5) Explore what you already know. Access Leading Issue summaries ("Topic Overview" or "At Issue" Pages) and Timeline (under Research Tools) from the SIRS Leading Issue you have chosen. In 3-5 sentences, summarize the background and historical information of the Leading Issue you selected. Include main controversies, key figures, important organizations, and key events.

Briefly list what you know about your topic already. Consider the following:

• Surprising facts or statistics - African-Americans comprise 13% of the U.S. population and 14% of the monthly drug users, but 37% of the people arrested for drug-related offenses in America & After being arrested, African-Americans are 33% more likely than whites to be detained while facing a felony trial in New York.

• the extent of the problem - People who face racial discrimination, specifically teens, face depression or develop stress disorders as a result of being discriminated. In some cases, people commit suicide due to long-term depression, which resulted from being bullied or discriminated. 

• important people or institutions involved - Some important institutions involved are African American Policy Forum, Center for Social Inclusion, National MultiCultural Institute etc.

• key schools of thought - Organizations that promote racism are the Center for Social Inclusion, National Multicultural Institute, and African American Policy Forum.

• common misconceptions - Some common misconceptions are mostly African Americans face racial discrimination. This is a misconception because racism targets all races, not specially African Americans.

• observations you've made - Although there are several institutions and organizations created in efforts to help limit racism, racism still remains a major issue today.

• important trends - Important trends are neighborhoods or certain areas in a city where racism occurs the most. Another trend is the ethnicities that face the highest level of discrimination.

• major controversies - Controversies of racism are the different viewpoints of racism. These differing viewpoints consist of the various impacts that this issue has on different parts of the world.