Black in America

Experiencing life as a black man is something that I will never know so for obvious reasons, I cannot even begin to describe even the most ordinary of days. So, I am left to learn what life would be like as the opposite race through articles like “Being Black can Mean Being a Suspect,” written by a CNN reporter. This article begins by saying that the life of a black man, in this case 39-year-old Anthony Williams, can at times be difficult just because of the color of but that doesn’t stop him from accomplishing his goals. None the less, Williams says, “ he still gets nervous when he hears that police are looking for a 6-foot-tall black man, ‘because I know I fit that description.’” (CNN, 2) Racial profiling is an issue in society today as some officers may be using their own discrimination to make decisions rather than facts. Still, if you have done nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about.

The facts are very straightforward; almost half of the people in jail are black as shown very clearly in a report by the NAACP. This isn’t just a coincidence or a random chance of fate and they aren’t going to jail just because of the color of their skin. Black people are committing more crimes and are thus suffering the consequences of their actions. Police departments aren’t patrolling the streets for the sole purpose of arresting black people. If someone commits a crime and gets caught then they will be punished no matter the color of their skin. That’s the way it should be. Williams says, “You never know what to expect when you get pulled over by police, and that's how it is when you're black.” (CNN, 5) He must be joking. Again, if you haven’t done anything wrong then nothing will happen to you. If you aren’t hostile and don’t act like a jerk to the cop then all he will do is his job, which by the way doesn’t involve collecting black people. The argument can be made that people will assume that “the black man did it.” Though this is partially true, the same argument can be for any minority, as people tend to always go against people they don’t know or understand. In the Native Son, the boyfriend is automatically assumed to be the murdered because the “communist.” Again though, is it really that wrong to make this assumption even now when equality has been reached? I don’t think so. People are worried and will take precaution based on their own assumptions and intuition even their own skewed believes. Though it may be unjust to just assume that the black kid, the Mexican, or the Communist did it, it isn’t inaccurate. Black people are associated with crime not because of racial hatred but because of facts that prove that the African American race is more likely to commit a crime. It’s that simple.

Mr. Williams should look in the mirror. The reason the police will knock on his door when looking for a 6-foot tall black man is because he is a 6-foot tall black man. What did he expect, for the police to ignore the facts and instead look for 5 foot 5 Andrew Horowitz? Black people need to stop complaining that the world is out to get them when United States jails are currently 50 percent black. It’s simple numbers and statistics not racism.

“Being Black can Mean Being a Suspect.” CNN Black in America. 24 July 2008. CNN. 16 Mar. 2009 . http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/24/bia.reax.irpt/index.html.