I am a mixed kid whose mother is white and whose father is black. Just from the pigment of my skin, I look black. Because of the color of my skin and my biracial lineage, I encountered racial issues and prejudice throughout most of my life. Issues of race are frequently discussed in the media, making me think of my experiences before I came to Clemson.
Growing up near Baltimore, it is impossible not to notice the racial issues and tensions in the area. Due to the conditions of the city, law enforcement has a significant presence. Unfortunately, problems occur when white cops don’t hold people of their same races accountable for actions that non-whites get held accountable for. For example, white people and African American people smoke weed at relatively the same rate. However, African Americans are four times more likely to be arrested for it, according to The Washington Post. This is a disturbing statistic. The law must be enforced equally for all races.
As someone who comes from African American descent, my children are going to have color in them, likely to be judged by it. As a mother, it concerns me that this pattern of preferential treatment towards whites will continue and other races will continually be marginalized.
One of the main reasons for assumptions made about people of color is media portrayal. After the riots that took place in Baltimore, the media chose to focus on the destruction the city, and not its cause: grief over losing another community member. How media portrays things and people after incidents occur influence individuals to think a certain way. The media treats white suspects and victims better than those of color. If a young white boy shoots up a school in Florida, he gets labeled as troubled. If a black boy gets caught with drugs, he is viewed as a hoodlum. This biased racial coverage shapes the way that society looks at people of color.
Although racism is no longer blatant, it is still present in today’s world. But no one is born with racism in their blood. In fact, it is a trait that is taught, and its teaching must be stopped. As human beings, we were all put on this Earth to love and take care of one another. It takes more than just one movement or one person for people to become aware of what is going on in the world and make a change. America’s relationship with race has changed quite a bit in the last century, but it definitely has a lot of work to do if we want to live as one nation with “liberty and justice for all”. That work starts with equal law enforcement and media portrayal of all races.
