Since the start of American history, immigrants came here and brought their traditions and cultures with them. The United States is a country of immigrants. It is a place where people from all over the world come to build a better life. Some immigrants bring their families. Others come alone with nothing but determination. Racial discrimination against minorities and immigrants is an underlying problem here in America today. Racism is seen in our daily lives when people are discriminated against because of their race and ethnicity. Racism attacks the right to a person’s well-being on the basis of something they have no control over. They cannot change nor should want to change who they are. Racial discrimination is not as bad as it was fifty years ago, but it still a problem here in our country today. Our country has advanced tremendously as far as modernization and technology, but has not improved on the way we treat minorities and immigrants. From African-Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Arabs there is a form of discrimination against these group of minorities.
On social media there was a trending hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, when the riots in Ferguson began in August 2014 over the killing of a young African American male by a white police officer. The African American community made it clear that black lives did matter. They were outraged and upset by the constant police brutality against them that they believed was caused by the underlying of racism. The fact that black
Aside from being born out of contempt for the Zimmerman acquittal, the movement has become so much more than an outcry for justice. The hashtag #BlackLivesMatter was created using the words of community activist Alicia Garza who wrote a heartfelt Facebook post that ended with those words. Since then, the movement has moved from social media into the streets, with BLM followers holding peaceful protests around the country to decry racial discrimination.
In recent years, there has been increased discussion about the treatment of minorities in the U.S. While there have been numerous laws passed that protect their freedoms, many Americans maintain a negative mindset toward other ethnicities. Due to people’s reservations, our country has been unable to make substantial progress toward equality. In The Nation’s article, “The Truth About Race in America: It’s Getting Worse, Not Better,” by Gary Younge, the author utilizes factual information, historical allusions, and related quotes to effectively contend that race relations are worsening within the United States.
When most immigrants move into America, they are greeted with much tension and conflict. There is still some discrimination between races, as much as American’s
The shooting in Ferguson sparked a riot around the world. The black people are tired of the police brutality, colorblind mythologies, and the calls for nonviolence, mass incarceration, and trigger happy cops and crying black mothers. Like Malcolm X says “By any means necessary” Black people are demanding to be heard.
In 2012, a 17 year-old unarmed black boy was gunned down in Florida while walking home from a gas station after getting snacks. The murder of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, FL by George Zimmerman received attention around the nation. Zimmerman was eventually put on trial for Martin’s death, but was acquitted of second-degree murder and manslaughter, which began the hashtag BlackLivesMatter. The official website, blacklivesmatter.com, describes it as “an ideological and political intervention in a world where black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for demise. It is an affirmation of Black folk’s contributions to this society, our humanity and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression” (Black Lives Matter, n.d.). The hashtag quickly transformed into a movement in 2014 after the deaths of Michael Brown, John Crawford III and Eric Garner. All three were unarmed black men killed by police who were eventually acquitted for their murders. The Black Lives Matter movement is a call-to-action to encourage people to fight against the racial inequalities endured by black people and stand against the expectations of normality defined by white supremacy. Many have tried to debase this movement by saying that all lives mater and all lives are important. Though the Black Lives Matter Movement may be “pro-black”, it does not mean it is being anti-white or
The fight against racial discrimination in the America has continued, it may be said that the struggle has become particularly difficult in the 21st century. The laws and policies claim that only few forms of discriminations remain, in reality, racial discrimination is still existent in the US, it has continued to hinder the enjoyment of fundamental human rights by many individuals who belong to the minor racial and ethnic groups (Alexander, 2013). According to studies, racism and racial discrimination have deeply and lastingly influenced
On August 9, 2015, a Ferguson Police officer shot and killed unarmed young man, Michael Brown. This set off a chain of events that catapulted the #BlackLivesMatter Movement into national media attention. Since the unnecessary death of Michael Brown,
The Native Americans believed that no one person owns the land; it belongs to everyone. They had lived peacefully in the lands and some tribes moved seasonally. Unfortunately, the Native Americans admirable concept of land ownership was not shared by the white colonists. The conquerors vanquished the lands mercilessly in their king’s name. The victors tore the lands apart for their own benefit regardless of how many people would get hurt. They discriminated the real owners and prevent them to enter to their own lands. Sadly, History is repeating itself; all the dark centuries of colonizing might have vanished, but instead, it has been replaced by the rise of nationalism. Political leaders all over the world are currently riding on a wave of nationalism by stoking fear and hostility towards refugees and migrants. The promise of politicians to reduce immigration in order to secure the nation’s security, the native workers’ wages or employment is merely a discrimination in disguise. Building a wall along the US-Mexico border is a great mistake. This egregious
On May 12,2008 the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) executed a raid on Agriprocessor Inc. for hiring undocumented workers. Nearly 400 Hispanic workers were arrested for identity theft. leaving a great impact on their families especially children who were at school crying and thinking about their parent who have been arrested.
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.”. It is a common assertion that the United States is a “melting pot”-a mixture of numerous different cultures, ethnicities, religions, and people hailing from all over the world. However, just as proudly as this is proclaimed, there is another truth that becomes evident: prejudice against those who dare to make a better life by emigrating to the U.S. is alive and thriving. This unfortunate reality is nothing new. “Immigrants constantly face being discriminated against because of the color of their skin, the sound of their voice, or simply because of the way they look and their beliefs”
Originating in 2012, the political movement known under the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has exploded in size and renown. This movement, which was initially inspired after a police officer was acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting an African American individual, seeks to diminish police brutality against African American individuals and systemic racism particularly in the United States. Sweeping the nation, Black Lives Matter has become an international movement and its influence has only increased with time. On the movement’s official website, the following was written regarding the history of the hashtag-inspired entourage, “#BlackLivesMatter was created in 2012 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, and dead 17-year old Trayvon was posthumously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our dehumanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism that permeates our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes.” (http://blacklivesmatter.com/about/). The #BlackLivesMatter movement asserts that racism is still prevalent in modern society and exists not only in passive forms. Instead, racism apparently can be both overt and implicit.
We say America is the land of opportunity, yet immigrants and different races are not always well-treated when they come to the U.S. if you are born black, Latino, Asian, and Indian, as a citizen of an America, still limits your status in where you stand in this society. Throughout history, the most recent immigrants to this country have always confronted some sort of discrimination. They have to take the hardest, worst paid jobs, and have difficulty
Black Lives Matter began as a social media hashtag that later transformed into a social movement after George Zimmerman’s acquittal in the killing of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year old black boy. The social media hashtag did not pick up until November 25, 2014 (Demby); the day police officer Darren Wilson was not indicted after shooting and killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year old black boy. Quickly after the decision was heard, “#blacklivesmatter” came to life via thousands of protestors. Unfortunately, this was not the last injustice to cause a Black Lives Matter protest. Shortly after, about a week and a half later, another grand jury decides to not indict another officer for the murder of Eric Garner. Eric Garner was put in a chokehold that eventually led to his death in NYC, even though the NYPD prohibits use of chokeholds. When the decision was made to not indict the officer, thousands of protestors took to the streets of NYC, Dallas, and several other major cities. The murders of Freddie Gray, Sandra Bland, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile, and several others sparked similar, if not larger, protest across the country.
Socially and Historically. For example during the year of 2012 when 17 year old Trayvon Martin was gun down and killed for the color his skin. He was visiting his father in Sanford Florida when he left the home on foot to buy a snack. As he was returning, George Zimerrman, a white Hispanic male and community neighborhood watch program coordinator, noticed him. In light of a recent break-in he called the police and reported a person acting suspicious. George Zimmerman followed the young teen and one thing led to another. It’s heart breaking knowing that racial profiling in our society could result in matter of life and death but it happens everyday. Another example is Segregation. Times were very hard for African Americans in the 1950’s. They were treated unfairly, and Jim Crows Laws made segregation legal. African Americans were segregated from society. They had to use restrooms for blacks only, water fountains for blacks only, and even schools for blacks only. Even hospitals had segregations. Picturing my life during this era makes me grateful for the life that I'm blessed to live now. I have the same goals and opportunities that any minority should have. Simultaneously Latin americans experienced almost the same treatment as the Indians did in Mexico. Their social status always seems to fall to the lowest. Latino American, those who are here illegally, are at the center of national debate about
Immigrant discrimination is simply put the discrimination by natives against immigrants from other countries. In this article I am also going to go into some depth on discrimination on transplants from other areas (people who have relocated to another area of the country.) Immigrant discrimination is a major issue in the United States. There is a reason the United States is considered the melting pot of the world. There are people from all walks of life in our country. There are approximately forty six million immigrants in the United States.