Racism is one of the biggest controversies in the world today that has affected millions of people. It can be defined as the discrimination of others based on their racial background; one race is superior to the other. In addition, racism is based off of different ethnic backgrounds, cultural values, and physical appearances. Throughout the novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, the theme of racism is evident through the trial of Tom Robinson. Harper Lee’s themes of prejudice towards African Americans are still present today due to unfair trial convictions and racial wage gaps, despite the fact that there is workplace protection against racism.
Racism in modern society can be seen today through unfair convictions. In fact, black men face harsher sentences
…show more content…
He was immediately remanded into custody and served a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 to 25 years in jail. He was responsible for this case and the judge sentenced a reprehensible amount of time in jail. However, Brock Turner, a white 19-year-old standout swimmer at Stanford, was guilty of raping an unconscious woman and was sentenced 6 months in jail. Turner was found guilty from many eyewitnesses who saw him sexually assault a woman behind the dumpster. The judge, Aaron Persky, was given a six-month jail sentence and told that he could be released in three months on good behavior. Aaron Persky felt that Turner would not be able to handle the time in jail and publicly stated that "a prison sentence would have a severe impact on him.” (King, 2016) Similarly, Tom Robinson faced the same dilemma in the novel. As mentioned many times in the novel, Tom Robinson was found guilty in a rape case due to his skin color. As Scout said, “I shut my eyes. Judge Taylor was polling the jury: ‘Guilty… guilty… …show more content…
The Equal Pay Act of 1963 was passed to eliminate any wage gaps based on sex. Additionally, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 aims to abolish wage gaps based on their race, refusing to hire an employee based on their race, and finally, failing to provide benefits for an employee on account of their race (“Racial Discrimination in the Workplace,” 2014). However, in 2011 the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received an alarming rate of 99,947 charges of workplace discrimination with race discrimination topping the list with 45,39 charges. All in all, employment protection may decrease the amount of racist remarks, however, they still occur at alarming