“Martin Luther King was brilliant in showing that racism is a cancer in the heart of those who have prejudice and discriminate and that it violates the most basic human an American values of justice and equal opportunity.” (Joan Mandle). Throughout history, racism has been a main cause of the important events of the United States (Civil War). Dred Scott v. Stanford, 60 U.S. 393 (1857), highlighted examples of injustices faced by people of color in the pass. The Court decided that Dred Scott was not recognized as a citizen because he was black and since he was not a U. S citizen he could not bring a law suit before the federal court.

The writings of Harper Lee in To Kill a Mocking Bird,  Frederick Douglas in What to the Slave is the Fourth of July and also the movie Mississippi Burning addressed issues racism can create such as slavery, segregation, systemic racism and racial injustices. After comparing the events of the pass and present, one is left to imagine whether racism still exists.

Although some may say that racism does not exist because slavery was abolished in 1865, evidences display on television, research and every day experiences show it is still in existence years later in today’s modern society. Racism can be seen when blacks are incarnated at a more rapid rate than other ethnic groups in America. Blacks make up 12.5% of the United States population and 1.1 million of this percentage is in jail (Lecture). Racism can be seen when a black president tries to implement new legislatures that will benefit all American citizens but they are dismissed by congress for no logical reason. People are products of their surroundings so if restraints are built into the system to oppress specific groups, there will never be an end to prejudice and discriminations. Racism still exists.

Marcia Thomas – Henry