From the outside looking in, one could easily examine the people among the U.S. Government and come to the conclusion that America is living in a post-racial society. Defined as a theoretical environment where the United States is devoid of racial preference, discrimination, and prejudice, the concept of post-racial continues to confuse and satisfy many.
Many equate the introduction of Post-Racial America when President Barrack Obama took office in 2008. Obama’s decision to run for President offered the United States “a vision of America no longer divided along black and white lines” (The Washington Post). The media coined the term post-racial to indicate that Obama deemphasized the divisive history of race in America (religionandpolitics.org). America had successfully elected a man of African and African-American decent to be the supreme ruler of the land. Considering the fact that the Civil Rights Act was just passed fifty years ago, this was a significant moment in American history.
Public opinion polls revealed that more whites than African-Americans believed that the U.S. had entered a “post-racial” era where bias doesn’t exist. “Post-racial is a mythical idea that should be as painful to the mind’s ear as fingernails on the chalkboard are to the outer ear,” said Toure in the New York Time’s Opinion page. Evidence that race matters is all around us, literally. To take an example, and a rather controversial example at that, 48% of Americans said race was “not a factor at all” in both the Brown and Garner grand jury cases. Not surprisingly, blacks were more likely to say race was a factor in both cases (news.vice.com).
Take a moment to acknowledge the hard facts. African-Americans make up about 14% of the population (independent.co.uk). Only two of the 100 U.S. Senators are black. Of the five hundred billionaires in the United States, there are two African-Americans: Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan. The National Poverty Center reports that black people make up 38.2% of citizens living below the poverty line while White, non Hispanics make up a mere 12% (Hispanics make up 35% and Asians take hold of 13%). According to the Department of Education, African-American students are arrested far more often than their white classmates. Similarly, voter laws that prohibit people with felony convictions to vote disproportionately impact men of color. (americanprogress.org).
So why are so many convinced that we are living in the new colorblind nation that provides equality and opportunity to all races and ethnicities? A portion of the overall existing problem may be how Americans think about racial discrimination. As students glance in textbooks and research the Internet, there are vivid photographs of the civil rights movement and clear examples of blatant racism. In the 21st century, “covered racism” like microagressions and structural racism equate to those experiences in history.
Statistics back the fact that racial tensions and gaps have grown closer together in recent decades; however, the gaps and disparities between African-Americans and White citizens is still considerably large (Americaswire.com). Young black men are continuously stopped and frisked for looking “suspicious” on New York City streets. Equally qualified African-American students are denied internships and job opportunities. Black communities and health centers are more likely to lack safe spaces, healthy foods, and are usually targeted for risky behavior.
Yes, both sides view these occurrences as morally wrong, but they’re undeniably still in practice. The idea of equality in America has always been controversial and will continue for years to come. In my opinion, achieving an actual post-racial America is impossible. Our nation is made up of humans and human nature yearns to categorically identify people. Before we can begin the practice of creating a post-racial society, Americans need to acknowledge differences and disparities among racial groups and turn apathy into action.
References:
America’s Wire, Widespread Bias Continues in America Despite Claims of Post-Racial Society
News Vice, Half of America Thinks we Live in a Post Racial Society – The other half, not so Much
Center for American Progress, Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color & the Criminal Justice System
Interesting articles for further research:
Michael Tesler & David Sears- Obama’s Race: The 2008 Election and the Dream of a Post Racial America
Diane D. Blair, Center of Southern Politics and Society- Racial Attitudes in America: Post Racial After Obama Fails to Exist (highly recommended read!)
Ian Haney F. Lopez- Is Post-Racial the Blind in Colorblind?
Megan Range says
This is a good post. I know most people, with regard to race, point to the progress made since the Civil Rights movement and deduce that America’s at a “good enough” place. This post reminds me of a list of the top 100 box-office grossing films of all time, in which only 8 had main characters, 6 of which were played by Will Smith, which is very sad. If we were in a post-racial society, that number would be larger. We still have a long way to go.
Mackenzie Erin Beltz says
Wow, this post was so interesting, well-thought out, and thorough. During the Brown and Garner cases, I did a lot of research on the subject of a “post-racial America”, and was shocked with what I found. When you’re white living in America, it’s very easy to not acknowledge your privilege and play the “color-blind” card. I was especially interested in your conclusion about microagressions, covered racism, and structural racism. I think a lot of people today cite the fact that racial slurs and outright racism are much less common than they were in say, the sixties, as evidence for the post-racial America, but disregard the evident inequalities and systematic racism that divides the races and classes. Great post!