The Heat: Racial equality in the US

The Heat

Racial inequalityDemonstrators stand near the Buzz Westfall Justice Center where a grand jury will begin looking at the circumstances surrounding the fatal police shooting of an unarmed teenager Michael Brown on August 21, 2014 in Clayton, Missouri. (Photo: AFP/ Joe Raedle)

Tear gas, gun shots and violent confrontations between demonstrators and police. These images aren’t from a war zone in the Middle East but from the small city of Ferguson in the mid-western state of Missouri.

Racial tensions have exploded following the shooting of a black teenager.Some commentators say the clashes are the result of decades of economic hardships and a racial divide. How far has America come when it comes to racial equality? And where is it headed?

Ferguson, Missouri has experienced more than a week of violent protests between police and protesters since the shooting of Michael Brown.

U.S. President Barack Obama has weighed in on the debate saying, “You have young men of color in many communities who are more likely to end up in jail or in the criminal justice system than they are in a good job or in college. And, you know, part of my job, that I can do, I think, without any potential conflicts, is to get at those root causes. Now, that’s a big project. It’s one that we’ve been trying to carry out now for a couple of centuries. And we’ve made extraordinary progress, but we have not made enough progress.”

CCTV America correspondent Hendrik Sybrandy reports from Ferguson, Missouri.

U.S.Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California joined us to discuss racial tensions in America.

The shooting of a black teenager and the subsequent riots have made headlines around the world. To discuss the problems facing the African American community, we were joined by Craig Watkins, a district attorney in Texas. From Boston, Peniel Joseph, a university professor and commentator on African American issues. Journalist and scholar, Adam Clayton Powell III joined us in D.C.