Allan G Johnson Privilege Power And Difference Summary

pushes to end racial segregation and the freedom of the African American. Dr. King Jr. expressed, “It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned” (1). Dr. King Jr. himself was colored and he was not just talking to the colored he was speaking to whites as well. He was speaking of the urgency of: changing the way African American people are judged by their skin, change their freedom, and change America to non-violence. Dr. King Jr. was worried that if it wasn’t taken care of now it would go another hundred years before it was taken care of. Martin Luther King, Jr. emphasizes, “Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation” (1). King repeats himself to make his audience aware of making this happen. He wants everyone to be equal, African American and the whites because, our nation, America is the land of the free and we are failing to do live by that when we have signed the

?The Ways Of Meeting Oppression,? by Martin Luther king Jr., gives an over view of how one man classifies his ways of dealing with oppression and how they were dealt with during segregation. . During the first half of the twentieth century segregation was the way of life in the south. It was excepted, and even though it was morally wrong, it still went on, as it there was nothing wrong with it. African Americans were treated as if they where a somehow sub-human, they were treated because of the color of their skin that somehow, someway they were different. Some African Americans began to ?tacitly adjust themselves to oppression?(King), or as King saw it acquiescence. Others began to stand up for themselves but in a matter that involved violence. There where those that stood up for themselves by using nonviolence resistance which was Dr. King?s ideal method of dealing with oppression. ?Nonviolence is the answer to the racial, political and moral question. . .the need for man to overcome oppression and violence. . .?(King). This captures both Dr. King?s powerful feeling and stance on nonviolence as the way to winning the respect of the oppressors. Like Martin Luther king Jr. I to have learned the strategies of how people deal with the three types of oppression which are: acquiescence, violence, and non-violence resistance, but trough historical instances and my personal experiences in the past.

In the real world, there is racism and discrimination of people. It’s the truth. Anthony B. Pinn of The Humanist defines privilege as “the socially arranged and culturally ingrained assumption that one’s perspective is normative, one’s importance firm, and one’s right to what the United States has to offer beyond question” (1). Pinn gives the spotlight to a recent controversy in the United States, saying that “A message such as “Black Lives Matter” and the effort to turn it into “All Lives

We have all sat through multiple history classes and learned about slavery, segregation, and the Civil War. We have all seen brutal movies and presentations based on racial injustices and the lack of equality. So often, we forget that these issues are still so present in our community. Slavery is illegal in the United States but other forms of racial profiling, insensitivity, and racism continue to be a recurring social barrier. Racism is still very much alive. The United States is “equal” yet somehow segregated. There isn’t quite a quick fix to this problem. Clearly, this has been an ongoing issue and requires major progression in our personal global

The academic reading, “The Social Construction of Difference”, by Allan G. Johnson provided detail examples of how the construction of society is constructed based on privilege and oppression. Johnson explains how privilege is a matter of being a certain group that is highly value than the other group of people. Oppression is what is lead to since it’s when a privilege group is feeling superior and wanting to take control over certain

Inequality in today's america towards people of color is the result of a history of slavery in segregation in the united states. Michelle Alexander, a highly acclaimed civil rights lawyer and author of the book “The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness” talks about racial hostility in

The United States of America is comprised of citizens who have rights given to them that are explicitly written in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights. All of these people exhibit diversity. Some came by choice, others by slavery. They have different religious and political beliefs, different sexual orientations, and different nationalities. Each man or woman has these freedoms given to them by the Constitution. However, public sentiment does not always follow the freedoms outlined in the Constitution. Racial conflict is an example of sentiment reflected in society that has existed for decades upon decades and has always been in the undertones of American society. Racial conflict is the most important and prominent recurring theme in the latter half of American history encompassing negative and positive trends shaping America into the society it embodies today.

"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal" (King, “I HAVE A DREAM…,” pg.4 ¶.5). Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were major figures in the fight for racial equality but their ideals were diametrically opposed. In MLK JR’s March on Washington speech, he calls for peaceful resistance and integration into an equal society. Malcolm X, however, disagrees with that in his Message to Grassroots and argues equality cannot be obtained peacefully and that living together wouldn’t be much better than slavery. By comparing the two men’s goals and messages expressed in these speeches we can gain an understanding of the feelings of the general populace on the issues of racial inequity.

Writer and civil activist Audre Lorde points out, “It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.” The world is a made up of differences, which tends to lead to clashing ideas. Along the way of becoming “civilized”, humanity lost its most important idea: we are all one, we are all human. So why does this ancient idea not apply in modern day issues? What exactly happened along the way for one human to not be as entitled as another? The answers to these questions might never be answered, but there can be action done to remediate humanity's errs. One way to remediate is by asking what can be done for a population that is normally

Imagine segregation in schools, restaurants, and marriage. Imagine never learning about certain people in history´s. Imagine not crossing paths with particular people. Segregation and racism had significant impact on society in the 1960’s. The races had different lifestyles. For example, in North Carolina men of different races were not allowed to serve in the same organization. African Americans and Caucasians were separated in nearly every public situation. As if separation wasn’t enough African Americans were tormented; usually nothing about was done to stop it. Eventually Civil Rights activists started to arise. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist that pushed Americans to strive for a better future. His deliberate reason to persuade American’s views was in hopes that one day men are looked at equally. King works the audience well. Nevertheless the audience demands change. This crowd is not only African Americans, it is all men, women of all races who fight for Civil Rights. In an electrifying manor King speaks to the crowd about obtaining equality in a passionate and respectful tone. Accordingly, with a passionate tone he incorporates the

New laws being passed every day, and outstanding people making a change. Throughout the years, America and its social equality has grown. “One more thing, gentlemen, before I quit. Thomas Jefferson once said that all men are created equal..” (Lee Page 208). This quote states “all men are created equal.” People now go with this quote all the time because they now know how to treat everyone right. From all the laws passed, and the people who decided to stand up for their rights, America and its equality has grown better. “1955: Rosa Parks refuses to surrender her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Alabama, 1955.” (Blacks and the Great Depression). Rosa Parks made a huge change in African Americans and their equality that day. Instead of giving up her seat, she stood up for her equality. She stood up for the rights and equality for all African Americans so not only they could sit where they want on a bus, but also be treated like people too. For my specific topic, these statements will state another way we see social equality in present day America. "The handful of people in this town who say fair play is not marked white only" (PDF Chapter 24, page 240). This quote shows that not only white people can be fair, but African Americans can too. White people could easily commit the same crime as Blacks. Now in present day America, people of all different colors/races commit crimes every day. They’re kind every day, and they do so much other than sit around all day. Life in America for Blacks has gotten so much better than what it was in the 1930s. “1964: Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, enforcing the constitutional right to vote.” (Blacks and the Great Depression). It’s good that now not only white people can vote, but everyone can. It definitely made an incredible change in America and the equality for Blacks. Now, African Americans have the right to vote so they have their own

The article “Poverty, Wealth, and Having the Right Feelings,” by Alex Pabellon, brings awareness to the idea that our status can affect our ability to empathize with others. First, it explains a movie in which ethnic tensions are high, and when a black man is strangled and killed by the police, another African American man, Mookie, throws a trash can through his white employer’s window and starts a riot. Pabellon says he struggles to side with Mookie as he knows his actions were wrong. He took his anger out on his employer who had treated him fairly, rather than the police. Frequently, it is white people that have this perspective as well.

In the past, humanity faced diverse hardships that were presented differently each time. These hardships include gender, ethnicity, culture, religion, the list could go on for a massive amount of time. And each time, communities have tried to fight back, and with the right kind of effort, won the rights to what they were fighting for. Just like how African Americans, Asian, Latinos, and Whites fought each other for the right of being integrated. However, in today’s society, the public has forgotten their fight for integration, and has segregated themselves through choice. Many folks agree with this notion, making various videos, articles, and maps to educate the world. The video “Racial Segregation in American Schools”, by Carly Morris, claims how segregation has come back in the deep southern parts of America. Also, a map titled “Racial Segregation in American Cities” continues to show us the ongoing theme of the separation of people. Similarly, the article “We’re Still Divided by Race”, by various authors, talks about how segregation is still around, whether by design or by choice. Through numerous appeals and strategies, they all convey the shared argument that personal preferences lead to the segregation of mankind.

Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. once said that we, as the people, “...must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” Malcolm X, another famous human rights activist, made a sort of contradictory quotation, remarking that the, “...American Negro has no conception of the hundreds of millions of other non-whites’ concern for him: he has no conception of their feeling of brotherhood for and with him.” As much as these two advocates strive for equality towards both blacks and whites throughout the United States during the rise of civil rights movements in 1960’s and later, they show substantial differentialities on how they push to do so. Each of their mindsets formulates their speeches, causing different messages being made towards their audiences. Martin Luther King, for one, leans more into a powerful, yet peaceful approach towards the people while Malcolm X steps forth on the pedestal of shame and pushed the people to act with a violent outcome. These different approaches and mindsets leads back to none other than their early beginnings itself. It leads back to the lives each one of them endured and the ambitions they were each grown into, all during the time of racial oppression towards African Americans. It leads back to the motivations they were entitled to battle for racial equality, however striving to do so in different mannerisms.