Resurgence of segregation

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Resurgence of segregation

Resegregation is the process of being segregated again or segregation in a new way to which previously had existed a long time ago. Segregation involves the separation of people according to their race and economic status, whereby each group or race is given special treatment from the other in different environments. Segregation was a long time issue that existed many years ago at the time of slavery where the Americans were divided into whites and other races such as the blacks and Asians. In the current century, the issue of segregation is currently establishing roots and has continued to gain popularity in the United States. Segregation in the United States can be seen through the education and the health sector where people are treated differently depending on the race. The whites in the American nation are slowly resurging the issue of segregation where most of the white students attend white schools with the blacks attending a different school.

Racial mixing is no more welcomed in the nation as most people seem to be more racist and thereby end up segregating their colleagues of the other races. In history, we get to know that segregation between the blacks and whites was much evident and the authorities were very strict in the Southern State. During the time, in the hospitals, only the white nurses were allowed to attend the white patients. At the time, there were different sectors for the whites and blacks such as schools, buses, cemeteries, restaurants and even parks. The issue of resegregation has attracted different perspectives with different people possessing varying opinions from the others. Some of the people argue that this generation is not resegregating, but it has been shown all over the society that the issue of segregation is slowly taking its course with different races receiving special treatments. Various arguments can be cited in support the argument by Jeff Chang that segregation is slowly getting back.

We may not have Jim Crow laws in the present society, but if one zooms around and internalize the issues that are happening in the society, it is for sure that history might be repeating itself. In the article ‘Death by gentrification: The Killing the Shamed San Francisco’ by Rebecca Solnit, Alex Nieto was killed in a neighborhood that he was born and raised in because of his race. Nieto was 28 by the year 2014 when he was shot by the police at Hilltop Park where the police claimed they had mistaken the red laser from his teaser to a laser gun and shot him in defense. Police brutality has been an issue that has been raised for so many years, and impunity of the police in the United States has increased as no action is taken upon such incidences. The death of Nieto is just but one of the many cases that has been brought to light and that have a suggestion of how the black community has been terrorized by the American police where the injustices are only based on race. There are very few incidences where, but a large percentage of the deaths that are caused by the police are targeted to the blacks. During the past, such incidences happened and no action was taken for the police who shot the blacks as the lives of the black people was not valued. The same thing has continued to happen meaning that the segregation by race is slowly taking course in the United States.

Jeff Cheng in his book, “We Gon’ Be aright” that was produced in the year 2016, he talks about the resurgence of resegregation by culture that involves deep protests by various groups in advocating for their rights through certain ideologies. In his book, Chang provides a linkage between the slogans #BlackLivesMatter to that of #OscarSoWhite and the civil uprising due to police violence in the case of Fergusson to Washington D.C and that of the great migration to resurgent nativism. Throughout the book, Cheng explores the rise as well as the fall of the ideas of diversity as the cause for the student unrest in colleges. Cheng also explores the ideas about the Asian Americanness as well as the impact of racial segregation in matters regarding housing. From this book, Cheng brings about the issues of cultural diversity that is filled with superiority with each of the cultures fighting to be recognized as being dominant than the others and this has resulted to racial segregation. The slogans that ‘blacklivesmatter’ is one that is geared to ensuring that the black community has been neglected and that they need to be respected by protecting the lives of the black people. Racialism has been discussed in the book where the issue of segregation based on race has been raised on the matter regarding housing. According to Cheng, discrimination on housing is one of the unexamined conditions of the present state. The condition also existed in the past whereby the blacks could not share the same room with the whites and therefore there has been a resurgence segregation in housing.

David Leonhardt and Ian Prasad in their article, “Donald Trump’s Racism: The Definitive List” they describe the rise of the white supremacists with the example of Donald Trump, the United States president. Trump’s disregard for the blacks started a long time ago since he was a real estate mogul as well as an owner of a casino where he said that Trump could have a black accountant in the sense that he believed that the black people are lazy. Throughout his campaigns before becoming the president, his political rise was all based on racism and to which he got massive support from the whites. And this has an implication that the issue of racism in the United States is still fresh and the past has not been erased in their minds about the negative white’s perspectives on the blacks. Besides, Trump has not only hatred for the blacks but also for the Mexicans as he termed them as being rapists and went to the extent of building a wall to separate the US from Mexico as well as banning their entry into the country. The issue of racial supremacists was evident in the past during the time of slavery, but it has now been apparent that we are unable to separate our history with the present and that soon we may find ourselves on war based on racism.

Despite the resurgence of segregation, many people believe that there are some benefits to gentrification and that the colleges are increasing in diversity. But if you look at the college’s diversity, the percentages for different races when compared to the whites is very low. According to the Economist in the article, “Bring on the Hipsters: Gentrification is good for the poor” the author claims that renovation to conform to the tastes of the middle class is essential for the poor. In this article, the Economists claim that helping the poor and uneducated black group in renovating their houses is good as it makes their homes conform to those of the middle class and therefore gentrification is good. Although the idea of gentrification might be good, it is a disregard to the black and a way to propagate racism in the sense that the black people are lazy and poor and that they cannot do anything for themselves.

Most people claim that the current generation is not resegregating, but according to the evidence provided it is true that history is repeating itself. Black people are on the limelight as the key prospects of resegregation that is propelled by the whites in many ways. Racism is evident in almost all levels in the United States including schools and colleges and worst of it all in housing and leadership. The blacks in the current century are treated in the same way that the slaves were being treated in the past, and this can be evident in the case of the shooting of Alex Nieto who was shot by the white police implying the influence of cultural superiority among the whites. It is true that the issue resegregation is on the rise especially in schools and if something is not done people might end up in war due to racism.

Work Cited

Chang, Jeff. “We Gon’Be Alright.” New York: Picador (2016).

Economist. “Bring on the Hipsters: Gentrification is good for the poor”. 2015.

Leonhardt, David, and I. P. Philbrick. “Donald Trump’s racism: The definitive list.” The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www. nytimes. com/interactive/2018/01/15/opinion/leonhardt-trump-racist. html (2018).

Solnit, Rebecca. “Death by gentrification: the killing that shamed San Francisco.” The Guardian 21 (2016).