In a recent study they found 75% of white Americans believe that there is no issue with the criminal justice system and that racism is not a problem in the world we live in today. Racism can be broken down into three basic categories: economic, governmental, and societal. Economic racism is the idea that the color of your skin can help you or hurt you when trying to gain wealth. Racism in the government is prejudice against people of color in traffic stops and the criminal justice system and the education system. Lastly and most importantly the racism in societal is the labels we put on people based on their skin color. Societal racism is the most harmful and influential because it involves economic and governmental racism. .
Societal racism is in the books we read, the movies we see, in schools, and even in jobs. Tatei Thomas says "Racism, especially in our society is a disease of ignorance spreading rapidly through minds across America based on what we see and idolized. In this prejudiced filled world where people are killed for walking down the street while black, I have come to learn the best possible thing to be in this world is white" (Thomas). Thomas uses disease as a metaphor to describe racism because racism is like a disease it is spreading quickly among a lot of people and some people cannot be cured from it. She also is saying that in this world today white people have more of benefit in everything in jobs, in the criminal convictions, trials, and education. As shown in a Chicago study names with Emily or Brenden have a 50% more chance to getting a call back from a job than someone names Lakisha or Jamal even though they have the same exact resume. The United States Sentencing Commissions released a report saying that African Americans sentences are 20% longer than white Americans even though they both were convicted with the same crime. A government study on discipline in public schools states that black students are three times more likely to be suspended than white students.