Does Racism Still Exist?

I remember it like it was yesterday. It was my sophomore year at Temple University. When my English professor asked the question, "does racism still exist?" Earlier that week for an assignment, I discussed how Geno's (a well-known cheesesteak place in Philly) had posted in their window, 'if you can't speak English, don't order from us'. It made the local news too. This happened at a time when Hispanics were starting to open businesses in the Italian Market area also known as 9th Street in South Philly. In this same area my family and I visited a restaurant to have dinner and were completely ignored. The staff acted as if we were invisible and refused to acknowledge us or seat us. So my classmates already knew my answer to that question and I was curious to hear their responses. As my professor waited for someone to answer, there was an awkward silence. I'm not sure if nobody wanted to answer because the topic may get heated. Or no one chose to speak up because the answer was simply 'yes’. Racism does exist and it's still alive and well.

[caption id="attachment_557" align="alignright" width="300"] TMZ.com[/caption]

My political science teacher in high school told me something I'd never forget. He said 'when it came to racism back in the day, at least you knew who didn't like you, but nowadays racism is hidden so you can't tell who dislikes you.' This statement is true and reminded me of the recent racial controversy involving the Los Angeles Clippers owner, Donald T. Sterling. A voice recording of David Sterling saying racist comments in a conversation with his girlfriend were released on TMZ.com. Sterling held nothing back as he told his girlfriend, she was wrong for associating with black people and for posting a picture with Magic Johnson on Instagram. Sterling went so far as to say that “ya it bothers me a lot that you want to promote…broadcast that you’re associating with black people…I guess that you don’t know that. Maybe you’re stupid. Maybe you don’t know what people think of you”(TMZ.com). Keep in mind that Sterling’s girlfriend is Black and Mexican and majority of Sterling’s players on his team are Black. Furthermore, the majority of the players in the NBA are Black so who would want to work or even associate with someone who uses such racist remarks and feels deep hatred towards Blacks?

[caption id="attachment_558" align="alignleft" width="257"] Comedian Kevin Hart's Instagram Post[/caption]

Of course, this recording went viral. It was a big discussion on Twitter and Instagram. A lot of celebrities posted how they felt; some wanted us to boycott the LA Clippers games or anything associated with Sterling. Comedian Kevin Hart posted that “Donald T Sterling is a flat out Racist….he will never see another dollar from me”. And of course we were all curious to see how the players and coach Doc Rivers felt about Sterling’s comments. I noticed on Twitter that most people didn’t think the players would speak up because their million dollar contracts may be on the line, but surprisingly they did take a stand. During a playoff game with the Golden State Warriors, the LA Clippers including star players Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, decided to throw their warm-up jerseys on the court and they wore their team shirts inside out so the team logo wasn’t shown. The players also wore black socks and wristbands in their silent protest (New York Times).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvqdzbN41GE&w=560&h=315]

Let’s have an open discussion. What are your thoughts about racism today? If any, what was your most recent racial experience or one that has happened to you in your lifetime? Also, what do you think of the consequences Donald T. Sterling’s has received for his racist comments?