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The History, Significance, and Future of Systemic Racism in America

Throughout our history, we as Americans have repeatedly become entangled in domestic
disputes involving race. From slavery to the civil rights movement, to protests that occur
throughout the nation today, these issues are far from a thing of the past. The purpose of this
paper is to show the existence of and identify the root cause of systemic racism in America, and
to observe how much has changed over time. I aim to show why America is in the state it is
today when it comes to racial division. I hope to effectively convey why there is still such a
disconnect between white communities and communities of people of color. While the problems
America faces involving race are complex, there are a few factors that have had a very powerful
impact. Implementation of social laws regarding race, existence of school and societal
segregation, genetic principles of the human race, and relations between the police and people of
color are what should be discussed in order to truly bring about equality.
Systemic racism is racism tied into political or social institutions, which have a greater
external force on various communities. Ignorance of the general public may be the major reason
systemic racism still is as prevalent as it is today. Studies show that of white Americans either
deny the significance of systemic racism, or deny it completely (Blauner, 42). In my opinion,
humans in general have difficult time peering outside of their small societal bubble. They dont
see evidence of racism firsthand, so they deny its existence. White people have often fought on
the side of racial justice, but often find themselves running from the front line or fighting on the
other side. It brings up why the white population may fear any privileges granted to the minority
community, involving many right-side conspiracies such as what is called by neo-Nazi white

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nationalists as White Genocide (Blauner 150). On a side note, a political position based
entirely on conspiracy may need some reworking.
The discrepancy grows with many other factors, especially when considering double
standards. [African-Americans] are looked down upon for asking for any societal help, but
when we show our pride, show that we are capable of anything, we are told that we should just
sit quietly and take our handout. How can this provide any progress? (Nunn). The idea that the
law is not enough is not a new one, and is understood throughout society. Equality under the law
is not equality in society. One might counter-argue that going beyond the law would be showing
favoritism to certain groups. This is a perfectly valid argument. However, helping
disenfranchised groups can only help society as a whole. This may also put us at an impasse, as
many people often consider their well-being and that of those close to them over the greater good
of humanity. The Bubble that so many people place themselves in is fine, but when too many
people compartmentalize every aspect of their lives, it creates many social issues. I may be
overly deterministic, but I feel that our connections are more holistic than we may believe. There
must be social reform on a federal scale to ensure that our communities find the equality that
they have never had.
While many citizens may not understand the complex interweaving of racism and law,
the war on drugs is a rather simple example of how racist ideologies are still pervasive in our
infrastructure. It has come to light recently via a member of the Reagan administration that the
initiation of the War on Drugs had racial motivations (Nunn). Multiple sources tie back to this
in agreeing that the war on drugs was to attack marginalized groups and not to go after the drugs
themselves. The extensive studies on mass incarceration show how racially motivated the
political scheme actually was, and still is today. This furthered the consistent arrests of people of

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color (primarily African Americans), and it is still is prevalent today (Nunn). The rate of
incarceration for white males was 449/100,000 and 3457/100,000 for black males, both aged 1819. Black males are 8.8 times more likely to be incarcerated than white male (Nunn). While it
may not be a conscious process, police tend to go after African American communities far more
than other areas. They have over time developed a prejudice that black people are more
dangerous. Now the common counterargument to the caution of police forces and the frequent
incarceration of black males is that Black people are more likely to commit crimes. My
rebuttal would be a similar question: Why would they commit more crimes? There are really
only two real answers here. Because thats their culture, is one, where the logic flow leads to
simple racist prejudice, or that there are greater external forces that have caused and are causing
discontent and crime in black communities. One possible solution that is accepted across the
board is to implement more police from the community. The police force should reflect the
community it serves. Im not saying draw out racial quotas (which are illegal) but more
involvement from diverse members of the community can only have a positive impact.
A prominent issue today is that of racial profiling. Whereas police use criminal profiling
to spot criminals based on personal and behavioral characteristics, it can quickly become racial
profiling (Harris, 11). We as humans all judge others whether we like it or not. We look at
another persons appearance and make a snap-judgment on who they are as a person. The way
someone dresses, their demeanor, or in this instance, the color of their skin. This has led people
for thousands of years to mistrust someone who might be different. Its why people often lock
their car doors when driving through a dangerous part of town, or fear for being shot when
they come across a black man. Now this has its evolutionary benefits regarding safety, but in
todays society we are too easy swayed but these prejudices with little to no information. These

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inferences have caused the persecution of people of color for centuries. A police officer may
have a poor interaction with a black person, and may begin to mistrust all black people. The
more frequently this happens, the worse it is likely to get. The line between an African-American
and a criminal grows thinner to them. Now of course, a similar event surrounding a person of his
or her own race would not have this effect. They themselves would not see a (false) correlation
between someone of their race and a criminal (Blank, 36). This is how racial profiling occurs in
the police force. It can happen, and very frequently does, outside of the police, but it is most
observable here, as action is taken most often surrounding these prejudices.
A leading theory for the origin of modern humans, the recent African origin (RAO)
model, postulates that the ancestors of all modern humans originated in East Africa and that,
around 100,000 years ago, some modern humans left the African continent and subsequently
colonized the entire world, displacing previously established human species such as
Neanderthals in Europe (Prugnolle, Manica, Belluex). Regardless of if one believes in a higher
power of some sort or the scientific theory of evolution, it is agreed that humans originated
somewhere. We all come from the same place, wherever that is. Every human alive shares
between 99.5-99.9% of the same DNA. Geographic distribution is important to factor in as well.
Two humans from different locations in Africa (both black) can be more genetically diverse than
one of those subjects and a random white person. supported by the observation that human
populations from Africa are genetically the most diverse and that the genetic diversity of nonAfrican populations is negatively correlated with their genetic differentiation towards
populations from Africa (Prugnolle, Manica, Belluex). This is a groundbreaking genetic
discovery. It essentially shows that we are so much more than black or white (Im not trying to

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get all sentimental, I promise). We are more far more uniform as a human race than we are by the
color of our skin.
A point that is often overlooked is the diversity of humans by geography, and how similar
the human race is genetically. I would argue that race is a social construct that has always
existed, but may not in the future. Trends show that by 2050, there will be a minority majority
in the United States, and that globalization will eventually lead to one average human race,
mixed between all cultures. It is preposterous to judge someone due to their race, insinuating that
they are some form of different species.
The evidence for systemic racism is indesputible. Speaking frankly, I expected to find no
conclusive evidence and prove that it is nothing more than a myth. That was far from actuality.
Based on my research, I would conclude that systemic racism is due to a history of inequality
and misinformation, not because of certain groups acting as antagonists. To dismiss someones
argument as invalid simply because they are different than you (race, gender, sexuality) is a
problem that is often addressed but never resolved. Marginalized groups arent marginalized
because their own inaptitude. We need to pop the bubble that we put ourselves in, and look at
why things are the way they are. Placing the blame on marginalized groups only feeds the fire,
and provides no true solutions. I am wont to include that America is not the only country with
these issues. Humans as a species are selfish, and will go through extraordinary measures to
ensure that they are the top dog, so to speak. But that should never excuse us for our egocentric
society.

Works Cited

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"Aversive Racism and Selection Decisions: 1989 and 1999." Aversive Racism and Selection
Decisions: 1989 and 1999. N.p., 01 July 2000. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"Fighting Racial Discrimination." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
"Profiles in Injustice." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2016.
Blauner, Bob. Black Lives, White Lives: Three Decades of Race Relations in America. Berkeley,
University of California Press, 1989.
Dunn, Kenneth. The Drug War as Race War. The Drug War as Race War, University of
Dayton, http://academic.udayton.edu/race/03justice/crime09.htm.
Pugnolle, Franck et al. Geography Predicts Neutral Genetic Diversity of Human
Populations. CurrentBiology, ScienceDirect, 8 Mar. 2005,
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/s0960982205002095.