What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of America? Freedom? Individualism? Racism? I guess you might think of these three key words as they are commonly used to symbolize America. In this essay, I want to write about the racism that has recently been displayed in the United States by combining the above three topics, which are deeply related to it.

These days, you may have heard the concept of individualism being used in a way that is far removed from the idea of community. A majority of white people have advocated individualism since the end of slavery, using
it as a means for them to monopolize and protect their own rights. Such selective defense of freedom, unrelated to skin color, implies the false assumption that all racial groups have the same power in American politics.
Unfortunately, freedom for white people helps recreate white supremacy in neighborhoods, schools, and, more broadly, society as a whole. Such white people, who advocate liberalism, meritocracy, and individualism, are largely opposed to the American political system that gives Black people special privileges, called “affirmative action.” Affirmative action is a government policy that directly or indirectly grants employment, school admissions, or other social benefits to members of a group in order to compensate for the disadvantages faced by the members of such group due to historical and social discrimination against them by white people. It seeks equality of outcome rather than equality of opportunity. It also focuses on groups rather than individuals, and there are characteristics that are tentatively ceased once the purpose of relief is achieved. There is a group of white people who believe that these measures are contrary to the principle of equal opportunity, and that a person who does not belong to a minority group can also be discriminated against, called “reverse discrimination.” They argue that the white majority who have not been involved in discrimination should not be forced to make sacrifices because of the fact that people of color were discriminated against in the past. Therefore, they think it is necessary to return the government aid that was previously focused on minority groups, especially Black people, to every individual, regardless of race. This assertion can be associated with “color-blind racism,” which is a dominant racial ideology in post-civil rights America. Unlike its predecessor, Jim Crow racism, color-blind racism features more subtle and invisible racist behavior. It is true that crueler forms of racism, such as the Lynch Law and Jim Crow Act, have now almost disappeared. Unfortunately, however, it is also true that racism has developed into a more insidious, invisible form, meaning that racism is not completely gone. White supremacism and racism are located very deep in the white unconscious. I compare this reality to the tip of an iceberg—the visible tip of the iceberg is clean, as if there were no intention of racism at all, but at the base, there is a tremendously huge consciousness of discrimination. It would be great if the rotten tip of that iceberg could be removed, but the power of the unconscious is greater than that of the conscious mind, so racism can never be truly eliminated without conscious effort. Nevertheless, the reason I still have hope that racism will fade is because many people of color are dedicated to standing strong against racism, and most of them are ready to fight against injustice in society. Each victim of racism bears mental scars, but I want to tell them, “See your scars as a source of hope and a reminder of your history and regard them as beautiful tattoos.” As a fellow person of color, I will keep fighting with them until they achieve real cultural and racial freedom. 

As a graduate who stands at a new beginning in life, I would like to express my gratitude for some people. First of all, I would like to thank my friend Yoon Sang-Jung, who gave me an unexpected opportunity to submit
my clumsy essay to the Kookmin University English Newspaper. I would also like to thank Professor Kim So-Yeon of the English Department for introducing me to a new way of studying English literature. Finally, I would
like to express my sincere gratitude to all of my fellow students in the English Department with whom I have made precious relationships. I hope you guys have a wonderful year in 2023!