"A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others." That is what the dictionary would tell you racism means but there is a deeper meaning that only one can describe when being the victim of racism and discrimination. Racism is the young days of my grandmother when she couldn’t even walk into town without being a victim of racial slurs and dirty looks. My grandmother tells me stories about dealing with racism that make me ask why? A black child could not get the same education as a white child, black schools got the hand-me-down books that had pages ripped out and there weren’t even enough for each student to at least look at one while in the classroom. The conditions of the “black” school building were atrocious and would never be used now days. Not only was racism happening in schools but in the “real” world it was happening too. My grandmother could not have as good of paying job as a white person just because of the color of her skin. When walking home from work she would get called horrid names that I can’t even repeat and she would get dirty looks as if she had done something wrong, but she hadn’t. Racism is just a form of ignorance, judging someone before you even know who they are, by the way they look and not the kind of person they are on the inside. I believe racism can be cut down with a little knowledge of other cultures, instead of thinking they know every person by the color of their skin. Racism is only a thing that can be understood fully if you have been on the victim’s side of the conflict. “…they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.