Are black people in America treated fairly? No, black people are not treated fairly in America. Why? The reason being that they are racially profiled and treated like they are less valuable than others. What is racial profiling? Racial profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone for committing a crime. This social injustice is an underrated inequality that happens all around the world. Right now, racial profiling is illegal, but it still happens today (ACLU). You can find people judging others based on their skin color in ordinary places all over the US and the world. Racial profiling should be taken more seriously because it singles out groups of people, holds groups of people back and can make others think wrongly of those groups.
Racial profiling singles out groups of people because some people think they are better than other, foreign, people with Asian, Arab, African American, and Native American ethnicity. One example of this is how there is a black only college. They are treated so differently that they need to be in an environment that can understand each other’s troubles.
Another example is of two African Americans, Eric Garner, and Michael Brown, that were racially profiled by police and were killed because of it (Natarajan). Eric Garner was approached by police, who thought he was selling cigarettes without tax stamps. After Eric denied that he was selling them, the police attempted to arrest him. He pulled his arm away and then the police put him into a headlock, which was one of the many reasons for his death (Natarajan).
Michael Brown, an 18 yr old African American man, was shot 12 times by a white police officer. Six out of the 12 shots connected, but the last shot was the only fatal shot (Natarajan). When people single groups of people out they can also prevent or hold them back from achieving their goals.
This social injustice can also hold people back from achieving their goals or anything at all. One example of this is the Black Codes. The Black Codes were restrictive laws to limit African Americans’, at the time of 1865-1866, freedom and make sure of their availability to work with little pay. They were considered to be free but they were still held back. The black codes were a way to disguise the fact that blacks were borderline slaves and not free (History).
Another example of this is slavery. Slavery is a perfect example of how racial profiling holds people back. The reason being that, as a slave, you were property. You couldn’t do anything but work and be told what to do. As a slave, you were seen as a. tool and not a human being (History). When you try to hold people back by criticizing them or creating lies to make sure they don’t succeed, will eventually change the way people think of a certain group of people.
Racial profiling could also change people’s feeling or thoughts about certain groups of people and make them think they are less valuable than others. This creates more unjust and non- truthful assumptions about those groups of people, as well as, creating lower chances for that group of people to get a job and provide for their families. People rely on law enforcement to protect us and keep us safe, but with racial profiling, people become afraid. People have cast out entire communities just because of their thoughts and accusations that are wrong (ACLU).
Law enforcement search African Americans more often than whites due to racial profiling, even though they are less likely to find an illegal item (Natarajan). Racial profiling has caused so many people to grow afraid or think that certain people are something to be worried about. This social injustice can change people’s thoughts to think bad things about a certain group of people and create some accusations about that group of people.
Some people may say that we should treat blacks differently due to them being found with illegal things like drugs and guns, but in reality, they are being searched more often than people with white ethnicity (Natarajan). That is why they seem to have those illegal items. Others may say we should treat them differently because they live in very poor and crimeful places, but that’s because we won’t give them chances to make more money and this is what causes the crime. They are being forced to steal and get money illegally to provide for their families. This is why we should stop profiling people based on their race.
Racial profiling happens everywhere in the world and, mainly, the US. This social injustice might never be able to die out, but with more people becoming aware of this topic, it can affect how much racial profiling happens in this country, depending on how the US takes this in. If we stop stereotyping and unfairly profiling people we can help a certain group of people feel a part of something, help that group of people succeed, and help people stop assuming things about a group of people.
