Summary Of What Obama's Victory Means About Race

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While many people continue to say that race relations has increasingly improved after the civil rights movement, racism still occurs today. Discrimination and racism towards African Americans was considered normal after the Civil War and before the civil rights movement. Many white people openly abused black people in the public and no one would speak up to stop it. Blacks were looked down upon and were treated as the trash of society. No matter how important or successful a black man has become, the white majority treated them unfairly due to his skin color. Racism and discrimination in this day and age is much more mild and doesn’t occur quite as extreme compared to Richard’s time. Richard Wright was born after the Civil War, but before …show more content…
Richard Wright would see Obama’s victory as a milestone for African Americans. Racism still existed in the country but not enough to prevent a great leader from being elected. Obama is proof that a African Americans can do anything white men can do including becoming president. In the article “What Obama’s Victory Means About Race and Class”, Malik Miah describes how this victory defied 400 years of black slavery, legal segregation and institutional racism. He goes on to explain that although this is a victory for all black people in America, this country has not gone beyond race. Hate and discrimination is still common in various parts of the country. Miah says, “What Obama’s win does is encourage all minorities in whatever fields they pursue to believe more is possible” (Miah). For someone like Richard, who hungers for knowledge and hungers for equality, it is now possible to fulfill that hunger. Because of Obama’s victory, he can experience what it’s like to be a white man’s equal. His hunger for knowledge will subside as he can have more opportunities in the workplace and can work alongside his white coworkers. Richard, unlike the rest of the black community at the time, knew he had so much more potential in the world. The black community seemed to accept their role in society and were happy that they were looked down upon by the whites. The hope that