Most Americans at some level believe in the ideology of the Melting Pot the idea that no matter where a person's family comes from, once he or she arrives in America then s/he becomes an American above all. But most, if not all, Americans also know that there are significant barriers to such an ideal, and perhaps the most significant of all of these is race, which has always served as a dividing line between different groups of American. This paper explores one particular border of racial friction in contemporary America the relationships between African-Americans and Korean-Americans in Los Angeles.
That there should be racial animosity between any two groups that are primarily defined by their race should not be surprising (as lamentable as that may be), because the United States has a long history of racial tensions, especially when African-Americans are involved. In fact, as Hacker notes (Hacker, p. 67), "Throughout this nation's history, race has always had a central role".
Racial tensions have worsened in the second half of the 20th century in this country, although this is probably not because racial animosity has in fact become heightened. Rather, it is more likely the case that racial tensions have risen simply because there are more and more unscripted encounters among people of different races. What kept racial tension in line in earlier decades was most likely the greater degree of separation of racial groups. That separateness was for a long time an essential element of race relations in the country: As long as members of different racial groups were kept apart from each other (except for in specifically structured situations) then relative harmony could be kept (although certainly not equality).
It was only after the Civil Rights movement began stirring in the 1950s and blossoming in the 1960s that any serious attempt was made to integrate American society. And while integration did succeed in bri...