Racism in America

McKenzi Oberg
Mrs. Williams
9th Grade Lit/Comp - Gifted
September 4, 2015
Racism in America
A young Black boy, named Cameron, sits in his room wondering why he and his friends
always get strange looks when they go out. He wonders why his dad was stopped and searched at
the road block yesterday, especially since they did not find anything. Like Cameron, Black
people in America often have trouble grasping the idea that they are considered “different” and
that some people in this world will never realize that all people are the same. Racism is clearly a
problem in the United States. Not only have there been many racial outbreaks within the past
months, there have been disputes about race ever since the slave and colonial eras. Studies show
in many surveys that white people have an advantage over Black people in mostly everything.
Whether it is prison sentences, finding jobs, or getting a quality education, Black people have a
harder time getting around in this world than White people due to their history.
There have been many studies conducted that show examples of racism throughout the
United States. For example, an analysis by the U.S. Sentencing Commission found that “prison
sentences of Black men were 20% longer than those of White men for similar crimes in recent
years” (Palazzolo). In 2010, the Sentencing Commission conducted another survey excluding
sentences of probation. According to The Wall Street Journal, “sentences of Black males were
14.5% longer than Whites.” (Palazzolo). This statistic serves as a great example of how unfairly
treated Black males are in this world. Drug charges are one of the three most common offenses
in court. Drug charges, like most other situations, also involve racism. According to some of the

latest data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Black and
White people tend to use drugs at similar rates, but statistics show that Black people are more
likely to be searched and...