Awkward Conversation By Adichie

Kwame Anthony Appiah's article “Racisms”, claims racism to be a view of racialism which are the “heritable characteristics, possessed by the members of our species, that allow us to divide them into smaller sets of races… these races share certain traits…” (Appiah). Appiah argues that humans need a definition of

“I Am Not Your Negro” displays the adversities that Black Americans face in American society.

In his essay, “That Word Black”, reflects upon the usage of the word black. He brings attention to words such as black magic, black market, and a black heart, stating that these terms all simulate a negative meaning and asks why the opposing color, white, isn’t used instead. The writer allegedly verbalizes the coincidence that people with an African American background are seen as black, and have been labeled with pessimistic tags. Hughes also opposes the opinion that all things bad are black, by specifying physical and abstract objects that bestow optimistic views of the term otherwise seen as undesirable. Contrary to popular belief, he characterizes black as a beneficial word, which he denotes should make someone feel pleasant when uttering it during conversation.

I think many people are blind to the subject of racism because racism of today's world is covert and furtive versus several decades ago when one could be open and public about their acts of racism. Not only is racism causing a discord amongst the citizens of a place that is considered to be a “safe space,” “home of the free and the land of the brave,” and “many opportunities and equal opportunity” for those within its borders and to immigrants who aspire to come here but racism has caused a sense of lost identity amongst many individuals in the African American community. Often looking for ways to figure out who they are aside from what the white man says they are or should be or can do.

The social perception of racial equality is still a topic of debate today; however, it is in stark contrast to the perception forty years ago. In fact, the media still portrays many situations where black people are discriminated against and are not treated equally. Sadly, one often misinterpreted notion has

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

“What I told you is what your grandparents tried to tell me: that this is your country, that this is your world, that this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” (Coates). This powerful quote exemplifies the mistreatment of blacks in America as something that has been prevalent throughout our nation’s history and is still present in our contemporary world. Our national founding document promised that “All men are created equal”. As a nation we have never achieved the goal of equality largely because of the institution of slavery and its continuing repercussions on American society.

" This citation really epitomizes how much the whites thought of the blacks as being of a lower class. The whites thought that the blacks were so beneath them that they would not even socialize with

The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of

Furthermore, the researchers divide white racial consciousness into two: achieved and unachieved. A person who has achieved white racial consciousness has explored and developed some sort of belief system when it comes to racial issues. Conversely, those with unachieved white racial consciousness have not grasped their own racial identity and its link to other minority groups, which may stem from either intentionally avoiding dialogue surrounding race or depending on family members to form an ideology. In his book Faces at the Bottom of the Well, Bell argues that this relatively loose grasp of white racial identity creates an environment that serves a significant detriment to advancing racial progress in the country, as “few white people are able to identify with blacks as a group –the essential prerequisite for feeling empathy with, rather than aversion from, blacks’ self-inflicted suffering” (Bell, 4).

In Bob Blauner’s article he quotes, “Blacks and whites often talk past one another” (Blauner 57). This statement speaks the truth when discussing how the two races view racism. Whites tend to view racism in a narrow perspective, which involves the idea that racism is interpersonal and that it involves discrimination and prejudice. Blacks view racism in a wider perspective, which involves racism as impersonal, unintentional and apart of the institutions in society. Two students in a racial relations class have a discussion on racism. Bob, a white student has a narrow perspective that includes fallacies. Shontell, a black student argues with Bob and takes her stand on the wider perspective of racism.

Also,

These people are correct in a sense; loud and public acts of racism are no longer prevalent in the US as they were in the past. However, today racism is stealthy and unspoken, and often deftly covered up with fabricated cover stories to legitimize the discrimination. This new breed of racism is perhaps even more difficult to fight against than its more egregious past self; its subtlety allows its perpetuators to claim ignorance of any discrimination, and its lack of media attention lulls Americans into complacence and acceptance of the current system. Further disturbing is the prevalence of “covert racism”, also commonly called “subconscious racism”. Many white Americans may actively stereotype and discriminate against blacks without even being aware of their actions and thought processes (BlackYouthProject). This phenomenon is a sad consequence of being raised a subtly racist society which perpetuates discrimination, even if never openly. Many subconscious racists may also be unwittingly subscribing to “symbolic racism”. In J.H. Moore’s book Encyclopedia of Race and Racism, Henry Sears characterizes symbolic racism as the endorsement of four specific beliefs:

This is an example of how the black men in America were treated back then.

Furthermore, the