Matt Wasem

Mrs. Fielding

Writing 103

23 January, 2018

Racism Needs to Stop

Racial segregation is an issue that has been prevalent within American society for

generations. It was most prevalent during the 17th and 18th centuries, as society believed it was

perfectly just to enslave an entire race based solely upon the color of their skin. Even after

slavery was abolished, African Americans still faced immense racial segregation in society.

African Americans were forced to use separate water fountains, sit in the back of buses, use

different entrances into buildings, and so on. The obvious forms of segregation that society

implemented lasted until the late 1960s-early 1970s. Now that we are in the 21st century, racial

segregation should be an abandoned rationale, however that is not the case. In fact, I have

witnessed it at its peak at my current job. Seeing people get mistreated due to their ethnicity has

been hurtful to watch. I have seen this racial injustice in America, and after watching many

people be put at a disadvantage in life because of it; I hope to stand against this societal flaw and

fight for equal rights.

Over breaks, I work at a local pizza restaurant, and I have been there for over a year and a

half. Over the time I have spent working at the restaurant I have witnessed various versions of

racial segregation and discrimination. The segregation within the restaurant starts with teenage

minorities not getting hired, as the owner’s ideology is white workers in the front and Hispanic

workers in the back. My ideology has never agreed with the owners however, I took this job and

stuck with it, because I earn an easy paycheck and I am a shy person who is not accustomed
change. Initially, I did not realize the restaurant owner was racist until after a couple months

when the employees began to give me insights.

The racial discrimination has affected me personally while I have worked, as I have had a

couple of friends come into the restaurant and apply for a job. Both friends were ultimately

turned down, because of a common characteristic; they were minorities. The first friend to come

into the restaurant and apply was of Hispanic dissent. When the owner gave my friend the

application he began to ask him some simple questions such as “what school do you attend?,”

“do you have any job experience?,” etc.. The part that took me back was when the owner asked

my friend “would you be able to work from 11am to 11pm?” My friend obviously could not,

because he was only a junior in high school, and then my friend proceeded to ask about what

other time frames would work with his schedule. The owner told my friend if he was not willing

to work from eleven to eleven then he was not interested. A couple weeks later my second friend

came into the restaurant to apply for a job. This time the owner was not in the store, so I told my

friend to just write down his name and number, so he could contact him when he got back in.

About an hour or two later the owner comes back, and I tell him about my friend who came in to

apply. I described him by saying his name, grade, and general characteristics. Once I said

“African-American” my owner went to where I put my friend’s information and threw it in the

trash. Both instances of racial discrimination made me furious towards the owner over time.

However, in the moment I did not know how to react, because this was my first experience with

racism.

After experiencing this first hand, it opened my eyes to the racial discrimination and

segregation happening all around the world. Originally, I was aware it was occurring, however I

was not aware that it was happening this frequent, as it was extremely alarming to me. Instances
of racial discrimination are occurring in America’s health care system, as it is believed that

whites are more trusted by insurance companies than African Americans. The studies showed

that this belief was accurate as “patterns of trust in components of our health care system differ

by race” (Boulware, Cooper, Ratner, LaVeist, and Powe). Racial discrimination is not only

prevalent in the workforce, but also civilian’s health care system. This discrimination against

minorities is ultimately hurting them and putting them at a disadvantage that is not needed in

society. It is putting “racial minority youths in the United States at risk for experiencing unfair

treatment and other forms of marginalization based on their ethnic-racial background” (Umana-

Taylor). Society can not be raising today’s youth in an environment where racial discrimination

exists, because then this will remain a never ending cycle.

Overall, this experience of racial discrimination has affected me mentally as I found

myself in an environment that did not accept minorities willingly. This ideology was not

something I supported by any means, and I regret not sticking up for my friends and others who

came through our doors. My friends who were affected still remained my friends, however I did

notice a change in our relationships occur, as I was called a racist because I worked at the

restaurant. This experience did not only give me negative experiences, it also made me

extremely grateful for my background and upbringing. It made me open up more towards people

who I originally thought I had no common interests with. Once I got to know them it turned out

that we all had at least one common interest, and we had to just communicate in order to find it.
Selfie:

Working at the restaurant did not really put a smile on my face because of the
racial discrimination, but this accurately demonstrates my role at the restaurant.

Work Cited:

Boulware, Ebony L., Lisa A. Cooper, Lloyd E. Ratner, Thomas A. LaVeist, and Nail R. Powe. (n.d.): n.

pag. Public Health Reports. 1 July 2003. Web. 28 Jan. 2018. <Boulware, Ebony L., Lisa A.

Cooper, Lloyd E. Ratner, Thomas A. LaVeist, and Nail R. Powe. (n.d.): n. pag. Web.>.

Umana-Taylor, Andriana J. "A Post-Racial Society in Which Ethic-Racial Discrimination Still Exists and

Has Significant Consequences for Youths' Adjustment." SAGE Journals (n.d.): n. pag. Web.