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Brooke Kelsberg

English 115
Professor Malvin
November 21, 2015
Racism in America: The Victims Side of the Story
Equality is an idealistic notion that Americans have been fighting over hundreds of years
for, yet racism and varying forms of racial discrimination still prevail throughout the nation.
Whether it is through racial profiling, police brutality, microaggressions, or even gang influence,
racial discrimination has remained a serious issue throughout history in America. It is safe to say
there has been a drastic change in the way people of color are being treated in terms of equal
opportunity over the past few decades. Nonetheless, there is still a long way to go and a lot of
hard work that needs to happen until America is able to claim that all races are treated equally
throughout the nation. Victims of racism like Rodney King, Luis F. Rodriguez, Trayvon Martin,
and Michael Brown exemplify the magnitude of how racism has evolved, and demonstrates the
urgent need for change in order for America to reach racial equality.
Following years of fighting for racial equality, ranging from local protests to the Civil
War, one may question the reason racism is still a relevant issue today. Many Americans will
argue that since there are laws against racial discrimination and an African- American president
the country has achieved racial equality. Although these are great advances in the journey to
equality, there is still an immense amount of change that needs to take place in order to ease
racial tensions and eliminate racist tactics. According to opinion writer Colbert I. King, the
reason racism and racial discrimination are still relevant today is because in our faltering efforts
to deal with race in this country, a great deal of time is devoted to responding to symptoms rather

than root causes (King). Instead of society attempting to chance racist beliefs and the sense of
white supremacy that many Americans hold, people who commit hate crimes are only punished
for their actions, and not educated about their flawed racial assumptions or beliefs. For example,
when Trayvon Martin was murdered, the media only focused on what punishment the officer
would face instead of bringing attention to problem our police force has with racial profiling.
Racial profiling and other racist tactics are the result of an underlying problem based on feelings
of white supremacy. In other words, when one commits a hate crime against a person of color,
they are punished for their singular racist act, rather than their deeper issues with white
supremacy. The 13th, 14th, and 15th amendment are all significant improvements to our nations
issue with racism, yet they do not fix the root of the problem, instead they merely mask the
deeper issue. Colbert King compares this method to that of a broken leg. Rather than healing the
broken bone, one is simply muting the pain with a temporary medication. This deeper issue, a
sense of white supremacy throughout the nation, has caused many innocent people of color to be
racially profiled, discriminated against, and murdered.
Police brutality has remained a major issue in the fight for racial equality. Many police
officers, mainly white male policemen, are taking advantage of their authority and unlawfully
assaulting many innocent civilians. In Anna Delveare Smiths Twilight, the journalist interviews
a variety of people about the assault of Rodney King, an assault committed by white Los Angeles
policemen. One interviewee was Angela King, who happened to be Rodney Kings aunt. She
spoke about the horrors of Rodney Kings assault, and the aftermath within the trial. It was 1991
when Rodney King was viciously assaulted for no valid reason by two male members of the Los
Angeles Police Department. The assault was caught on video tape, exposing the policemen of

their unlawful brutality. The officers were put on trial, and were reasonably expected by many to
face justice to the fullest extent. People had faith in their justice system and believed that racist
tactics would not interfere with a fair trial. To the dismay of many, the officers were found
innocent. Once the officers were acquitted, the 1992 LA Riots began. Society was fed up with the
way people of color were being discriminated against in the court of law. I wanted justice, said
Angela King, and I wanted whatever them things comin to them done to them regardless- you
can call it revenge or whatever, but what I saw on that video, on that TV, that was a mess
(Smith). Angela King was seeking justice for her nephew Rodney King, and holds a perspective
on the matter that many would agree with to this day. In what has been happening more recently
with police brutality victims, such as Eric Brown and Trayvon Martin, people essentially all
demand the same outcome; justice. Our justice system is flawed by racial discrimination within
juries, the press, lawyers and judges. Racial discrimination in the justice system has been fought
by many for decades, yet the American justice system remains static throughout all of the
protests and riots. As a result, more guilty police officers are being acquitted for unlawful police
brutality and abusing police tactics. The stance that the justice system is taking encourages
racism throughout our nation by leading people to believe it is acceptable to be hostile towards
people of color, and expect no consequence. If our justice system were to take it upon
themselves to make a change and serve justice when it is due, the U.S would be much more
peaceful.
Similar to the racial discrimination issues brought up in Twilight, Luis F. Rodriguezs
Always Running exemplifies the problem our country has with racial profiling. Luis Rodriguez,
who was a young hispanic working as a bus boy, felt he needed to carry his birth certificate with
him everywhere he went, in fear of being deported. This hostility that he felt towards him led

him to seek a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, he found this sense of belonging in gang
life.When he first became involved in gangs, he only partook in a gang with his friends where
they would not commit crimes, but just partake in frowned-upon activities. Throughout
Rodriguezs life as an innocent man, he still faced racial discrimination from police officers
everywhere he went, creating a more dangerous feeling of not being able to belong. He felt that
everyone was against him, which led him to believe the only life he could be apart of was within
a gang. Gradually, Rodriguez found himself spiraling into a life of crime with other heavily
involved gang members. He soon became apart of a dangerous gang in which he committed
numerous felonies, including numerous counts of assault and attempted murder. It was not until
he discovered his passion for writing that he truly found a healthy sense of belonging and peace
in his life. He grew up watching his parents and family be racially discriminated against.
Growing up and witnessing his entire family being racially discriminated against led him to
internalize this oppression, causing him to believe the only place he would belong was in a gang.
Rodriguez was lucky enough to turn his life around by following his passion for writing and
education. Today, he provides troubles teens with a place where they can read, write, and further
their education. He hopes that he can save these kids from going down the same path he did. The
American society should take it upon themselves to create a safe environment for children of all
ages to grow up in, so that racial tensions do not surface and lead into gang life. It is miraculous
that Rodriguez found his way out of his life of crime on his own, and turned it into something
beautiful and beneficial for his community. The United States of America can learn from
Rodriguezs compassion for the oppressed youth of America, instead of enforcing racial profiling
and police brutality.

Racism is not something that can be fixed overnight, and it is not something that our
country faces alone. Racism is a global issue and occurs in a majority of countries worldwide in
various different ways. There has been progress thanks to the millions of people who have been
fighting for positive change throughout the past few decades. When looking back at where
America started in the 17th century, when Africans brought to America were kidnapped from
various parts of Africa to become slaves it is clear there has been a tremendous amount of work
done. Many believe that the end of slavery was the end of racial inequality and discrimination,
but it was merely the beginning of the nations fight for equality.
If society continues to be centered around white supremacy, America will never reach
equality, and the number of innocent people discriminated against for their race in the justice
system will increase every day. After years of fighting, there are laws placed against racial
discrimination and even an African-American president, but these achievements does not entail
that the country has achieved racial equality in any way. Racial profiling and police brutality all
relate back to white supremacy, which needs to be abolished in order for there to be racial
equality. Equality will only truly be achieved once society develops a deep sense of community
and compassion. Victims of racial discrimination such as Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Luis
F. Rodriguez and Rodney King will not have suffered, fought, or died for nothing; they will have
done so in order to spark the beginning of a new era in which all people are treated equally in the
court of law.

Works Cited
Smith, Anna Deavere. Twilight--Los Angeles, 1992. New York, NY: Dramatists Play
Service, 2003. Print.

Rodriguez, Luis J. Always Running: La Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. Willimantic:
Curbstone, 1993. Print.
King, Colbert I. "The Key Reason Why Racism Remains Alive and Well in
America." Washington Post. The Washington Post, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2015.
Siddiqui, Sammana. "A Brief History of Racism in the United States." A Brief History of
Racism in the United States. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2015.
Purpose., Women Are Out Of Line When They, Are Aggressive., and Page 2. Tool:
Recognizing Microaggressions and the Messages They Send (n.d.): n. pag. Web.

Evaluation Letter
I thoroughly enjoyed writing this essay, and I am quite proud of how it turned out. I learned a lot
about racial discrimination and police brutality in America. I was able to manage my time
efficiently so that I could properly write and revise my work. Being able to do this led me to

create a much more organized and thought out essay. It also gave me the time to further research
victims of racism so I could get a better and clearer understanding of what these victims had to
go through and their personal stories.

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