Rarely can six words carry such enormous solemnity.

As a society, we define ourselves through poignant quotes and insight— the writing of history is normally left to the eloquent

That all changed in 1992, when Rodney King, battered, bruised, posed this momentous question—“can’t we all just get along?”—six words encompassing centuries of vitriolic brutality.

Regardless of intention, the gravity of King’s proposition was not exclusive to Los Angeles— the struggle to “get along” seems the definitive failure of man.

And so 20 years after the L.A. riots, with King’s death still fresh in our collective memory, evaluating our nation’s progress seems immensely critical.

King’s legacy was defined two decades ago on L.A.’s cold pavement. America’s, however, has not yet been established. With that in mind, we must revisit King’s case, and ask ourselves one simple, albeit daunting question— how far have we come?

Unfortunately, pointing to Barack Obama offers little insight to progress. Not to denigrate the President’s achievements, but a country’s successes and failures cannot be summarized by simply pointing to one man—true understanding necessitates deep analysis.

Unfortunately, such analysis indicates that our country has shown minimal progress since 1992.

A Harvard study found that discrimination towards African Americans has steadily declined since the 1950s. The survey, which measures how black and white students have perceived racism since the 50s, is undoubtedly optimistic for our nation. However, perceiving discrimination is far different than real, overt racism.

Because the case has not yet been resolved, it would be unfair to point to the Trayvon Martin case as an example of racism today. However, many other cases indicate that prejudice might still be prevalent amongst some law enforcement.

Take for example the death of Kenneth Chamberlain, a 68-year-old Vietnam veteran and U.S. Marine killed by police in his New York apartment. Audio from the incident includes the use of racial slurs by the officer who killed Chamberlain.

Granted, it would be unfair to label all police as prejudiced, just as it would be unfair to label a race by the actions of a few. Outside of these isolated incidents, however, it still seems that the odds are stacked against minorities.

In 2011, 53% of African Americans were paying what the U.S. government calls “high-cost” mortgages. Only 18% of Caucasians paid the same rates, perpetuating what many see as predetermined failure for the black community.

Things aren’t much better for the Hispanic community, of which 43% pay high-cost mortgages. Even worse, over the last decade, racial prejudices have been fueled by large immigration waves.

Reports show that TSA agents are much more likely to profile Hispanics than they are other Americans. These reports even go as far as citing a group of agents, labeled “The Great Mexican Hunters,” as conducting searches based purely on racial prejudices.

This perception of Hispanics has even permeated into our legislature. Senate Bill 1070, passed in 2010, allows Arizona police to question a person’s citizenship should there be any “reasonable doubt.” Responding to criticism, Gov. Jan Brewer gave this pearl of wisdom—“we just have to trust our law enforcement.”

Apparently, Brewer doesn’t understand that, for many minorities, police are not always worth trusting. The L.A. riots stand as testament to the idea that police, while predominantly righteous, can still be motivated by prejudices.

While these examples do not paint a full picture of racism today, they do show that discrimination is hardly fleeting. Since 1992, progress has been made.

The extent of that progress, however, may not be boast-worthy. America’s collective memory seems a bit short, and though we did learn some valuable lessons in L.A., two decades later, they seem forgotten.

I’ll leave you with the words of another civil rights figure, also named King, with who you may be familiar:

“We must live to learn together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

John Downen can be reached at 581-7942

or at [email protected]