History
How did it start ? What happened in the past to affect the future?
We must find the root to discover the problem
In the history of America, oppression and racism hold significant weight in how the country began and how it presently runs. The margin of discrepancies between racial groups have grown wider as systems and laws were put in place to keep the racial divide. This is better known as systemic racism, meaning the embedding of racism by a racial group in power into everyday processes and procedures that disproportionately affects another racial group or groups. Systemic racism can affect anything from healthcare, housing, to employment. However, it largely affects employment of marginalized groups in white-collar jobs. Marginalized groups could be turned away from a white-collar job for having a ‘too ethnic sounding name’ or the employer having predisposed biases. In America, systems have been embedded in institutions to directly affect marginalized groups like the Black community.
Racial inequality has proven to be a constant reminder of what was in America’s past. It acts as a portal to the past life of how ununited the United States was. Some people are willfully ignorant. A false narrative has been created and the truth is voluntarily forgotten by the majority. Investigating the history of systemic racism as it has affected many people of color in the United States will shed light on the blemishes and imperfections of American society. Importantly, unveiling the starting point of systemic racism in America can act as a vaccine for the deadly virus many Americans have contracted : Racism.
Slavery to Present Day
400 Years
In 1619, the first slave ship arrived in Virginia. Since that day, slavery in the U.S. grew wider and harsher. Many slave owners would instill false narratives to their slaves to keep them enslaved. To do so ,slave owners used the Bible and science in support of enslavement. They would separate families, change their ethnic names, use countless fear tactics and breed them to create more desirable slaves. In that effort, many white men would also sleep with their slaves to create lighter skinned offspring. Although these children would still be slaves, the slave owners would allow them to work in the house. Many slave owners would also allow women who were not mixed but of lighter complexion to work in the house. This was a tactic to keep slaves in enslavement and a way to divide the black community. It illustrated that if a black person is closer to whiteness, than more privilege would be received as they accepted less visible blackness in a black person. Regardless of this tactic, most slaves were not getting paid. Meaning, unlike their white counterparts they were not creating generational wealth or wealth at all. They were also not able to hold office, vote, or own land. They were not seen as a person or people but rather less than. Later, slaves would be freed as result of the Civil War and a new oppression would come to be.
The New Oppression
During Reconstruction, the focus shifted to assimilating the South and assimilating the newly freed slaves into society. However, the racist ideologies did not cease but grew as many states formed laws to deny service to Black Americans. In doing so, this created an anti-segregation movement formally known as the Civil Rights Movement. It was a movement to create economic equality, racial equality, and equity for Black people in the U.S. This movement was run by men and women from the black community. This movement would unveil the injustice and prejudice ingrained in the U.S. So much so, police brutality, false accusations against black people, and lynchings were social norms. These norms continued the false narrative that the black community was dangerous and at times weak-minded. This ideology carried over into businesses, as many black people would get low paying jobs and have no hope of advancement in their job. As for schooling, the first time a Black person was able nationally to legally attend school with white people was in 1954.
Here We Are
At this point in history, Black Americans are now able to start flourishing and having a seat at the table. By 2008, we elected our first Black president. Although it was a wonderful achievement, many people still believe the Black community is less than. America still has a lot to do to grow. In that vein, police target Black Americans at a high rate, Black Americans are still being lynched, and there are still sundown towns. Sundown towns are towns in which black people can not go after sunset. This curfew for the black community became popularized during the time of Jim Crow. Ever since, these towns have been continuing the practice, meaning American-born citizens can not travel freely in their own country.