Racism in America and the Struggle for Equal Opportunity Essay

Racism has caused drastic damage over the years and continues to cause major problems in today’s society. Racism is discrimination or prejudice based on race or ethnicity. Racism manifests in many different ways including negative thoughts and racial slurs. Racism includes not only these morsels of spite, but also abusive behavior and severe discrimination. This severe discrimination affects people’s families, livelihood, and ability to succeed. Although racism has not been completely abolished, the United States has made some progress as a country to improve race relations. The U.S. is no longer having civil wars over slavery and more people of color are gaining access to high paying, more important, and powerful positions. While one may acknowledge that racism has improved immensely from Civil War times, they must also comprehend that there is much more work to be done in America to improve our relations amongst races so that the playing field is leveled for everybody. The ultimate goal is to have equal opportunity amongst all races and ethnicities. There is still institutional racism where it makes it difficult for people of color to advance. For example, people of color are underrepresented in the U.S. Congress, on Wall Street, and in leading large companies and organizations. To reach this ultimate goal of equal opportunity, people must be able recognize their own prejudices. Many individuals subconsciously have prejudices against others who are different from them in some way. Once people can acknowledge their own prejudices, only then can a society began to change people’s hearts and minds.