Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Election Day Blog

Does having an African American President mean the end of Segregation in the US?
Explain your answer with two reasons to support your perspective.

24 comments:

john said...
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Joe said...

Today is a historic day. Our country got a little more united due to the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States. Although some of the barrier between two ethnicities has been diminished, segregation will still be present in the US. Even though the majority of the US is willing to accept other ethnicities as similar human beings, there are some groups who still set out to find differences in others. There is a group "people" called the Neo-Nazis who actually want to get rid of President Obama just so the segregation can persist. Also, segregation will still be visible throughout other communities. There are not only two groups between which there is segregation, people can think of thousands of reasons to reject others from society. Unfortunately, segregation will always be prominent in the US.

William Gould said...
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William Gould said...

Electing a Black president certainly does not mean the end of segregation in the US. People in America will always dislike, and fear those who are different. Secondly,it is human nature to surround oneself with people who share their similarities. The election of one official, no matter his or her race, will not change these natural instincts all humans share. It will take years of time effort and diplomacy to finally put and end to segregation.

Unknown said...

Having a black President does not necessarily mean the end of segregation. Nevertheless, this is the United States first African American president so I think there will be less racial tension. America seems to be becoming more diverse and understanding. However, I do not think segregation will end because it is natural for people to associate and live around the people they feel most comfortable with. Nevertheless, by having a black president many new changes will occur.

Unknown said...

Even though there is a black president in office, that does not mean segregation is ended. In some cases the racial barrier will be terminated, but in others it will be even more fueled. The KKK and other black hate groups will just become even more angry. It also proposes the idea that blacks will feel as though they are superior to whites. This idea does not seem to far fetched in my opinion, as this is the first black president. Although I agree Barack was the better candidate, I do not believe he will have any effect on eliminating segregation.

Isaac said...

While this certainly is a phenomenal step for our country, it won't stop segregation as a whole. There will still be shabby neighborhoods full of immigrants and the poor. And even today, people tend to spend time around those who are most familiar to them. There will still be portrayals of segregation in fiction, but in reality, at least humanity is starting to lose racism.

Alex said...

No matter what the occasion, there will always be segregation. The fact that we have an African American president means that America is beginning to accept a large change. But even with this, segregation will never stop. There are always people that wont accept change, thus segregating the issue. If you look at the structure of neighborhoods, each area is shown as a different social class. There is not more than one social class in a neighborhood. At school it is the same, the seating arrangement is almost always the same. As humans we have a hard time getting accustomed to a new environment, thus we will always segregate.

Abz Gingrande said...

After all, Barack Obama is the new president of the US, ‘WOW’. Obama’s shot at the presidency doesn’t signal the end of racism and segregation in the U.S. It is made possible, rather, by the new form racism itself has taken, a form that offers a prison cell to poor people of color, and, for the middle class. It’s not after all, that segregation and racism is over. It’s that whites imagine that they can now be at peace about it. In the white imagination, Barack Obama represents, not the “End of Racism”, but, he represents, rather, the end of the struggle to end racism. The only awareness most whites have of racism comes as a result of immediate and very short term impact of the struggle of peoples of color upon their consciousness. He speaks to our dreams of being one unity nation. He speaks to our hope for a world worth living in, to our hope for the future generations that have been crushed for decades now under the heel of the Bush regime and its predecessors. The enormous energy for change is needed. Many people, nonetheless, think Obama is the realization of Dr. King’s dream. It’s why the completely empty catch-phrase “Change” works for him. Obama is the hope of Dr. King’s Dream rolled into one. Obama is the walking illusion of the realization of an impossible dream; the dream that in white racist America Black man could be judged on the content of his character, not the color of his skin. Obama depends on if he is to remain a symbol of the impossible dream that the system can be something other than what it is.

Ricky said...
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Ricky said...
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Ricky said...

The inauguration of Barrack Obama has got the United States of America more united due to the fact Obama is the first African-American president of the United States. Although some of the segregation issues have been doubt with, segregation will still be in the US. Even though the most of the US is willing to accept different cultures and difference between people that make them unique, there are still some who don’t embrace these differences. This is because they are afraid of change and create hate to hide it. Hate creates rifts between things and the more the hate; the more there is a rift. But this rift can be filled, if we eliminate hate and learn to accept each other. Along as hate is present in our society then unfortunately, segregation will be present along with it, in the US. Another reason for segregation is tradition. Sometimes in life you follow what you what you are told but you don’t know why. If these uniformed people start knowing what’s going on then there is a fighting chance against segregation. To create a rift it takes little time but fill it in, it takes time but can be done. “Yes we can” {Barrack Obama}.

-HS

Anonymous said...

No, I believe that the election of an African American President does not mean that all segregation is over now. I believe that segregation on small scales can not be avoided. In addition, there will always be people who believe in the ideals of Hilter and believe in the idea of "white supremacy". In addition, relating to what many other students have said, it is the nature of all animals to want to be with the ones who are like you. For instance in the wild, a gorilla will not simply go over and hang out with the chimps,while these animals are similar there is a barrier between them. If segregation of all kinds, not just between whites ans black is to end then we still have a very long way to go. Although the election of our first African American President is a very momentous occasion and an important step on the way to abolishing segregation.

Unknown said...

Barack Obama is the first African American president of the United States. I do not believe that this is the end of segregation. People feel most comfortable with people that they have things in common with, this can sometimes mean the color of a persons skin. It is very hard to change peoples perspectives, but our nation seems that it is becoming more diverse and accepting. There will always be some racial tension, but maybe Obama can help to eliminate some of that tension and fully unite us as one people.

tricia said...

Segregation has been a bitter part of American history since the Pilgrims first arrived here in the 1600's. Up until the 1960's, racism was somewhat tolerated and even encouraged. People that were prisoners of war and were not white, were often bought and sold into slavery. This existed up until the Civil War. Today, racism still exists, but on a much lower key. There still are people who believe caucasion is the superior race,such as the members of the Ku Klux Klan who mainly exist in the south. The KKK was created after the Civil War by Confederate veterans in hopes of restoring white supremecy. The KKK still is in existence today, thus segregation will not cease due to the inauguration of President Barack Obama.Instead, the violence of African American opposers might increase and America could recess back to the way it was in the 1800's.

Unknown said...

Segregation is still in here even though our latest president is an African American. Today showed a great change in our American history. Many people now are grateful to see an African American run for president and see what he can do. Segregation isn’t the end but it’s a new start of thinking what happens if the president is your skin color. If the president can unify the United States, then it can prove how people can treat others. Poor blacks can maybe afford better houses and clothes. But, some may not like the president and still go the “old ways”. But after this election, many are changing minds on this new perspective, a black president.

FitretY said...

America has been a country that has been built upon wavering foundations. Yet surely but surely America has progressed. It has abolished slavery, fought for the equalization of every man, woman, and child and has reaped the rewards for its hard work by proudly electing its first ever African-American president, Barack Obama, in the year of 2009. However, America’s battles with segregation are far from over. People have accepted having a black president, but that does not mean that segregation has loosened its ugly grips from the hearts of Americans. Their minds will cloud with the history of the past, and segregation will exist as long as there are racial boundaries. As long as blacks continue to live in one type of town, buy houses in one type of neighborhood, and attend one type of school there will be segregation. The ugly wounds of America’s past have left scars for future generations to attempt to mend. Segregation is not a law or a crime, but rather a mind set. As long as we continue to see each other as “them” we will continue down the haunting path of segregation. The abolishment of segregation begins within each individual that clears their mind with knowledge and acceptance, which is how we must ultimately defeat segregation.

By: Fitret Yitayew

john said...

The election of an African American president for the United States does not end all segregation. It comes down to the fact that people want to be with people similar to them. Look at the lunch tables of AHS. People sit with people who are like them. The election of President Obama will not change this. It is human nature to want to be with people like them. Look at neighborhoods with predominately one race in them. People will not leave there neighborhoods and move into neighborhoods were people are not like them. It’s the comfort zone that people like. This is why the election of President Obama will not end segregation.

mirrorbender said...

The inauguration of Barrack Obama as the first African American president is an enormous symbolic step in this nation’s battle against racial segregation. It is, however, far from the end of racism in America. Obama’s presidency symbolizes that as a country, we are no longer segregated. But on the individual level, there is still segregation. And Obama’s inauguration will not really have an immediate effect on our daily lives. We will probably go through the same routine tomorrow as we did yesterday and the day before. The Obama administration will change the direction of this country over the next four years. But it cannot completely annihilate the remains of racism and segregation in our country overnight.

Nick said...

Martin Luther King Jr. predicted this very day as the promise land were the black and white races would live peacefully and equally together and the election of an African American president does nothing help assure this truth. The segregation that exists today is not the same as when Martin Luther made his speech. Segregation today is not based on rights or privileges but more of the groups created at high school lunch tables. And even though the election of Barak Obama is a great achievement for America it will not have any effect on these minor differences.

Cherag said...

Today the entire human race sees the first African American president put into office, in the history of the USA. The United States of America can now be seen as a land of equal opportunity for man in this nation. Segregation on the other hand will never end, because of the extreme diversity, and difference of ethnicities which are present. Segregation is a "policy or practice of separating people of different races, classes, or ethnic groups, as in schools, housing, and public or commercial facilities, especially as a form of discrimination". If this is a clear cut definition of Segregation, it depicts on how the differences between people no matter what they may be, they are separated from each other because of their differences.

Alex Worcester said...

Ending segrigation is a hard thing to do completely. It's hard because blacks are still the majority of the population in some certain areas. But having a black president shows that the great majority of the population believes in equality. Having a black president ends all ideas that whites are smarter or better than blacks. A black man couldn't go to some schools solely on their race but on this momentus day a black man has one of the most important jobs in the country. Although this is a huge event showing that racism Is truly dead segrigation will still exist. The blacks living in the inner city won' suddenly live in Beverly hills. They will still be segregated. But they will not be treaten with rudeness because of their race. There race is just as good as ours. This is shown by a black man being the president of the USA.

Anonymous said...

No, segregation in America will not stop, if anything it will grow. This is because of the ignorant whites that will try to demolish the blacks pride. The whites therefore feel inferior to blacks because they think they think they own the country. They do not feel like they own the coutnry though, they finally feel one with America because blacks have the msot superior job in the USA. On the other hand, there will be maybe more trust from whites to blacks and vis versa only if Barack Obaama does an average to superior job of comandeer in cheif.

will said...

Hell No! sure there may be a dent made in the further desegregation of the county, but segregation is very subtle and can be sometimes overlooked. many changes may come to pass but segregation may never be eradicated.