Racism

Racism is a form of discrimination and prejudice based on an individual’s racial or ethnic origins. Racism can take many forms, including the denial of opportunities, privileges and resources to certain individuals within society solely because they belong to a particular group. It has been present in societies throughout history and continues today as a significant social issue in many countries around the world.

History
The earliest known example of racism dates back to Ancient Egypt where people were divided into classes based on their skin color; lighter-skinned Egyptians enjoyed higher status than those with darker skin tones. In Europe during the Middle Ages, Jews were subject to intense persecution due to religious differences from Christians, while African slaves brought by Europeans experienced extreme exploitation once they arrived in the Americas. Slavery was abolished following The American Civil War (1861–65) but institutionalized segregation continued for decades afterwards through Jim Crow laws which enforced unfair treatment against black Americans across various areas such as education and employment until it was declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court ruling in 1954 .

Modern day racism

Today, most forms of explicit racism have become socially unacceptable; however systemic inequalities still exist between different races both nationally and globally due largely to past injustices that continue having effects today . Such disparities are seen particularly evident when looking at statistics related poverty , access quality education , criminal justice system bias among other things . Social movements like Black Lives Matter have worked towards bringing awareness these issues while seeking solutions combat them ..

Combating Racism

There are multiple steps government organizations businesses schools others can take order address tackle this problem head-on firstly recognizing its existence understanding underlying causes then taking appropriate action implement necessary change These could range anything educating public about dangers promoting anti-racism initiatives encouraging more diverse workplaces implementing policies support marginalized groups advocating legal protection all citizens regardless race religion gender sexual orientation etc Lastly regularly evaluating progress made ensure effectiveness any strategies put place