The Change Seen “Racism is man’s gravest threat to man - the maximum of hatred for a minimum of reason” (Abraham Joshua Heschel). Racism was in the South during the 1900s. Compared to the present day, the unjust treatment of blacks back then would have been horrific, as what sets the tone in Harper Lee’s novel To Kill a Mockingbird. And while it still exists, the issue of racism and segregation has improved tremendously since Lee experienced it early in her life. The Southern states where Lee grew up were the most brutal enforcers of racism. Perhaps they were bitter about living alongside former slaves, but white supremacists fought hard to keep the black population oppressed. They passed their own laws. For example, the Black Codes passed …show more content…
Hotels, inns, and public restrooms were often closed to them, as well” (Mcneese 22). These so-called codes presented a blatant challenge to freedom and equality. The governors had far superior authority, and they abused it against African Americans. Even businesses were in on it too. A sign from the Lonestar Restaurant Association from Texas said: “NO DOGS, NEGROES, MEXICANS” (Mcneese 24). It not only tells blacks to stay out but degrades them as well by equating them to foreigners and animals. This gives a glimpse of the discrimination they had to endure every day. What if someone broke a set law? “One day, on a dare from his young friends, Till entered the local Bryant’s Grocery, bought a handful of candy, and, as he left the store, spoke just two words to the woman behind the counter, Carolyn …show more content…
“In 1960, 60% of Americans said they would never vote for a black president. Almost 50 years later, the black man who said racism is in America’s DNA was elected president, and four years later re-elected” (Elder). The ingrained racism (which Obama claims is still present) is weaker than ever since Obama himself defied the odds. “But what about racist police on the highway?” skeptics argue. This point can be broken with an example about seatbelts, as “seatbelt usage is chronically lower among black drivers. If a law enforcement agency aggressively enforces seatbelt violations, police will stop more black drivers” (Elder). The study explains why more blacks get pulled over (hint- not because of racial prejudice). These are times in which race doesn’t hold back an individual. In fact, Harvard sociologist Orlando Patterson said, ‘“America is now the least racist white-majority society in the world; has a better record of legal protections of minorities than any other society”’(Elder). Cases of avoided deportation, basic human rights, and public defenders are proof of how far we have come; a time in which the people bear