The negative impact of slavery on American society and America's psyche today is mostly generational; older whites and blacks that grew up in the era of segregation are scarred for life. Today, the bigger issue is the medias. All you have to do is listen to the radio or watch the television to see how African Americans are depicted in the media. Even secure African Americans are routinely disrespected and tarnished by the negative perception and subliminal stereotypical messages that are constantly being broadcast by the media.
Anyone who visits an elementary school, middle school or high school in most parts of the country today, will notice the congenial comradery amongst students of all races, socioeconomic, cultural and religious backgrounds. The kids are oblivious to the differences between people. Racism has to be taught and the problem today stems from the peoples homes.
To understand the impact of slavery on the society in America today, we must first appreciate the after effects of slavery or subjugation on any society. The underlying belief or motivation of slavery stems from a belief of superiority. It also stems from a belief that the “other” is inferior and hence, less than a human. I raise this point merely to explain the rational by which the slave owner perpetuated this very inhumane institution called slavery. After all, how else can one explain the institution of slavery?
As humans, we are all creatures of our environments; as a result, our families, neighborhoods, churches, schools, communities etc mold us. Our experiences in these settings have a profound influence on our values and beliefs. To the extent that many families in America are subconsciously or consciously teaching intolerance and bigotry to their kids, the kids in turn end up imbibing these faulty and myopic views of the world. Racism just happens to be one of them.
The remnants of slavery exist in society today only as a very distant remnant of the past. Those who still harbor animosities against minorities do so mostly as a result of their upbringing and their desire or need to be better than someone else. These feelings are not unusual. The fear of the “other” or difference or the need to be better than someone else is a natural human instinct. Divisions amongst people are common, they have existed from the beginning of time on the basis of: race, religion, political views, sexual preferences, height, weight etc. However, as the world becomes smaller and as we all learn and grow, we should logically become more tolerant.
Any honest appraisal of the impact of slavery in America will reveal the sad fact that a lot of the plight of the African American in America today, is a direct consequence of the systemic denigration, psychological degradation and class warfare that has become a subconscious evil in American society. Significant numbers of African Americans are incarcerated; very few African Americans are involved in the political and economic processes in America. The unemployment rate currently stands at 8.1%; however the unemployment rate in the African American community is a staggering 13%.
The effect of slavery has been to create two societies, one for the majority group and another for the minority group. As a result, when these groups meet for the first time as co-workers, neighbors or in any other setting, they are uncomfortable interacting. Slavery was a grave sin and the after effects are equally devastating. A significant number of white people would argue the fact that they had no direct responsibility for slavery and hence should not be held accountable for the sins of their ancestors. Their argument is dialectically correct; however, what they fail to understand is that the society that they live in is still inflicting significant injustices upon minority groups.
It will take another generation or two before America will attain the status of a free and fair society for all of its citizens. And yes it is true that many in the majority do not appreciate the issues faced by the minorities, after all, why should they? Most people learn through experience, so it is no surprise that the majority group does not appreciate what it is like to be judged merely due to the color of your skin.
Effective and open communication amongst the races will help in alleviating a lot of the after effects of slavery. Change has begun and will continue; one thing we can count on is the permanency of change. All through America, we can observe the occurrence of positive inter-racial changes, for some inter-racial change is occurring too slowly, my personal experience leads me to believe that racial intolerance is on a rapid downward decline.
