Many people around us use racism carelessly as a joke; however in the past it was a much different experience in the past. Back during the 19th century, White people segregated themselves from the blacks, even if they were all free people on a free country. People couldn’t even have freedom to marry whoever they want, as they were disallowed to marry a different race. With the belief of being the better race, white people would verbally or physically attack African Americans. In James McBride’s memoir, The Color of Water, both son and mother retell their pasts with conflicts, racial identity, and racism against their ethnicity. Although James McBride’s and his Mother’s experience with prejudice differences, they both shared experience of racism…show more content… In Ruth’s old identity as Rachel, she was rejected for being a Jewish girl to her peers. When she auditions for her school musical, she described that “some of the girls made such a fuss over having to dance next to a Jew that I dropped out of it.” (108). Ruth’s younger days show how she was treated in the community. Compared to James’ youth, she was treated the same way as James was, as a lower life form because of their ethnicity. In Ruth’s later years after leaving home, she married an African American man named Dennis. Mixed couples, however were looked down before they were accepted. Ruth remembers that “You weren’t accepted to be with a black man and that was that … A nigger and you? No way. They called you white trash.” (232). Society shows their hatred towards them in physical or mental harm, not caring for their victims’ health during the segregated times. At points of racism, they simply hate them with the belief that they are a better race in humanity. With that in mind, they would even go to the point of displaying their beliefs. In comparison to James’ experience with being dismissed from society, it is no different to Ruth’s. Ruth’s experience was not because of her position in society, but her race and marriage to Dennis, even if her skin color is