In Maryann Love’s article, “Race in America: ‘We Would Like to Believe We are Over the Problem,’” she states that
To ‘get over’ racial problems in America today, we need to understand them and their roots. But we don’t. A recent survey conducted by the University of Connecticut found that more than 19 percent of the 14,000 college students in 50 U.S. universities believed that Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech was advocating the abolition of slavery. (Love 387)
The problem with “getting over” racism is the false assumption that non-black Americans understand the unfair treatment that black people must overcome to have equality. Many Americans expect black people to get over racism and discrimination when most of America does not fully understand the effects that they have on black people’s lives. Without understanding and realizing the problems that black people in America experience, people cannot just expect black people to get over the problem of racism. As Love suggests, the only way to get to a post-racial society is to work through the consequences of our problematic past not just as individuals, but as communities (387). To get rid of racism in America today, America must acknowledge that racism is still a problem, understand the effects that racism has on black people’s lives, and work through the problems together to ensure that everyone living in America receives equal treatment regardless of skin