Racism: Now vs. Then

It should be no surprise to anyone that racism exists throughout this country. Throughout history you weren’t judged by your integrity or your personality, but by the color of your skin and the background of your ethnicity.
We’ve had many laws that stopped African Americans from doing things such as voting, sitting in the front of the bus, eating at the booth of a restaurant, even using the same bathrooms as white people. It became a normal part of our society to be openly racist and not be ashamed of it. Yet some of them still hid behind masks like the KKK (Ku Klux Klan), who terrorized many innocent people because of their belief in white supremacy. Despite all of this many black people were not only able to live their lives they were able to help change those laws through peaceful protests.
Now because of them many of those laws have changed allowing all people to be in the same places. Also, if you look back at famous African American figures in history, such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr or Jackie Robinson, they were symbols for unity between black and white people.
So, after everything that has happened in the past is racism just as strong now? Well I feel that it is even stronger now than racism in the past. With this new day and age of technology and social media, racists are able to use these tools to intentionally show that they are racist.
Donald Trump is a good example of this stating in some of his tweets that black and Hispanic people are a part of major crime in our cities.
Many people have stated ways to end racism but I don’t think it’s possible. It’s always existed and it always will because of one thing that I didn’t discover until I saw the movie 42.
There’s a scene where Jackie Robinson, the first black major league baseball player, is warming up for his game. We see a little white boy and his father looking at Jackie and the father calls him the “N” word and tells him to go home. The boy looks at his father for a second and then joins him in calling Jackie the “N” word. That’s when I realized that hate is taught and many racists aren’t just born to hate people who don’t look like them. They were taught to hate by the people that raised them because many kids want to be like their parents. Even after knowing all the history of racism and the many racist things going on in the present. It comes down to a choice and some people still choose wrong, and try to find excuses for their behavior.
That is the reason why racism has existed in the past, why it exists in the present and why it will continue to exist in the future.
However, there is a way for us to handle it, and that is with one simple action: show compassion to them. Now I’m not saying to not be so easily offended or not to be upset over someone’s racist remarks. I’m saying to still try and be kind and caring even when it isn’t easy.
Don’t try and start a flame war with someone who posted an offensive statement on twitter. Instead pray for that person or wish them a happy life. Honestly, retaliating against them while you’re angry is exactly what they want you to do. By doing this, not only are you surprising them but you’ll also prove to yourself that what they’re saying is wrong. In short kill them with kindness, and don’t respond with hate.