America and Race

In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched after being accused of offending a white woman in a Mississippi grocery store. Over sixty years later, it should not be unreasonable for us to expect the racial climate in our country to have improved significantly. To hope that our society has moved beyond unjustly accusing individuals based on the color of their skin. To assume that incidents similar to what occurred on that August day in 1955 are uncommon in today's world. Yet somehow, it is still too much to ask. As we've watched a grown woman call the police to report on a 9-year-old African American boy that she believed sexually assaulted her and another refuse to allow a man enter his own apartment building because of her assumption that his race couldn't allow him to achieve such a high economic status, it is hard to recognize what has changed since 1955. It seems as though the only differences are that those that inflict these accusations are recognized as being in the wrong and that we now have trendy nicknames such as "Key Fob Kelly" and "Corner Store Caroline" used to ridicule their ignorance. That being said, if it is so commonly recognized that these individuals are unjust in their discrimination, why does our society still face such problems? When Americans look back on slavery as one of the most shameful parts of our country's history, why do we still struggle with erasing its mark? Although it is arguable that the racial atmosphere has improved since the time when segregation was still part of the law, it is hard to ignore the issues that still plague our society. Maybe we've come a long way from where this country started, but why stop continuing to improve the nation?

Click here for more information on the stories I referenced.