Racial Injustice in America, By: William Faulkner

Being a life long Mississippi man I was constantly surrounded by the injustice of racial inequality. There was never a day that went by that I didn’t imagine what life would be like if one’s skin color did not define their status in society.  I spent my adolescence being raised by great women, one of whom was dark skinned. As a free thinking man, I have always been perplexed by the Southern perspective of racial relations and used that confusion as thematic representations in my work.  It surprises me to know now that not only has man of color been elected president of the United States, but that one of his legitimate challengers is a man of color as well.  America has been removed from the injustices of racial segregation for such a short period of time. There are people alive today that were once not allowed to use the same water fountain as their white counterpart. Has America comes such a long way in such a short time? I feel that as a nation, a majority of Americans have  finally came to realize that skin color is irrelevant,  but there is still a place for racism in modern society. Despite civil rights and affirmative action, the African American population is still among the most struggling socioeconomic group in the United States. With a bad economy and minority unemployment on a continual rise, the immediate future does not look bright.  It took a civil war and the deaths of over five-hundred thousand citizens to end slavery. Who knows how long it will take for the African American population to gain complete equality in the United States. Perhaps nominating people of color to high office is another brick paved on the path to egalitarianism; but it will take thousands of bricks to finish the job.