUDE A THESIS IN THE ESSAY AS WELL AS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ESSAY IS NOT ABROAD. ATTACHMENT NUMBER ONE IS THE EXAM

Sally Student

Professor XXXXX

English 1102

XX March XXXX

Racism in Modern Society

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences,” says Audre Lorde, author of “Our Dead Behind Us.” In the United States of America, those differences are what separates everyone and makes people unique. To the average American, trying to determine every race that exists in this country would be almost impossible because there are so many ethnicities that exist. Since America is predominately Caucasian, every other race is considered a minority. “Racial discrimination, in the most general sense, is the denial of equal opportunities and rights to groups on the basis of race or ethnicity” (Delgado). Still I Rise is a poem by Maya Angelou that explains racism and prejudice from the viewpoint of the author. She tells what it is like in her poetry to be discriminated against in the times of early segregation. Even though America does not have laws that prevent blacks and whites from using the same public places, racism is still a growing and significant issue in modern society.

Someone who has racist judgments and habits was not born with these views, it is not in anyone’s DNA. This type of outlook is something that is instilled into a person very early in life. Society and the people that surround an individual play a big role in how they view other people. Someone who is Caucasian growing up in a community made up of mostly their same race, makes it easier to have racist feelings against other races that are not the “norm” in that type of society. This is not true in all cases, but the way someone is raised and what they begin to experience at a young age, will have a drastic impact on their beliefs and outlook on certain aspects of life.

There are many people who exhibit the anti-black feelings but are not aware that they are acting in the wrong by society. If a child is raised by a family who believes that their racist views are the norm, then that child will see racism as a traditional value and see nothing wrong with these feelings. Modern racism is something that most people in America would consider unconscious actions. If an individual is acting on something unconsciously, it is likely they would deny any wrongs in their behavior. Modern racists deny being racist because they were not raised any other way. “For example, modern racists who vote for a white candidate rather than a black one may sincerely deny any racial prejudice, justifying their vote on the basis of the candidate's traditionalist platform” (Zuriff). Racism may seem like just incorrect values and beliefs within an individual, but it is much more than that. It is not just hurtful words, but also wrongful actions that can affect the victims of racism on a daily basis.

Colleges have certain benchmarks and standards that an applicant must adhere to in order to be considered for acceptance. SAT scores, the student’s GPA, extracurriculars and even the applicant’s quality of their high school all play a role in the acceptance. Students that live in poorer areas usually attend poorly funded schools. This usually results in a lack of sports funding for the school and education that is not properly budgeted by the county. “Minority students also are more likely to have to work and to care for siblings, which in turn affects their academic performance and limits their participation in extracurricular activities” (Delgado). Because of this, minorities are being faced with institutional racism which can affect the rest of their life.

Even though racism still exists today, there are places that are taking a stand and trying to change modern racism in America. In the past, minorities were discriminated against in the workplace. If a workplace did not want to hire candidates from a minority, they would not. A lot of jobs are acquired through personal connections. Delgado states in his article, “the people doing the hiring were disproportionately white, and their connections tended to be white as well.” This means that minorities were usually not even considered for certain positions. Affirmative action programs have begun to make jobs more accessible for minorities. Advertising jobs in the places where minorities are more prominent is one method to help eliminate institutional racism. Seniority systems provide job security for people who have been at a company for a long period of time. Since African Americans were more recently given more job opportunities than whites, they were the first ones to be laid off from jobs since mostly whites had seniority at the shared job. Recently, this system has ended because of discrimination, whether it was intentional or not.

Racial discrimination and racial judgement has been an issue in America for decades. It is not always intentional, but when it is, it can be harmful for the victims. Victims of racism can be subject to discrimination in the workplace, school, and their personal lives which can affect their everyday life and their future. Someone who is racist was instilled with these beliefs. Nobody is born to discriminate against minorities, these values were taught or acquired through their upbringing. Even though racial discrimination was much more prominent decades ago, it is still a problem in modern society today. Although it may never cease completely, beneficial actions by the government and individuals are making a difference and allowing minorities to have more opportunities and just as many chances to reach their full potential as every other race in America.

Works Cited

Delgado, Héctor L. "Institutional Racism." Salem Press Encyclopedia, January. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-flo1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=96397419&site=eds-live&scope=site.

Sherman, R. "Modern Racism." Modern Racism. Miami University, n.d., https://www.units.miamioh.edu/psybersite/workplace/modernweb.shtml.

Zuriff, G. E. "Inventing Racism." Public Interest, no. 146, Winter2002, p. 114. EBSCOhost, proxygsu-flo1.galileo.usg.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=6712925&site=eds-live&scope=site.