Reflection+on+Race+in+America-

In November of 2008, The United States of America elected President Barack Obama, the first African-America president this country has ever had. America has a history of racism embedded in the creation of this great nation. Our country was founded on the basis of slavery. This foundation then created the building blocks that led to a racist society. Through Flessy v. Ferguson, Jim Crow, lynches, race riots, institutionalized racism, and stereotypes, this country has had poor race relations for as long as many can remember. Prejudices have been apparent throughout our nation for centuries. The legacy of racism has lived on over the years, and it is difficult for our country to stray away from it completely. Race is often a hard topic to discuss as many people feel uncomfortable discussing the issue directly. There is a fear of offending people or just a general uncomfortableness surrounding the issue. It is difficult to say whether or not this country will ever be able to fully step away from our racist past and move towards a brighter future, a future of change. Before the election of Barack Obama, I would have said this change would be nearly impossible to achieve. Based on several of the works we have read this year, including the thoughts of de Tocqueville, the literature of Toni Morrison, the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, and the lessons we've learned in US history, it's hard to imagine such a massive shift in our mores even occurring. Yet, the election of Barack Obama proves differently. Our country is ready to talk about race. We are ready to face our past, learn from it, and move into a future based on the notion of equality. I feel that race is an important issue in America, and the status quo has finally been reformed. We have made a change, and this country is ready to create a new history. There have been instances of racism in our generation, that is undeniable. Racism has not completely been erased and eliminated yet. We are just on a new path. It's a progression, and we will start to feel a change over time. I think that the number of these instances will slowly start to diminish. We will start hearing less about discrimination and segregation. The country stood at a crossroads back in November of 2008. They could have chosen to follow a path to change, or remain on the same bumpy road this country has been traveling on for years. Thankfully, this country chose the new road. A change is upon is, and race relations will start to change. Equality can finally be achieved once and for all. Regardless of the Equal Rights Amendments, Brown v. The Board of Education, and other pieces of legislation that have been passed, equality has yet to fully be achieved. As de Tocqueville once said, it's easy to change our laws, but harder to change our mores. Some hundred years later, that change in our mores is upon us. The quotes, pictures, and videos that I have assembled on this wall express this shift in our mores. It does our racist past, but an ending to it. America is on the forefront for change, and this wall will eventually remain a part of the past, not characteristics of the present.

American Pride-