Injustice in society: racial recognition in the us

Running head: Injustice in society
Injustice in Society
Introduction
Bill Clinton’s initiative “ One America in the 21st Century” establishes that racial reconciliation can occur after a national dialogue on race and after identifying policies which can increase opportunities for racial and ethnic groups. The election of a black President, there has been some discussions on whether or not racial reconciliation has already been achieved. This paper shall discuss whether or not racial reconciliation has already occurred in the United States, especially in the aftermath of Obama’s election as President.
Body
Racial reconciliation has not been achieved yet in the United States. Racial reconciliation is defined as “ creating a climate where people deal honestly with racial and cultural issues” (Anita, as cited by Gilbreath, 2010, p. 237). In the current racial and ethnic context, this reconciliation has not been seen as yet. In general, the Americans themselves feel that even with Obama’s installation as President, race relations in the US have not yet improved. In a survey of Americans, about 37% African Americans and 46% whites believe that some improvements in race relations have been seen since Obama’s installation, however, in polls taken during the 2008 elections, 38% of black respondents believe that racial discrimination was a significant issue; recent surveys however indicate that even more African Americans, about 55% of them believe that racial discrimination is still a serious problem in the US (Harris, 2009).
The above surveys indicate that there seems to be no significant Obama impact on racial discrimination and racial reconciliation in the US. Further surveys also establish that as 44% of blacks believe that Obama’s presidency is a new beginning in terms of improved racial relations, only about 19% of whites believe this statement. Studies also reveal that about 76% of African-Americans indicate that they are often discriminated in their community, especially from the police. They point out that, as compared to their white counterparts, they have been stopped more frequently by the police even if they had no traffic violations (ABC News, 2009). Even Obama has mentioned and recognized the fact that African Americans have been stopped more frequently by police officers, as compared to whites. In effect, racial discrimination incidents show that racial reconciliation has hardly occurred in the current Obama administration.
The actual implementation of racial reconciliation actions has not been apparent in most activities in the US where racial biases often play a significant role. Even minority races acknowledge the fact that although they are encouraged by Obama’s election as president, they do not believe that it would change the way they are treated by society in the workplace and in other civic activities. Many of them also believe that constantly declaring racial reconciliation and racial equality would not eliminate the tension between the races (Ewers, 2009). The black community also claims that although they believe Obama’s plans in the promotion of racial equality and racial reconciliation, they are frustrated by the slow actions and the lack of urban planning for the improvement of their condition. In effect, they do not see any actual improvement in their condition since the President sat in power.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion, I believe that racial reconciliation has not yet occurred in the US, even with the installation of Obama as president. The cultural and racial divide is still very much apparent in society, that seeking to equalize the disparity through racial reconciliation would be a shaky and uneven deal at best, especially for the racial minorities. In effect, more substantial changes in the system need to be established before racial reconciliation can be implemented in US society.
Reference
ABC News. (2009). Racial Discrimination: Obama, Gates and the Police. Retrieved 12
November 2011 from http://abcnews. go. com/blogs/politics/2009/07/racial-discrimination-obama-gates-and-the-police/
Ewers, J. (2009). Obama and Race Relations: Civil Rights Leaders Aren’t Satisfied. US Politics.
Retrieved 12 November 2011 from http://www. usnews. com/news/obama/articles/2009/04/30/obama-and-race-relations-civil-rights-leaders-arent-satisfied? PageNr= 2
Gilbreath, E. (2010). Reconciliation Blues: A Black Evangelical’s Inside View of White
Christianity. New York: ReadHowYouWant. com
Harris, T. (2009). No ” Obama effect” on racial discrimination. The Examiner. Retrieved 12
November 2011 from http://www. examiner. com/dc-in-washington-dc/no-obama-effect-on-racial-discrimination