The Costs of Racism Essay -- Essays Papers

The Costs of Racism The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines racism as â€Å"a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.† Racism is one of the deepest stains on the pages of American history. What began as feelings among whites of being superior to blacks turned into possibly the worst phenomenon the United States ever dealt with. Even 100 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, many white people were still treating blacks atrociously. It took many decades before blacks were granted truly equal rights that white Americans were given. In Anne Moody’s autobiography, Coming of Age in Mississippi, she discusses growing up in Mississippi. She writes about her memories of childhood, high school, college, and finally her courageous work in the civil rights movement during the 1960s. Moody offers readers a startling and remarkable story of he r life. She also gives great insight into the effects of racism on the victims of it, on those who practice it, and the effects on American society. The effects of racism on the victims differed depending on age and whether or not a person would withstand the abuse. Moody makes these connections in her book by realizing that when the civil rights movement picked up in the 1960s, older blacks usually remained dormant and never stood up for themselves by speaking out against the abuse they received. In contrast, younger black Americans, notably teenagers, were more likely to be fearless and take part in the Movement. This theme can be seen throughout the whole book, from when Anne was a young girl and never understood why her mother co... ...any whites could have believed so strongly that blacks were inferior to them, so mediocre that they would treat them like animals and murder them in cold blood. But this is a problem that still occurs today, though in a lesser form, and it is important to study our past in effort to keep from repeating the mistakes of our ancestors. By reading things such as Anne Moody’s autobiography, we can get an inside view into what really took place in the South, and we can be inspired by people like Moody who stood up to it. The negativities of racism against blacks taught us important lessons about ethics and how humans should treat each other because we can see the effects it had on people less than 50 years ago. And if we learn from the mistakes of our ancestors and move away from their supremacist ideals, then as the freedom song in Coming of Age goes, â€Å"we shall overcome.†