Racism: An American Problem (?)// Arianna Sotero 1st Period

Summary: CNN published this article on November 27, 2015 and it features a video of anchors discussing a recent poll that was taken. Americans, from all races, were asked if they believed racism was a big problem in our country today. Forty-nine percent of Americans answered yes to this. Only four years ago, in 2011, only about eleven percent of Americans believed racism was a problem in the U.S. There was a drastic increase in the poll from 2011 to 2015. Based on race, 43% of whites, 66% of blacks, and 64% of hispanics say that racism is a big problem.

Analysis: This article was published in 2015 but, oddly enough, it sounds like it could've been published in the 60's. Our country has come a very long way and taken steps for the better regarding racism and segregation. We can thank events like Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation in educational facilities, and people like Martin Luther King Jr. who influenced the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But we as a country have also developed technology-wise. We have access to social media, so ideas and opinions can be spread around easily and quickly. It's hard to tell why the number of Americans who believe racism is a problem has spiked so much in recent years. Has our country really gone backwards in the process of desegregation or is it just our perception that has changed?

Click here for the article.