“Racism can be defined as beliefs, attitudes, actions, or behaviors based on phenotypic characteristics or ethnicity” (Patcher, 2010). Racism is a struggle that, to this day, has continued to be a major issue. The color of someone's skin alters how a person is perceived by society as a whole. Race is a social construct created by humans to classify the world. (Ponds, 2013) Perspectives on racism vary from community to community, family to family, and even person to person. Skin color can alter all aspects of an individual's life, because unlike internal differences and beliefs, skin color is a physical aspect. Social status, perceptions, roles, occupation are just some of the aspects of life that can be influenced simply by a person's physical differences. It wasn't long ago when a person's appearance could also dictate basic rights and freedoms. Many believe that the United States is a color-blind nation or tolerant of people's race. Racism may go unnoticed by those who believe it is a thing of the past, but for people who are directly affected by racism it continues to be a major problem today. This is never more evident than the treatment of African Americans. It may have started with the extremes of slavery, but unfortunately it did not end with emancipation. An American Press poll says whites believe the civil rights movement achieved most of its goals. (Gallagher, 2008) Whether measured by income, opportunity, or even the likelihood of incarceration, African Americans face many challenges based primarily on the color of their skin. (Nagel, 2011) Blacks, as well as other racial minority groups, are discriminated against in society in… middle of paper… this would have done me much more justice now that I am a college student.Works CitedGeorge Jr.,H. (2013). Racism without racists: Color-blind racism and racial inequality in contemporary America. Western Journal Of Black Studies, 37(1), 63-67Gallagher, C. (2008). The new American racial doxa: accidental racism. Conference Proceedings – American Sociological Association, 1.Nagel, M. (2011). Anti-Black racism, gender, and abolitionist politics. Peace Review, 23(3), 304-312Ponds, K. T. (2013). The Trauma of Racism: America's Original Sin. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 22(2), 22-24Patcher, Lee. “Perceived racism and discrimination in children and young people: an exploratory study”. National Association of Social Work. (2010): 60-70. Zimmerman, B. J. (2002). Becoming a self-regulated learner: An overview. From theory to practice, 41(2), 64-70