To My Future President,

Racial Discrimination is happening all over the world. United States citizens and everyone else should not be stereotyped and judged because of their race, ethnicity, and/or the color of their skin. None of these should define how someone is treated because everyone is equal. Also, when you discriminate someone they feel confused, broken, hurt and insecure. I am a teenager from Dillingham, Alaska and I believe this nation can grow and become superior than what we are now by putting an end to discrimination.

Color/race discrimination can happen anywhere. It mostly occurs in workplaces, schools, housings, public places, getting credits or funds, health care, politics and voting, law and police, and last but not least travel and tourism. (http://eschooltoday.com/discrimination-and-prejudice/where-does-discrimination-occur-most.html) If discrimination had more serious consequences, within adults and adolescence, I believe there would be less locations and positions it occurs in.

Affirmative Action was created for equal opportunities in the employment, education and businesses with the judgment of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. (https://www.hg.org/article.asp?id=31524) Affirmative Action was suppose to end discrimination with positive steps, prevent it from happening again, and create new opportunities that have been denied by minorities and women. (http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/affirmaction.html) Affirmation Action was created in 1961, and fifty-five years later, discrimination is still affecting everywhere. The U.S. government should revisit the Affirmative Action laws because they have not fixed the problem, or make another law describing more suitable punishment for the discriminators in the workplaces. I believe either one will be acceptable in dealing with this complication.

For an example, people are being discriminated in health care. More than one third of the U.S population belongs to a racial or ethnic minority group and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that they “suffer lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, and higher rates of disability and preventable diseases than non-minorities.” Also, that Black Americans are at the top of getting the most difficulty. (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/810407) Another example is discrimination in workplaces. Companies and employees may fail to hire an individual or help a customer because of their appearance or of who they are. “The law forbids discrimination when it comes to any aspect of employment.” (https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/race_color.cfm) “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964” is a federal law that protect anyone who is being discriminated and also makes it illegal for employers to discriminate. (http://www.workplacefairness.org/race-discrimination) If descrimination went away, more people will appreciate others instead of disrespecting them.

Although there are many other examples of discrimination, I encourage you to consider the facts in this letter when making decisions about color/race discrimination. The U.S has laws for this, but people who are discriminating feel like it is not that big of a problem. In my opinion, we should give the discriminators more punishment or remind others that racial discrimination is a big deal, especially during the workplace. The people should be informed of the different consequences they will receive after committing this crime.

Sincerely,

Britney