Many people wonder if there is a solution to racism. Some people say yes, but some people say no. There are many forms of racism such as: Systematic Racism, Political Racism, Individual Racism, and Interpersonal Racism. These all are a part of the world we live in today. Some people believe that there are solutions by changing your mindset, or thinking of how you interpret people of other races. Many other people argue that there is no cure to racism as it has been a part of our society in America for hundreds of years. It has been proven that there is a cure to every type of racism, but it has to start now. Society in America needs to change. This starts with the old generation being role models for the younger generation. If society changes, and the people within can all learn about racism and how it has affected America in the past hundreds of years, There is hope for our society and racism today. It has already started to impact our world with the Black Lives Matter movement, and also the NFL switching the “Redskins” to “Washington.” Little things like this can go a long way and also teaches the younger generation to not grow up with looking at people of color differently.

Abstract

Racism in America has been persistent for hundreds of years. Racism is one of today’s biggest problems, and still are trying to find a solution to it. Racism is when one person sees another person as a different race as inferior to them. There are many types of racism such as Systematic Racism, Political Racism, Individual Racism, and Interpersonal Racism. The earliest form of racism was slavery. Even though slavery has been abolished, racism is still seen in everyday live. People like Martin Luther King Jr, and Malcom X have tried to stop slavery, but have not succeeded. Many people will argue that there is a cure for racism, while others will argue that there is no cure. Things that are being done today to stop racism are protests, the Black Lives Matter movement, and also bigger names talking about racism. There is hope for America, but we have to take the right steps in order to stop racism.

Racism is arguably one of the biggest controversial topics in the entire world. It also has not yet been solved or even found a solution to it. In people’s opinions, the best way to go about finding a solution to it is to not talk about it. If no one talked about it, it could be forgotten. It's just like someone who died and was forgotten about because no one ever talked about that person again, this can be the same with racism. Also another controversial way to stop racism is to not teach it anymore. What this means is it should not be taught at a young age to kids in school. Anything persisting of slavery, etc. In society throughout history, Racism has been an extremely serious problem that has not yet been solved; even though there have been many that have tried, they have not succeeded. 

First off, what is racism and why has it affected the world drastically? Racism is “the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or race” (Calvo). To rephrase this, it's saying that one race (whites) see people of color or (blacks) as inferior or different because of their skin color, ethnicity, religious practices, etc. An example of this is White Supremacy. Being white and seeing black people as different because of the color of their skin, and seeing them less than another white person. Racism has affected the world to the point of everyone seeing everyone differently than their race. White people can be racist towards all other ethnicities, and vise versa. 

In today’s society, there are many forms of racism, and all are used in different ways. The first is, Individual/internalized racism, this is racism that exists within individuals. This is holding negative thoughts/ ideas about your own culture even if you don’t even realize it. Also, one's internalized sense of privilege or oppression are both examples of internalized racism. The next type of racism is interpersonal racism. This type of racism is between two people. An example is negative/ judgemental thoughts towards someone else's race, etc. The next type is called 

institutional racism. This type of racism is the cultural practice that makes racial inequality a thing. An example of institutional racism is the “Jim Crow Laws”. The last type of racism is Structural 

racism. This type of racism is the most widely known type of racism. This is because of things like the “The Black Lives Matter” movement and also the saying of “defund the police”. The death of George Floyd caused an outlash on structural racism. Indicators of Structural racism are Power inequalities, unequal access to opportunities such as living standards and jobs, and differing policy outcomes by race. The root causes of structural racism are hard to pinpoint because so many Institutions are specifically racist. “Structural racism is cumulative, pervasive, and durable,” (Felder1).

All of these types of racism have effects on the world in many different ways. Internalized racism affects individuals who are privileged especially, but are taught it at a young age, so it exists within oneself without even knowing it. Interpersonal racism affects the relationships with people of two different races. Both people can be judgemental towards one another (whites) (and people who are of color). Institutional racism affects every person of a different race by cultural practices causing inequality. Structural racism has affected everyone in the U.S. This is because of things like the “Black Lives Matter” movement and other things just like that.

People always ask “where has racism started?” It is proven that racism started with white people to have seen black people differently because of their color and made them slaves in 1619 (Dews). Whites viewed black people like less and demoralized/dehumanized them, also lynchings happened, and having black people as slaves. White people were so quick to judge the black people, just as if someone does the same thing in today’s society by judging someone else. Another form of racism that first came up was to Christianize everyone who wasn’t Christian. This is 

because people of different religions have different traditions, practices, etc. This is still a form of racism in the U.S today. These are not the only forms of racism. Any person in the world can be racist towards another person. It is not just white people, asian, african american, etc, can be racist towards each other as well.

Racism has been a part of people's lives for hundreds of years. Because of White Supremacy, this ties to how black people had to live. Black people had to live in poorer housing, work lower-paying jobs because of their skin color. “I LIVE THE ANSWER” said Asagai (Hansberry135). So White people devalued black people because of being poorer than a white person and less privileged. Racism has been in society for so long also because of how it is taught into society. Kids from young ages learn about slavery from the past and start to see racism as a bigger picture, therefore seeing people of color differently and treating them differently as well. Kids are also being taught that white people dehumanized black people and have always seen them as inferior.

Many ways have been tried to stop racism. A great example of how racism tried to be stopped is by Martin Luther King Jr. In his speech, he included that our founding fathers said everyone is created equal. His speech was one step closer to putting an end to racism. Days after his speech, he was assassinated by James Earl Ray, a white man. Another person who tried to stop slavery, but also improved social and economic problems was Malcom X. Malcolm X did this through a black power movement, but was assassinated in 1965. “The future belongs to those who prepare it for today”, said Malcom X. (Shabazz52). Another way that has been tried to stop racism was James Baldwin’s I Am Not Your Negro documentary. “History is not the past, “It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history” (Baldwin) He talked about America’s

failure to rectify its shameful history of inequality. Even though he did not put an end to racism, he came one step closer to bringing everyone together. Every single one of the people all came closer to bringing an end to racism.

Is there a cure to racism? Some people say yes, and some people say no. (Balch) There are ways to have racism come to an end. We need to find the source and cut it off from there. In many people’s opinions, it all started with slavery. To cut slavery off is to not teach about slavery 

anymore. If no one taught about slavery, then racism would not be taught to young kids and society. Kids are the future of the U.S. If racism was not taught to kids, then kids would never learn to discriminate and be judgemental towards other races. Kids need to be taught that every single person is equal. Since this is not being taught, kids will never learn that everyone is equal instead of people who have always seen people of different races as inferior, etc. (Balch). Another way is to never talk about racism ever again. If it was never talked about then no one would learn about it and forget about it as well. The topic of not talking about racism again is very controversial. People also need to be willing to change and let go of the past, letting go of slavery, etc. If these things never happen, then racism will never be cured.

Overall, There are many types of racism that affect the world in different ways. It has always been apart of society and started from slavery in the 1600s. Many people have tried to stop racism but did not succeed. All of the people who have tried have been assassinated. All types of racism persist in America today, and all need to come to an end once and for all. For racism to come to an end, many things need to happen first but will need to take big steps to make those things happen. Big names in society need to step up and take action. Schools need to integrate new learning for younger kids so racism can be put to an end. Even though racism has not been solved, it will come to an end. 

Works Cited/ Annotated bibliography

Balch, Bridget. “Is There a ‘Cure’ for Racism? Celebrated Anti-Racist Activist and Author Ibram X. Kendi Says Yes, There Is.” AAMC, 20 Oct. 2020, www.aamc.org/news-insights/is-there-cure-for-racism. The speaker talks about how our world is suffering from metastatic stage 4 cancer. He uses this metaphor for racism and how it has been spread everywhere.

Dews, Fred. “Why Does Racial Inequality Persist Long after Jim Crow?” Brookings, 29 July 2016, www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2014/10/09/why-does-racial-inequality-persist-long-after-jim-crow.  5 people talk about why racism has been so persistent throughout all of these hundreds of years. They explain that talking about racism turns white people off.

Felder, Tanisha. “Types of Racism.” Shoreline Public Schools, Shoreline, 10 Jan. 2020, www.shorelineschools.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&ModuleInstanceID=3131&ViewID=DEDCCD34-7C24-4AF2-812A-33C0075398BC&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=24891&PageID=1951&Tag=&Comments=true. This website talks about all of the types of Racism and also explains how they are used. The Author also gives examples of how they have been used in the past, etc.

Hansberry, Lorraine, and Robert Nemiroff. A Raisin in the Sun. Reprint, Reissue, Vintage, 2004, www.google.com/books/edition/A_Raisin_in_the_Sun/ZBKQgTu4uhUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=a+raisin+in+the+sun&printsec=frontcover. A Raisin In The Sun, is a book about Racism. It portrays many themes that are all seen in today's world with racism.

YouTube Movies. “I Am Not Your Negro.” YouTube, uploaded by YouTube Movies, 13 July 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PaAbmRJ9bQ. This documentary is about James Baldwin and how he speaks about racism in America. He talks specifically that racism has always been a problem and always will be a problem in America. The only way anything changes is if everyone changes, and if it's not born into society anymore.

“Racism.” The Merriam-Webster.Com Dictionary, Mariana Calvo, 

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism. Accessed 24 Mar. 2021. The definition of racism. Goes in depth about racism as well in the definition.

Shabazz, Ilyasah, and Kekla Magoon. X: A Novel. Reprint, Candlewick, 2016, www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763669679.chp.1.pdf. This book is about Malcom X. Shows how he tried to stop racism, ect.