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Ahliya Brown

Eng 1201

Professor Lisa Tyler

21 March. 2021

What are the Best ways to Obliterate Racism Against the Black Community in America?

George Floyd was the lightning strike to expose the ongoing injustice towards Black

citizens to the sightless eyes of society. Black citizens have been living with the injustice pushed

upon them by the world around them for decades. The protests in the summer were only a slight

glimpse of what it’s like to be Black in America. Racism has been embedded into society for so

long that people do not recognize what it truly is. Black people getting longer jail sentences is

embedded racism. Black women experiencing near-death complications throughout their

pregnancies at a rate 243% more than white women are embedded in racism (Russell, “The US

Black-White Infant Mortality Gap: Marker of Deep Inequities”).

All of these instances are not coincidences. They are strategically placed throughout our

society, to disenfranchise Black people, striving to keep them disempowered. Black people will

never be qualified to thrive in a society that was built against them. An example of this is Jim

Crow laws. Jim Crow laws were voting laws that are pushed upon Black people to keep them

from voting, and thriving economically (Krieger). While there are special instances of Black

people gaining chances like Barack Obama who was the first Black president, and Tim Scott

who is a United States senator. These men are special cases. They are in positions of power

which is great, but, there are not enough Black people in positions as mentioned.

Racism is alive and well, from systematic, down to racist beliefs being passed down

through generations. There are many instances to showcase how the Black community is still
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struggling to break from the shackles of oppression; slavery started hundreds of years ago. Many

theories are surrounding this topic and how to decrease and hopefully obliterate the injustices the

Black community faces. Yet, there is still much debate about if racism remains even an apparent

issue in America.

Racism can be owed to various events in the American timeline; slavery, “separate but

equal” incentives, the push behind the civil rights movement; and countless other events. These

monumental events and countless others have caused many historians to believe that as society

progresses Black people are left behind. The proper way to eliminate racism against Black

people; is to completely reconstruct the systems on which America is built. The education

system, court systems, government assistance, etc. Historians believe that as society moves along

and integrates more with other races, bigots from the heavily racist eras will eventually die off.

Thus their racist tendencies will disappear by themselves. The best way to go about reducing

racism is to ultimately eliminate it; completely dismantling, and reconstructing the systems that

do not support and benefit Black people is a major way to erase racism. The healthcare, law

enforcement, judicial systems, and prison systems need to be reconstructed. Putting more people

in positions of power that value the Black experience will reconstruct the old oppressing systems

to work with, and not against Black people, and other minorities. (Donnella, "Will Racism").

There is frequently information encouraging the idea of completely dismantling, and

rebuilding systems to better suit issues that are based around Black Americans. Mass

incarceration remains an ongoing issue that in particular affects the Black community. Not only

are Black men a major target when it comes to the judicial process. Black men are perceived to

obtain longer jail sentences for crimes that are equal to, or lesser than that of a white man. The
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best way to address the issue of the judicial system and its corruption specifically towards Black

people - is to re-work how it operates (Lennard, “Do Nothing”).

Some argue that dismantling systems such as healthcare, or judicial reform will do

nothing to overcome the issues we face with racism. Lawmakers oftentimes who are against

prison reform/the dismantling of the current ways of the indictment process; argue that reforming

the system can hurt the way criminals are convicted. “Policing reform could limit the

effectiveness of law enforcement. As new regulations could restrict the use of controversial

tactics like racial profiling. This may prevent officers from using appropriate force out of fear

that its use could be deemed excessive” (Gale, "2020-2021 National Debate Topic").

One of the most apparent ways to terminate racism would be through education. Teaching

people from adolescent ages to begin to view those around them as one of themselves. Teaching

people about how to be an ally and to actively be an anti-racist. Solely teaching people to be

against racism is not enough. Another way to get rid of racism is by listening to those who are

actively being oppressed. Listening to Black voices is something that has not been done ever.

Now, with the amplification from the Black Lives Matter movement that has sparked household

conversations on Black issues, people have been dealing with it for years. Many other ethnicities

are willing to listen. Both these represent excellent options for addressing the race crisis in this

country that slaughters hundreds of Black men, women, and non-binary Black people every year.

Yet, the best way to approach it is to educate people from the beginning. It’s not a black person’s

job to inform everyone on issues Black people did not cause. The reason for oppression and

dehumanization is racist white America. It should be the racist white Americans’ job to correct

and educate the youth. This will allow the youth to grow up, considering what brutality people of

color have been put through and how to be sure it never happens again. Starting out with
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teaching Black history thoroughly in the education process instead of glossing over it (Johnson,

"Will universities listen to students about how to eradicate systemic racism?").

The best ways to obliterate racism completely are to reform the systems America was

built on and to educate individuals, in advising them how to be anti-racists. This is the sole way

that racism will diminish completely from our society.

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