Racism is a serious problem that affects millions of people in the United States and around the world. It is the belief that one race is superior or inferior to another and that a person’s biological characteristics determine their social or moral traits. Racism can take many forms, such as discrimination, prejudice, violence, hate speech, and segregation.
While racism is present in every state and city in the United States, some places have a higher level of racism than others. According to a recent study by PLOS ONE, a scientific journal, the most racist city in the United States is Harrison, Arkansas.
How Was the Study Conducted?
The study used Google search data as a new way of measuring racist attitudes in the country. The researchers analyzed the frequency of searches for the N-word, excluding variants that are not usually used in a derogatory way. They then compared the search data with other variables, such as mortality rates, economic inequality, and demographic composition of each city.
The study found that racist searches are correlated with higher mortality rates for black people, lower income and education levels for black people, and lower diversity and integration in the population. The study also controlled for other factors that could affect the results, such as population size, urbanization, and regional differences.
Why Is Harrison the Most Racist City?
Harrison, Arkansas, is a small city with a population of about 13,000 people. It is located in the Ozark Mountains, near the border with Missouri. According to the 2020 census, the city is 96.4% white, 0.6% black, 1.4% Hispanic, and 1.6% other races.
Harrison has a notorious reputation for racism, due to various reasons. First, it has a history of racial violence and segregation. In 1905 and 1909, race riots erupted in the city, resulting in the lynching of several black residents and the expulsion of the entire black community.
The city remained almost exclusively white for decades, until a few black families moved back in the 1960s and 1970s. However, they faced hostility and harassment from some white residents, who tried to prevent them from buying property, attending school, or voting.
Second, Harrison is the headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist terrorist organization that advocates for the supremacy of the white race and the oppression of other races, especially black people. The KKK has a large presence in the city, with several banners, billboards, and flyers promoting their hateful ideology. The KKK also organizes rallies, marches, and cross-burnings in the city and nearby areas, attracting hundreds of supporters and members from other states.
Third, Harrison has a low level of diversity and integration, which limits the exposure and interaction of white residents with people of other races and cultures. According to the study, Harrison has a dissimilarity index of 0.75, which means that 75% of the black population would have to move to another area to achieve an equal distribution of races.
The dissimilarity index is a measure of how segregated a city is, ranging from 0 (perfect integration) to 1 (complete segregation). The national average is 0.5, which means that Harrison is much more segregated than most cities in the country.
What Are the Consequences of Racism?
Racism has negative consequences for both the victims and the perpetrators. For the victims, racism can cause psychological distress, lower self-esteem, poor health outcomes, reduced opportunities, and increased violence. For the perpetrators, racism can lead to ignorance, intolerance, isolation, and loss of social and economic benefits.
The study found that living in a city with a high level of racist searches is associated with an 8.2% increase in the all-cause mortality rate among black people. This means that black people who live in Harrison have a shorter life expectancy than black people who live in other cities.
The study also found that black people who live in Harrison have lower income and education levels than black people who live in other cities. The median household income for black people in Harrison is $21,875, compared to $41,361 for the national average. The percentage of black people who have a high school diploma or higher in Harrison is 68.8%, compared to 87.5% for the national average.
What Can Be Done to Reduce Racism?
Racism is a complex and deep-rooted problem that cannot be solved overnight. However, there are some steps that can be taken to reduce racism and promote equality and justice for all people. Some of these steps are:
- Educating people about the history and effects of racism and the value and diversity of other races and cultures.
- Encouraging people to interact and communicate with people of different races and backgrounds, and to challenge their own stereotypes and prejudices.
- Supporting anti-racist organizations and movements that fight for the rights and dignity of marginalized groups and communities.
- Reporting and condemning racist incidents and behaviors, and holding the perpetrators accountable.
- Creating and enforcing laws and policies that protect and empower people of color and other oppressed groups.
Conclusion
Racism is a serious problem that affects millions of people in the United States and around the world. It is the belief that one race is superior or inferior to another and that a person’s biological characteristics determine their social or moral traits. Racism can take many forms, such as discrimination, prejudice, violence, hate speech, and segregation.
According to a recent study by PLOS ONE, a scientific journal, the most racist city in the United States is Harrison, Arkansas. The study used Google search data as a new way of measuring racist attitudes in the country. The study found that Harrison has a high level of racist searches, a history of racial violence and segregation, a low level of diversity and integration, and a headquarters of the Ku Klux Klan.
Racism has negative consequences for both the victims and the perpetrators. For the victims, racism can cause psychological distress, lower self-esteem, poor health outcomes, reduced opportunities, and increased violence. For the perpetrators, racism can lead to ignorance, intolerance, isolation, and loss of social and economic benefits.
Racism is a complex and deep-rooted problem that cannot be solved overnight. However, there are some steps that can be taken to reduce racism and promote equality and justice for all people. Some of these steps are educating people, encouraging interaction, supporting anti-racist organizations, reporting and condemning racism, and creating and enforcing anti-racist laws and policies.