February 25, 2014
Dear Republican National Convention (RNC), Racism has been a conflict for many years, even before we were all born and the worst part is that it’s still happening today. The statement, “Today we remember Rosa Parks’ bold stand in ending racism” has prompted many concerns on whether or not racism is still a problem today. The article “Racism Not a Problem Anymore? Don’t Be Ridiculous, It’s Still a Big Issue” by Jamelle Bouie addresses the issue of racism and how it still has a negative impact on minorities everywhere. I agree with the author’s opinion on racial bias and individual discrimination because it affects job selection, housing and lending, and also the number of police arrest. Furthermore, in this world racial discrimination is apparent in job selections. When choosing an employee the employer may choose one person over another due to their ethnicity even if they have the same resume. In the article it states, “The mere fact of blackness, for example, continues to have a measurable effect on one’s ability to get a job.” In line with this idea, discrimination and racial profiling can determine who qualifies for a job based solely on a stereotype. In addition, this idea exhibits the fact that even today racism is still a big issue. Also, racism has become a major problem when it comes to housing and lending. Realtors may show minorities homes that are suitably affordable for them just because of some racial stereotypes. In the article it says “Black renters- compared to their white counterparts- learned about eleven percent fewer rental units, and black homebuyers were shown about a fifth fewer homes.” Another stereotype is that most blacks are too poor to afford or pay for anything; due to this misjudgment many banks or companies won’t lend money to them for fear that it will never be paid back. When it comes to housing or lending there is a lot of racial inequality and discrimination. These accusations all happen every day. In addition, due to the fact that arrest rates for African Americans are so high many people believe that all blacks are a part of a life of crime. Many police officers will arrest a person just for being black. In the article it reads, “Police suspicion of young black men goes a long way towards explain high arrest rates and flamed