Obama's presence as President of the United States is largely focused on the color of his skin. When he first ran, even the option of having a non-white president was seen as progress for America and its history of racism. His slogan of hope prevailed and citizens waited for change to occur. Obama not only embodied the American dream, but his race served as a reminder of the equality available in the United States. He symbolized the result of years of progress against racism, and his electoral victory united the nation in defeat. Yet America was too quick to rejoice. The presence of a racial caste system is not abolished within society and there is strong evidence that we have not “moved beyond race”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In an article by Michelle Alexander, evidence for the survival of a racial caste system is examined through statistics. Comparing the facts of America's most racist periods with modern society suggests that a "racial caste system is alive and well in America." The nation's "color blindness" is refuted by the number of African Americans under correctional control, disenfranchised, disintegrated, or imprisoned. One of the main explanations for the unequal caste system is the war on drugs. Alexander says, “This war was fought almost exclusively in poor communities of color. » This is largely responsible for the increase in the number of inmates in prison. Yet the political agenda has used the war on drugs to its advantage. In cracking down on drug crimes, the strategy used "racially coded political appeals on issues of crime and social welfare to appeal to poor and working-class white voters who were angered and threatened by desegregation, the bus and positive action.” Ultimately, this policy plan was a success and generated millions of dollars in congressional funding. The Republican and Democratic parties began cracking down on minor crimes, in order to display their “toughness” towards “dark-skinned outcasts.” These forms of political, economic and social discrimination are “perfectly legal” if an individual is characterized as a criminal. For this reason, “people of color have been arrested en masse for relatively minor, non-violent drug offenses.” Discrimination legally denies the basic human rights that many people have fought for throughout the history of anti-racism. Although the Jim Crow era is over, racism is still prevalent through various systems that enable segregation and discrimination of non-white citizens. As a white woman living in the United States, I am extremely privileged. I have not experienced the discrimination that still exists in modern society. Michael Schwalbe states: “Whites can live anywhere they can afford to without being restricted by racial segregation; white people may assume that race will not be used to decide whether they fit in at work; White people who complain usually end up talking to white people. responsible person; White people can choose to ignore their racial identity and view themselves as human beings, and in most situations White people can expect to be treated as individuals and not as members of a category. » These privileges define the boundary between being a white member of society and belonging to another ethnic origin. Even if America..