Racism is the belief that one race or culture is fundamentally superior to another, regardless of anthropological evidence that we are all the same. The United States of America has been the epitome of Racism since the colonial era, to the present day. The United States were the most heavily involved country during the slave era and have continued this disgusting, arrogant act of racism toward African Americans by police brutality, inequality and also verbal and physical discrimination.

Racism and discrimination has affected the lives of African Americans for decades and decades. A more recent story is the killing of Trayvon Martin a young black teenager. On February 26th, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was killed walking down the street for “looking suspicious”… he was walking home after purchasing some skittles and an iced tea. This image is a representation of the innocence of Trayvon and other black teens. In the background stands the American flag, but notice the confederate flag being shown as the roots of the country. A young boy with a look of confusion and fear, innocently trying make a kind gesture to a police officer bound in his uniform and wearing the hood of a KKK member making it evident that even the forces “protecting” the citizens are still racist.

Throughout America during the 1900’s segregation was possibly the biggest visual sign of racism such as coloured and white drinking fountains or blacks having to sit at the back of the bus. This photograph depicts a white teenager, Joseph Rakes, trying to assault black lawyer and civil-rights activist Ted Landsmark with a flagpole bearing the American flag. It was taken in Boston on April 5, 1976, during one in a series of protests against court-ordered desegregation busing. In the photo hopelessness would be the best word to describe the facial expression of the African American lawyer, as he is being surrounded, held and nearly killed by white men. The man holding the flag has so much anger and aggression towards Ted Landsmark whose goal was to allow blacks to sit anywhere they want on public transit so it is very evident just how racist America was during this period of time.

    On April 12, 2015, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African American resident of Baltimore, Maryland, sustained injuries following his arrest by policemen. On April 18, 2015, after Gray's subsequent coma, the residents of Baltimore protested in front of the Western district police station. Gray died the following day, April 19, 2015, a week after being arrested. The riots may not have gone to the extent that they did if it wasn’t for other cases of police brutality against other African Americans prior to this such as Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Oscar Grant, all innocent men who were killed by police for no reason. This Photograph shows the chaos and the unclear future of the once powerhouse country. A barricade of riot officers stand in front of a young black male, wearing a gas mask, his fist held high just as The Black Panther party did in the 1960’s, they were also protesting police brutality…

 



Eric Garner Video: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2014/dec/04/i-cant-breathe-eric-garner-chokehold-death-video