My Opinion on Racism

Whether we like it or not, racism exists. People get looked down upon by others based on the color of their skin. Over the decades the world has gotten much better at accepting others no matter the cultural background or skin color. But even so, people are still being disrespectful to other people just because they are different from themselves. This is not acceptable, we should all be treated equally because we are all human beings with feelings and no one has the right to make other people feel bad about the way they look.

Several years ago, people of color were treated terribly. If you pay attention in history class you would know that “colored” people (which is a derogatory term used mostly when talking about African-Americans) were used as slaves for white people. They lived in very harsh conditions, were worked to the bone, and were terribly punished when they did something wrong. Back then people saw “colored” people as tools and accessories rather than people. Some still see people of color like that but, over the years the world has gotten better at being more accepting of everyone.

A problem that no one is solving is police violence. The police do a lot for the country, and we should appreciate them for their heroic actions, but some officers are everything but heroic. Some officers have shot and killed unarmed African-Americans simply because they “felt a threat” coming from them. In one case there was an officer that shot a 20-year-old African-American man because the officer claimed that the man had a gun. Since releasing that statement they never provided proof of that. Some cases where an officer purposefully shoots a black person, they don’t even get charged with any felonies. There was another case where a former officer shot a black man, and he was charged with aggravated assault, and two counts of violation by the oath of a public officer. But none of the charges included murder or manslaughter.

There is also a person who is constantly trying to link Hispanics and African-Americans to violent crimes and drugs. That person is Donald Trump. Yes, he is the president of the United States but that doesn’t give him any right whatsoever to make false accusations about Hispanics and African-Americans. In a speech he made in his 2016 presidential campaign, he said the following about Mexican immigrants: “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume are good people.” More than the majority of Mexicans that immigrated to the U.S come here looking for a better life, not to bring trouble. In 1989 Trump also tried to bring back the death penalty, so that the teens who were convicted of raping a woman in the Central City Jogger case could suffer the punishment they deserved.

Sadly, racism is still a thing some people experience in their everyday lives. But there are hundreds of people who stand up for the rights of others. Many people have protested and expressed their own beliefs about it in support against racism and have given a voice to the ones who don’t have one. It’s nice to see how some people are willing to look out for others. Racism is still a thing, but one day it’ll be a thing of the past.