Race and Politics- A Sticky Situation

We live in a country built on racism, so it’s no surprise that people of color don’t exactly have the easiest time getting involved in politics. White superiority is embedded in our country, and slavery was the main reason. African slaves were defined as property, and weren’t given the right to vote until 1870. Due to Jim Crow laws some states but up barriers blacks were denied that essential right. President Johnson's Civil Rights Act of 1964 was the turning point in US history where blacks were viewed as full citizens with equal rights.

When President Obama got elected it seemed like a glimpse of hope was shown to minorities all over the country. People from older generations never thought they would even ever see a black man be elected president. Obama's election in 2008, as well as

his re-election in 2012 has irrefutably affected the nation's racial politics. Barack Obama proved that it is very possible for an African American to win the nation's highest office. But has President Barack Obama leading our country minimized or increased the racism? There are people in this country that believe Obama should never have been elected president simply because he is African American. Although I don’t believe criticism of the president should be based on skin color, since his election in 2008 it seems as though I have seen a new kind of hatred come out of my fellow Americans. It is clear that as a country we are very far from getting over racism.

Age, gender, socioeconomic status and race all play a part in who participates in politics. Typically people between thirty-five and sixty-five have the most political participation. Same goes for women, who recently have started to exceed men as far as voter turn up. Also, wealthier people tend to vote more often. Now, when it comes down to race black and white Americans are about equal in how much time they spend doing political activities other than voting. But the things that they have tendencies to participate in are different. Whites are more likely to contact public representatives and join organizations. Black citizens are more likely to participate in election campaigns and social movements.

One thing I can say is that since Obama’s campaign in 2008, African American voter turnout has gone through the roof. Especially in his reelection in 2012, African Americans really showed their support towards Obama. It turns out that now whites and blacks have similar voter turnout when it comes to elections. I believe that black would not have felt the pressure to vote if Obama wouldn’t have run. Although some people did only vote for Obama because he was black, many people voted for him because they believed he would make a great president, and changing history by electing a black man is just a plus. I would love to see a decrease in racism because Obama did break a stereotype that many whites felt about blacks which was that we can’t be successful, especially in politics. I feel like Obama changed that whole view around. But with the good comes the bad. Racists are going to try to make their point that Obama shouldn’t be president simply because he is black, but it’s up to the rest of us to inform them of the facts.