The article “On the Backs of Blacks” includes a movie scene where Stavros, a Greek immigrant who works a newly obtained job of shoe shining, condescendingly dismisses a black man who tries to find a customer in his workplace. Toni Morrison writes, “it is the act of racial contempt that transforms the charming Greek into an entitled white.” I think this quote reflects the extent to which racial superiority and white supremacy have become embedded into our society. Although both men are part of minority groups, Stavros feels the need to define the black man as the true alien, thereby reaffirming the superiority of his racial status. This desire among minorities and immigrants to ensure that they are not at the bottom of the racial hierarchy maintains, and even extends, the influence of racial superiority in America.