In This Election - Racism is not Dead - It's Just not as Effective

In This Election - Racism is not Dead - It's Just not as Effective

MEDIA ADVISORY, October 28 /Christian Newswire/ -- This presidential election has been elevated to another level, one that renders racism not dead but not as effective as it once was. There is no doubt that racism is still very much alive, that there are those who will not vote for Senator Barack Obama simply because he is black. But what makes racism not as effective as it once was are a number of factors that have to do with blacks as well as whites in America.

One is Time: Time has a lot to do with racism's loss of strength and energy. Over the years there has been a considerable amount of intergenerational integration in employment as well as education. Statistics will show that blacks have received higher degrees and as a result better paying and professional jobs. According to the Journal of Blacks in Education, "since 1985 the number of blacks earning professional degrees have nearly doubled"(JBE 3/15/07). Better paying jobs and higher education have led to interracial middle class communities such as Hyde Park in Chicago where Senator Barack Obama lives.

The initial integration of schools, jobs and neighborhoods was rejected by some of the biggest bigots and racist actions years ago, but over time the impact of integration has diminished the effectiveness of racism, turning middle class white neighborhoods into majority middle and upper class black neighborhoods.

As a result of intergenerational integration, many white young people are more progressive and liberal than their parents or grandparents causing them to sever political and historical view points and foster new relationships.

Secondly, racism's less effectiveness is due to racial interaction. The historical racial segregation and negative media perception carved a distasteful view of African Americans. Communication and interaction between blacks and whites were limited and if interchanged were based on dominance and degradation from whites.

The strong presence of Blacks in better schools, jobs and neighborhoods has caused and even forced interaction. Strong interaction can change perceptions and even foster better relations. In 1964, 18 percent of whites claimed to have a black friend. By 1998, 86 percent of whites claimed to have a black friend. While 87 percent of blacks...To read the full article go to http://GodTalkNow.com.

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