Racism is still a very significant issue for people of color, especially, the black community, in the United States.
I strongly believe that racism is still a very significant issue for people of color, especially, the black community, in the United States. There is big difference in the way that African Americans are treated, and the access to opportunities is very limited in the United States. African Americans seem to be targeted the most out of any person of color and labeled negatively. These assumptions are dangerous and put them at risk every day. Besides that, I do think that there aren’t enough opportunities available for minorities. “Although racial residential segregation has slowly decreased since 1970, it remains fairly high among blacks and whites in both cities and suburbs” (Macionis, 2017). The course textbook states this information in 2017, and in 2020, we still see this, but in my opinion, it still seems like a lot. The course textbook states there has been, “increased diversity in black and white neighborhoods, the average white person in metropolitan America today resides in a neighborhood that is 75 percent white, 8 percent black, 11 percent Hispanic, and 5 percent Asian” (Macionis, 2017). Some of the opportunities that are available to more affluent communities, are lacking in communities that are considered ghetto. The textbook states that, “The ghettoized poor usually have poor-quality schools, limited medical care, and high rates of infant mortality, substance abuse, and violent crime” (Macionis, 2017). These communities cannot easily improve their living situations and typically have to work a lot harder in order to have the same luxuries.
Secondly, considering the recent national and world events surrounding immigration, I do believe that the calls to deport illegal immigrants and keep certain racial groups out, has indeed made life more difficult for those that are actually U.S. citizens. The majority of arguments that I’ve heard as to why the U.S. needs to keep immigrants out, is that they are stealing jobs, causing crime, and living off of a government they don’t belong to. The course textbook however states that in “505 metro regions between 2005 and 2011 revealed that immigration into an area consistently led to the creation of more jobs, which in turn reduced unemployment. In addition, higher self-employment rates followed, which created even more job opportunities” (Macionis, 2017). So, I hardly think that allowing immigrants into the country is causing devastating effects. I think that if we allowed them to become citizens, there would be a lot less crime because people would have better opportunities to better their lives. I think the hatred and dislike for illegal immigrants affects people of color that are citizens because people that are anti-immigration, assume that they’re illegal or support illegal immigration and there’s a lot of racist tension in my opinion.
In regard to women having the same opportunities as men in our society, I don’t think that we do. I think that even today in 2020, we still face a lot of challenges and stereotypes that have been birthed by men in power. I think that women in all places of society still face inequality. For example, the course textbook states that “planners typically allocate most open space to male-oriented activities, such as sports, giving little consideration to the needs of women” (Macionis, 2017). I think more recently, public spaces are getting better at providing facilities that are accessible to everyone, not based on gender stereotypes. Another important statement in the textbook says “Many women now participate in decision making, but they have had limited success in putting on the political agenda the key issues that challenge male dominance” (Macionis, 2017). We now have women that have been elected into office and positions of power, so I hope that we will continue to see growth in equality for genders. I think this will have a really positive impact on the way that future generations see gender roles.
Reference
Macionis, J. J., & Parrillo, V. N. (2017). Cities and Urban Life. Boston: Pearson
Edited by Alyssa Martin
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