Racism Is Real: New Online Video Highlights Racism In America, Goes Viral [Video]
The highly publicized death of Freddie Gray has served as yet another reminder of the racial tension in the United States. The complicated aspects of race relations continue to plague the country. Now, a new video is highlighting a number of controversial issues that contribute to the ongoing problems with racism. The video, titled “Racism Is Real,” touches on a number of daunting scenarios, facts and statistics that only prove the existence of racism is still evident, reports the Washington Post.
The three-minute, split-screen documentary begins with the introduction of two guys – Dante J. Williams, an African-American male, and David J. Williams, a white male. The first segment shows both of their resumes. Although their credentials were exactly the same, statistics show Dante’s resume has a higher probability of being overlooked simply because of his name. While some would consider it a brief oversight, others would categorize it as an indirect form of racism because Dante is being judged by his name instead of his credentials.
The second segment shows Dante and David car shopping at a dealership. According to statistics, African-Americans are charged approximately $700.00 more when purchasing vehicles. After Dante and David purchase their vehicles, the video shifts to them hitting the road in their new cars.
The next fact covers the probability of them being pulled over by police. While it has been documented that African-American drivers are twice as likely to be pulled over, the statistics actually skyrocket where black male teens are concerned. A 1999 study conducted by the ACLU broke down the statistics on racial profiling. It has been reported that African-American male teens are 21 times more likely to be pulled over than white male teens. A 2014 analysis conducted by the FBI also confirmed that African-American drivers are much more likely to be stopped by police.
Then, the video moves on to home purchases. A report released by the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development reveals the daunting truth about housing discrimination. African-American clients are shown approximately 17.7 percent fewer houses when looking to purchase a home. The next segment, which exposes the use of marijuana, reveals both African-Americans and whites use cannabis equally, but blacks are four times more likely to get arrested for it, reports ACLU.
The last three segments highlight incarceration, medical procedures and the lack of response by white legislators where constituents with black-sounding names are concerned. The “Racism is Real” video, which was uploaded to YouTube on Apr. 29, has gone viral with more than one million views. Although the statistics back the claims in the video, there are still some users who disagree with the definition of racism.
What do you think about the “Racism Is Real” video? Share your thoughts.
[Image via YouTube Screen Capture]
