It now involves Hispanics, Arabs, and Asians. Racism is still among us no matter how much a person tries to avoid or deny it. .
Racism is still very much alive in America today, but it is covert. Covert racism expresses ideas of racism in disguised forms; sometimes the covert racist is not even aware of the fact that he or she is racist. Racism today is no longer acceptable in society like it was before and during the Civil Rights Movement. People were openly racist and would express it by putting up certain signs saying only white people were only allowed into a store or restaurant or putting up the confederate flag in the South and even saying racial slurs to others. People nowadays are reluctant to express openly their dislike of certain minorities, and indeed are not prepared to express things about certain races that could cause them to be interpreted as racist. According to Coates, "Racism, it is said, is subtle: it is disguised, kept out of sight. "The suggestion that there is a new racism--a racism that has a new strength precisely because it doesn't appear to be racism--deserves serious consideration" (86). A story illustrating covert racism might sound like this; when a Teacher says to an African American student that she is shocked how articulate the African American student is. This is a verbal expression of covert racism. .
Expressing shock and surprise that a Black person speaks intelligently is an old racist code that allows the speaker to hide behind some form of twisted compliment. Another example would be when a Caucasian employer says to a Hispanic woman "We require proof that you can speak English Fluently before you can work here." The expression "before you can work here" implies that the Hispanic woman will be prohibited from working at a job unless they prove they can speak English fluently. There is an implication that the new hire is lying, or that it is unbelievable that a Hispanic woman can speak English fluently.