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KaylaMckellar
Ms.Sroka
Writing
January13,2016

RacialDiscrimination

Betweentheyearsof2011and2015,thepercentageofpeoplewhosaythatracismisa
bigproblemintheU.S.hasincreasedsignificantly.Especiallyblacksandhispanics,different
peopleclaimthatracialdiscriminationhasaffectedtheirwayoflife.Sowhyisthisimportant?
Manyeventshappenedinvolvingtheuseofracialdiscriminationthatmadeevenmoreconflicts
throughouttheU.S.Sowhyhasn'titbeenstoppedorsolved?Wehavetoaskourselvesthat
question.Racialdiscriminationhasbeenaffectingourcountryinnumerouswaysandneedstobe
stoppedbeforefurtherdamage.Thispaperwilldiscussracialdiscrimination,thecauseand
effectsofit,whyit'sabigissueandthebestwayofsolvingthisproblem.(Racismisabig
problemtomoreAmericans)
SowhatisRacialdiscrimination?
Racialdiscriminationiswhenapersonistreatedless
favourablythananotherpersoninasimilarsituationbecauseoftheirrace,colour,descent,
nationalorethnicoriginorimmigrantstatus.(AustralianHumanRightsCommission)
IntheU.S.
,racialdiscriminationismuchmorethanthat.Itbecameahugeproblemwherepolicebrutality
anddifferentactsofviolenceoccurred.SowhatarethecausesofRacialdiscrimination?This
willbeexplainedinthenextparagraph.

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Onecauseforracialdiscriminationisignorance.Manypeopledon'tcareaboutother
people'sfeelingsandtheydon'tknowhowmuchdamagetheyrecausing.Theythinkthatwhat
theyaredoingiscorrectbuttheyneedtobeawareandeducatedaboutwhattheyaredoingtoour
society.Theyarejustfollowingwhatareothersaredoing.Also,alackofloveisacauseofracial
discriminationaswell.
Racismcomesfromthefeelingofbeingworthless,beingvictimised,and
lackingtheopportunitiesothersmayhave.Sowhenpeoplearetreatedthisway,theytakeitout
onotherpeoplewhichmakesracismthrive.Thus,ignoranceandlackoflovearesomecauses
racialdiscriminationtospreadacrosstheU.S.

(CausesandEffectsofRacism)
Sowhataretheeffects?TheeffectsofRacialdiscriminationaredamagingsomeone's
selfesteem,thekindofstatusorclassyou'replacedin,divisionofthecountryandViolence.As
youcantellthereisnopositiveoutcomeofracialdiscrimination.Theseeffectsarereally
damagingourcountrywhichgivesagoodreasonwhyit'sabigissueandhowitgivesevenmore
problemsthanitalreadyhadsuchas

racialprofiling
tootherissueslikeaffirmativeaction,police
brutalityagainstminoritiesandthehistoryofslaveryandtherisingresentmentagainst
immigrants.(Racism)Theseproblemsreallyneedtobedealtwithinorderforracial
discriminationtostop.
Soletstalkabouttheseeffectsandwhytheyareimportanttoknow.First,racial
discriminationcanaffectsomeonesselfesteem.Apersonswholeworldcanchangefrom
experiencingdiscriminationandtheycanbecomedepressed,anxiousandmentallyunwell.Allof
thesefeelingscanleadtowayworsethingssuchasdisordersandsuicidewhichiswhy
destroyingsomeonesselfesteemisoneamajoreffectthatneedsanendto.(Causesandeffects
ofracism)Wedon'twanttohavethosenegativethingshappeninginourcountry.Anothereffect

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ofracialdiscriminationisyourstatusorclassyou'replacedin.Manywhitesdenythatthey
benefitfromthesecondclassstatusofBlacks,whohavelimitedopportunities,andwhose
dreamsaredeferredordeniedbecausetheyhavethewrongskincolor.(Walkingwhileblack
U.S.societydividedbyracism)Inthissociety,itslikeblacklivesdontmatterandthatthey
dontdeserveopportunitiesmanywhitepeopleearnbutinrealityablackmancandothesame
andevenabetterjobthanwhites.Youcantjustjudgeabookbyitscoverandassumetheworst.
Thelastandmostimportanteffectofracialdiscriminationisviolence/policebrutality.
Therehasbeenmanycasesfromthepastyearsthatinvolvedtakinganotherpersonslifeand
physicallyabusingsomeone.Forexample,thefergusonshootinginAugust2014wasonecase
thataffectedmanycommunitiesincludingFerguson,Missouri.Apoliceofficertookalifeofan
unarmedAfricanAmericanteenagernamedMichaelBrownbecauseofhowhelookedwalking
downthestreet.(FergusonUnrest)Manyautomaticallyassumedthatitwasracialdiscrimination
becauseitwasawhitepoliceofficer.AnotherfamouscasewastheFreddieGraycase.Freddie
graywasarrestedinApril2015fornoreason.Theofficerswerehandlinghimwithnocare
whichresultedinspinalinjuries.Graydidntreceivenomedicalhelpandwasnotwearinga
seatbeltwhileinthepolicevanwhichresultedinhisdeath.(AFreddieGrayPrimer)Many
claimedhewasunarmedaswell.Allinall,thesecasesandmanymorereallyaffectedour
countryinmanyways.Wenowrealizethemajoreffectsofracialdiscrimination.Ithaseven
tooklivessodoesthatnowassureyouthatthisisabigissue?
Hatecrimesareanotherformofviolence.Butwhatarehatecrimes?
Hatecrimesareany
crimesthataretargetedatapersonbecauseofhostilityorprejudicetowardsthatpersons
disabilityrace,ethnicityreligion,beliefsexualorientation,andtransgenderidentity.(Whatishate

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crime?)TherearemanygroupsofpeoplewhodohatecrimessuchastheKKKandtheracist
skinheads.AccordingtotheSouthernPovertyLawCenter,thereisabout892hategroupsinthe
U.S.still.Thesehategroupscanmakeracialdiscriminationgrowrapidlyifthesenumberkeeps
increasing.(Hatecrimes)Oneexampleofahatecrimeiswhenawhiteshooterwenttoachurch
inCharleston,S.C.andkilled9blackcongregantsfornoclearreasoningbehindit.Localpolice
characterizeditasahatecrime.Crimeaftercrimehappensandnobodyisdoinganythingto
changeorstopthis.Forthepastdecade,thehatecrimeratehavebeensteadybetween200,000
and300,000crimesayearaccordingto

BureauofJusticeStatistics.(TheuglytruthaboutHate
crimes)Ifthesenumbersbegintoincreasetherewouldbelimitedwaystoendthisissuesowhy
notfindasolutionthatcansomehowworktoendthismess?
Themainreasonwhyracialdiscriminationisstillah
ugeproblemintheU.S.isbecause
wealreadyhaveourfeelingsandthoughtsaboutit.Wehaveneverexperiencedthiskindofissue
beforesoweassumetheworst.Alaworanactcantreallychangehowwethinkaboutothersso
oneeffectivewaywecanchangethisisbylearningfromthisissue.Havingaprogram/classall
aroundtheU.S.thatgivespeopleanexperienceofbeingdiscriminatedagainstcanbean
effectivewaytoendracialdiscrimination.Thismustbemandatoryforeveryonetodoinorderto
influenceotherpeople'sopinions.Justaswelearnfromourparentsrightfromwrong,this
programcanteachushowweshoulddealwiththisissueandsomehowfixit.Themorepeople
thatattendthisclass,themorethisissuecancometoanend.Sowouldyouwanttomakea
changeintoday'ssocietybyattendingthisclass?
Toconclude,racialdiscriminationisthebiggestissueintheworld.Ithascausedsomany
negativethingssuchasselfesteemissuesanddifferentactsofviolence.Thisproblemhasbeen

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goingonforadecadenowandhasntbeendealtwith.Weshouldbedeterminedtostopracial
discriminationbecauseweneverknowwhenyouorsomeoneclosemaybeaffectedbyit.Ifwe
knewhowitfeels,thenwewouldn'tbedoingsomeofthethingswedotoinfluenceracial
discrimination.Ifweknewitwouldn'thavebeenanissuebecauseitcanreallydestroyyou
mentally,emotionally,andphysically.Soallinall,racialdiscriminationneedstostoppedorelse
wecouldbeinsomeseriousproblemsinourcountryandinourworld.

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