Are There Still Racial and Gender Biases in the United States?

Racial and Gender Biases

Racism and sexism is still alive in our country, it always will be. In an article written by CNN.com, “Blacks remain twice as likely to be unemployed, three times more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to be imprisoned compared with whites” (1). A reoccurring theme would also take place in regards to woman compared to men. However, in politics everything seems much different. Everyone has a high degree and a credited background. We are entering a new wave of politics, a wave that started with Hillary Clinton, and is now being carried on proudly by our black president, Barack Obama. Despite gender biases still present in politics, racial biases will no longer be an issue in selection our political leaders.

It’s hard to believe less than 150 years ago African Americans were not even considered civilians; instead they were treated as property. It is just as baffling to know that only fifty years ago, African Americans couldn’t drink out of the same water fountain, or even allowed into a public library. Our nation’s history has been filled with people, and organizations like the NAACP to fight for civil rights. If they hadn’t fought, no African Americans would be elected into high political positions, and our president would certainly not be black. The Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education was the revolutionary step towards equal rights. No longer was “separate but equal” acceptable in any state. Advocates like Thurgood Marshall, Charles A. Houston, and even Earl Warren were the men behind the monumental civil rights act, and voting rights act that has paved the road we’re currently residing on.

With all those events in the rearview mirror, our nation stands in midst of the 21st century, where a recession is present, and an end seems anywhere but near. We need a new president that not only can fix our current economic crises, but also better the country for the next four to eight years. In our past election, there was no time to elect an average leader; we needed someone fresh, intelligent, and someone who could merge our country back on the track of success. On November 4th, 2008, nearly 67 million Americans voted an African American as the leader of the most powerful country in the world (2). If that isn’t enough evidence to sway a debate on racism in politics, I don’t know what is.