Segregation ended with the Civil Rights Law of 1964! But did it end or simply transform into mass incarceration?

Almost 50 years later we lead the world in incarcerations. Why? And why is there a much different result for people of color than for the rest of the population? Is this just our creative way to maintain white supremacy?

As a girl growing up in segregated Kentucky, I didn’t understand why this separation was acceptable. I continue to have trouble understanding why the color of your skin should have anything at all to do with the content of your character or how you’re treated by others. But, sadly, it definitely does.

Trump regularly displays racism and hatred of “the other” and makes it acceptable. Consequently, discrimination is actually increasing in the U.S., becoming more mainstream and being applied to even more groups such as Latinos, Muslims, LGBTQ, and once again, Jews.

When the default of police is to shoot first in fear when suspects are black; or when the penalty for selling or possessing similar amounts of drugs is different for a white college student than for a black kid on the street corner; or when a black person with some college is less likely to be hired than a white person without a high school diploma; or when a lesbian can be fired from a job or denied housing just for being who she is; or when Jewish temples and cemeteries are vandalized; or when an innocent young, black, Muslim is detained without a trial for three years, eventually committing suicide – that’s abhorrent and that’s institutional racism!

Our Declaration of Independence stated that, “all men are created equal” and deserve the same rights. After more than 200 years we still haven’t embraced that statement. How long must we wait?