Is Racism Still A Major Problem in America?

Is racism still a major problem in America?  Nope.  Not in the way that it used to be.

America used to have a problem with institutional and systemic racism, because it used to be legal to own slaves and to discriminate.  But today all of that is behind us.  Institutional racism no longer exists, even though you will hear the term thrown around a lot by the left.  Anytime someone says that America has a problem with institutional or systemic racism, challenge them to show you one racist government institution, or one racist law.  They can’t (unless they are referring to the government endorsed discrimination in favor of black people called affirmative action).

Dinesh D’Souza wrote, “In a single decade, from the mid-fifties to the mid-sixties, America radically overhauled its laws through a series of landmark decisions: Brown v. Board of Education, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act, the Fair Housing Act. Through such measures, America established equality of rights under the law. Of course, the need to enforce nondiscrimination provisions continues, but for nearly half a century, blacks and other minorities have enjoyed the same legal rights as whites.”

When I say that racism is no longer a major problem in America today, I mean that racism can no longer hold a black person back.  Don’t take my word for it.  Herman Cain said, “I don’t believe racism in this country holds anybody back in a big way.”  Larry Elder said, “Racism can no longer hold you back if you are willing to work hard, and stay focused, and don’t make bad moral mistakes.”

The proof is in the pudding:  In 2008 America elected a black president.  In 2012 it re-elected him.  More white democrats voted for Obama than John Kerry! We have a black Supreme Court Justice – Clarence Thomas.  Under George W. Bush, Colin Powell served as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; he was in charge of the entire nation’s military -- the mightiest in the world.  Dr. Ben Carson, a black man, rose from poverty and a single mother household to become a brilliant brain surgeon and ran for president. 

People of color from all over the world would give anything for the chance to move to America.  Immigrants don't see America as a place of injustice, prejudice, discrimination, and institutional racism.  They see America as the land of unlimited opportunity.

NFL Super Bowl Champ Burgess Owens said, “40% of black households today live the middle-class American Dream. There are thousands of black Americans among our nation’s top 1% of income earners—doctors, lawyers, engineers and professors; not to mention music, TV, film and sports stars. Many of our society’s most revered and celebrated citizens are black.”

The biggest issue today for blacks is not racism, but fatherlessness.  70% of black children are raised without a father in the home.  Walter E. Williams (a black economist) said, “The No. 1 problem among blacks is the effects stemming from a very weak family structure.”  President Obama said, “A kid raised without a father is 5 times more likely to be poor; 9 times more likely to drop out of school; and 10 times more likely to end up in jail.”

Is the weak black family the result of slavery or Jim Crow?  No.  In 1938, when racism was at its peak and Jim Crow was still in effect, only 11 percent of black children were born to unwed mothers.  The black family has grown weaker as our society has become less racist!

Does racism still exist?  Yes.  But as Dinesh D’Souza put it, it is no longer systematic or institutional, but episodic.  There are still individuals who are racist; there are still incidents of racism.  But these are not just white on black.  People of all colors experience racism.

By God's grace, racism can no longer hold a black person back from socioeconomic success.  If they are willing to work hard and make good moral choices, they can achieve their dreams. 

Click HERE to listen to my sermon called "Racial Reconciliation."