Racism was the topic that was being discussed in the radio broadcast. The discussion arose recently after a Nevada Assemblywoman; Mitchelle Fiore declared out rightly the end of racism in America. Subsequently, this was during a hearing that over a Voter Identification Bill. Fiore said that in the year 2015 America had a black president and therefore they should put the color and race issue at rest. After the statements so many critics came out from Las Vegas and ridiculed the assemblywoman. Defenders said that her comments were misinterpreted and taken out of context.

However, others strongly disputed her statement. There were violent protests because there were proofs that racism was still very strong. For instance, in the three incidences that are the shooting of an unarmed black man Michael Brown in Ferguson, Chokehold death of Eric Garner and the murder of Missouri. As such this was aproof that racial discrimination had not been put to an end.

The specific issues or controversies discussed

Yvette Williams brought out clearly that most of her constituents were African Americans. She also said that exposure of being around other people is normally very important as it helps us understand that all people are the same.

Her conclusion was also a source of concern. She said that America has no problem with race, but the position that everyone should take is astounding to her. Fowler said that a lot of initiatives and progress have been made towards putting an end to racism, but unfortunately it still exists.

The race continues to be the main source of conflict even after all the efforts that are being put to end it. UNLV Sociologist, Futrel said that when Obama was elected as president the country moved into a post-racial era. These are indicators that America is far from a Post-racial country.

Racism is not yet over in America, but it has instead morphed into something different. In the 1950s, the state-supported racism (Merino 2009). In the current world, it is more structural. In the criminal justice system statistics brings this out clearly.

What was your impression of the discussion?

I felt that From her tone, you could tell that she did not mean what she was saying. It was clear that she was saying that racism ended just because America had a black president. This statement did not come from her heart. Her tone and her words depicted her insincerity in the statement (Dudley 1991). It is unfortunate that America is still experiencing racism even after high levels of education and numerous interactions with people from other races.

In conclusion, racism is rooted from the fear of those who look different from Hate is fear in disguise (Petroff 1985). It is important to interact with people of different races to understand them better.

References

Dudley, W., & Cozic, C. P. (1991). Racism in America. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.

Merino, N. (2009). Racism. Detroit: Greenhaven Press.

Petroff, J., (1985). Educational Broadcasting Corporation, & Films for the Humanities (Firm). Racism in America. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities.

Three of these pieces discuss the issue of “racism” and how we can define/understand it. Compare the ways that Omi + Winant, Tatum, and Bonilla-Silva discuss racism. Do they agree with one another? What do they each add to our understanding of what racism entails?