America Is Racist ! When I Say My America

Unfortunately, I grew up with a deeply held value of racism without knowing it. This view originated from my racist parents and grandparents. While I was completely unaware that my thoughts and language were racist, I realized as I got older that I had unintentionally held racist beliefs. I had thought growing up that I was not racist, that only my family members were. I believed I was being “honest” as my mother had always called it. Years later, I realized I had been racist as well; I was just more subtle. Stereotypes were so firmly rooted in my belief system I never realized they were there. Moving to North Carolina my sophomore year of high school initiated a slow change; my best friends were African-American. This was really the first time I ever had African-American friends.

In everyday life, everyone experiences racism. Whether it is a humorous racial stereotype joke or to something offensive like asking how Asians can see or asking an Asian person if he or she is Chinese. What we need to remember is that no one is born racist. Racism is either taught or learned. The definition of the term race that was created socially which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies. The definition of race is how we use it. For example the label “white” instead of using Caucasian. Racism still exists today because is how we distinguish people by their pigment of the skin.

Throughout history in America there has always been the idea of racism. When Americans think of racism, they usually think of slavery and that racism is no longer a problem in America. However, this is not the case. Racism is still very apparent in America. It is true that since the end of slavery, the U.S. has made great strides towards becoming a less racist country. In reality, racism will never be extinct. In today’s society, all American citizens of all races have the same rights as one another, yet there is still racism. Racism can be linked directly to stereotypical mindsets of certain groups of people. It is human nature to make conclusions about other people, this is what leads to racism. Today’s racism is not limited to whites

Prior to taking this course, I was taught, and therefore was under the impression, that prejudice is a preconceived notion about a group and that racism is essentially the same thing, except that racism also encompasses the idea that the group is lesser. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva states that “for most whites, racism is prejudice; for most people of color, racism is systemic or institutionalized” (Bonilla-Silva, 2010). Quotes like this force me to reflect, both on how I see myself and how others see me. Reading that quote, I felt like I related more to ‘most whites’ because I believed that racism was essentially prejudice for so long. I remember once while doing a cross the line activity, I hesitated before moving when the facilitator said “step forward if you are a person on color.” Technically, yes, my skin is pigmented in a way that would qualify me as a person of color but there is a connotation with that phrase that I felt didn’t relate to me. My first reaction to that phrase is the thought of someone who has struggled, someone who faces racism on a regular basis, someone who is treated differently because of the color of their skin. In my opinion, the more others acknowledge a part of your identity, the more apparent that part of your identity is to you, and I don’t often feel that people acknowledge my identity as an Asian American. I’ve been called a coconut more times than I can count. Brown on the outside but white on the inside. Sure I look brown, but I don’t ‘act

My first recollection of race and racism was when I was in either the 1st or second grade. I was in the local grocery store with my father who is of caucasian descent, and after a while I began to notice that people were glaring at us. It eventually dawned upon me that the

As a young child, I lived life colorblind, unable to grasp the concept of race or skin color. Growing up in Florida as the only Asian in my elementary school and never being bullied for being different, I assumed everyone was white, including me. But then came that earth-shattering epiphany: I realized I wasn’t white. I started to notice that not every supermarket sold Pocky or bubble tea and that it’s not common to get money in shiny, red envelopes on New Year’s. I realized that not everyone knew how to use chopsticks, that not everyone ate rice with every meal, and that when some people spoke slowly to me, it’s not because they were trying to articulate, but because they thought I didn’t understand English.

John Lewis once said that “The scars and stains of racism are still deeply embedded in the American society." Racism has become a huge issue in people’s everyday life and not many may notice, but that’s because it’s been around for so long that it’s not new to anyone and it is the normal, when in reality that means it is so bad that not many people notice anymore. [African Americans experience racism in two main places their workplace and their education, and in a certain way, police brutality.]

Just fifty years ago, America was a society of segregation and racism. The dictionary defines racism as “the belief that a particular race is superior to another.” Although it is clear times have changed, racism is still seen in modern american society. It’s also clear that relationships between African Americans and whites are generally better than they were in the forties and fifties. Today, it is rare to witness a black man walk down the street and step off the sidewalk to let a white man walk by, or to see a black man sitting on a different section of the bus or train because a white man told him he has too. But superiority of races is still happening. A lot of this has the do with the ignorance of others. Passed down generation to

We are taught not to see this type of racism growing up in a white dominated country. We are taught that racism is an act that is intentional and seen as blatantly racist, such as accusing a black man of shoplifting over a white man, or a white woman getting a job over a black women strictly based on race. But we overlook the small things in our daily life that effect Black people in our culture every single

Racism in our society has a long deeply rooted history. It has been in every part of our society and appears not to be getting any better. In order to fully understand racism one must look at the root cause of racism and the effects it has on an individual and a group. One must also look at the big picture of why there is the need for one group of people to think they are more superior than another and how it continues to progress. Experiencing racism is a traumatic experience and is something

In the United State of America, racism is part of our cultural cloth. It's in the air that we breathe everyday. The sad part about is that i believe that some may know when their racial comments and others could get it from their family background and their so use to that they don’t even know they're being racist. Institutional racism is a strong system of privileges and powers that is based on race. Those powerful structures typically start as innocent interactions that is suppose to be helping all races but in the end will only be helping one. For instance, people tend to move to different areas than the areas you will typically see them in just for great schools, living conditions, great teachers, great paying jobs, maybe even for greater

Yes as an adult, I did experience the ugly side of racism in my own diverse community. But when I reflected at that situation to my classmate, she was able to feel how I felt as a person to be looked at as low class. She stated that she would have been hurt and confused about why these individuals would act in that manner. The only thing I could say to her is I do not know because I still do not know why some act as if African Americans are going to do something crazy that would cause many to fear some fear them. But that day my classmate made me understand that a people is only going to react in the way that they were taught. This means if we have been raised to be people who have hatred for other races, we are going to act in the manner. But some have been raised to hate and that do not agree with their families and some of them are out cast because they do not want to miss treat person of another race. Through talking to my classmate, I understand that something’s are out of my control and people should not be judged because of the color of their skin. Because of that small conversation I had with my classmate, I now view racist

Lauren that was an excellent response. I absolutely agree with everything you had to say. Racism certainly does still exist and you and Ryan Voss are right it should be openly discussed. Unfortunately I have been in situations where others have told me that I do not have a right to discuss race or racism because I am white and am automatically racist if I disagree about certain situations or have different views on race then others. Which makes no sense to me. I do believe that most whites would like to discuss the race issue, but are too afraid to. Because they fear that they will be labeled a racist. Which in my opinion is the equivalent of social suicide nowadays. However I do believe that sometimes white people are shamed and guilt tripped

Many are unaware of the effects that race has played in their lives over the years. Some may not understand its implications, but are very oblivious to it. Race can influence such things like attitude and behavior. Nowadays being white or black means something more than just a Crayola color. No longer are they just colors, they are races with their own rules and regulations. People of color have been inferior to the white race for centuries. In their own way Zora Neale Hurston shows this concept in her story “How it feels to be Colored Me” as does Richard Wright in his autobiographical sketch “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”.

Racism has occurred for many years and in many different societies. Some people choose to remain oblivious to it all while others choose to take a stand either for it or against it. Racism is a big