Blog Entry #1- Race Relations in America Today

         Through reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird in our English class and watching the PBS documentary titled, "Freedom Riders," I have been given an in depth look into race relations in the South and throughout the country during the Great Depression Era. To look back on the past and compare it to today's race relations in America, the difference is immense. Today, there are no longer any laws that enforce segregation such as those of the Jim Crow Laws, and government officials and authority figures no longer over look violent hate crimes fueled by racism nor do they arrest people of a certain race for a crime they did not commit. Although America has taken steps to eliminate racism and segregation as a whole, and all races are now considered equal, there is still racism among U.S. citizens today. In my own life, in school I have found that other peers of various races enjoy making stereotypical or racist jokes at the expense of others or even at the expense of themselves. I think that the government and professional issues with race relations today have improved in educational opportunity, for example the way colleges ensure that a certain percent of each race is accepted and given equal opportunities. Our country now celebrates Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and many other holidays and designated time periods, giving all races the chance to feel excepted in America's society. Removing all racism and hate from the world is an impossible task, but it has definitely decreased tremendously. In my opinion, immaturity and lack of education are the only two scenarios that give birth to those ignorant ideas in today's society.