Discussions about views on racial discrimination and racial discrimination definitions never go out of style. No matter how much people want to avoid talking about race in the United States and no matter how much people like to say racism no longer exists, it is real and ignoring it doesn’t make it go away.

Talking about race never goes out of style.

In the past several weeks I have run across people who tell me that racism is something made up by black people. I have had others tell me that they have never seen racism and thought racism was a thing of the past. Interestingly, none of these people were people of color. During this same time period, I have encountered people who tell me that the racism they experience is the same type of racism their parents faced in the 1950’s and 1960’s in the United States. Interestingly, these were all people of color.

For those who think that talking about race is something new or that it is something that happens because of social media, I share the following facts:

In 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were slaves in the colonies and Native Americans being moved from their homes. People were talking about race.

In 1861, when the Civil War started blacks in the United States wanted freedom. People were talking about race.

In 1914, when the World War One started blacks in the United States were not allowed to be in the same fighting units as whites. People were talking about race.

In 1954, the Supreme Court decided Brown vs the Board of education and declared that separate but equal could no longer be the law of the land. People were talking about race.

In 1964, the Voting Rights Act was passed in order to give blacks the right to freely vote in the United States. People were talking about race.

In 2008, Barak Obama became the first black person to be elected President of the United States. People were talking about race.

Today, we are in the midst of a presidential election. People are talking about race.

 

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