Being A Woman Of Color Skin

The people of the United States of America are all equal no matter our gender or race. If we stop talking about racism it will all go away. No one will have to worry about saying the wrong thing to anyone without offending them. Eventually everyone will get along just fine with everyone.

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

The United States at first treated African-Americans unfairly and used as slaves. They treated like them like property instead of humans. When the Jim Crow Laws were established in 1881 (the first one) one would be embarrassed to be an American. These laws that stated "Separate but equal" were ridiculous. If they were equal why did they need to separate everything? Separate trains, bubblers, and bathrooms, come on now is this necessary? The case was the same for women too. It was not until certain amendments and acts were passed that women had any rights. But now socially one could not be prouder to be an American. Now any race, sex, or religion can get a job with equal opportunity. In many cases women are higher up the ladder in some work places. Economically was the last area the country progressed with over time.

African-American women have often been an overlooked group with the larger context of American Society. Historically, oppression has been meted out to the African-American woman in two ways. Historically, everything afforded to African-American, from educational and employment opportunities to health care have been sub-par. As women they have been relegated even further in a patriarchal society that has always, invariably, held men in higher regard.

Women have come a long way. They started off unable to vote or even have equal rights to now it is hope that a woman may potentially be president. People of different races and people with different sexualities faced many many struggles with discrimination and being looked down upon to now being elected for several levels of government.unable

I feel Peggy McIntosh offers compelling points in her article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. White people in our society tend to take for granted and not even realize how easily they can live their lives without the discrimination that others endure. They don’t live in fear of being a victim of racism because they are not used to that kind of treatment themselves. Being white is viewed as the norm in our society, while it is also normal to treat anyone who is non-white differently. People in our American society are quick to stereotype any race that is not white. Anybody who is non-white must continuously have their guards up for racism and are often labeled social unacceptable when they do not deserve to be.

Although I choose to embrace it, being a black woman automatically and eternally ties me to two large scale disadvantages. However, my disadvantages do not end there. Growing up, my unemployed mother had full custody of me and my brothers. Although she worked tirelessly to make ends meet, we often came up short financially and fell well below the poverty line. I found myself working 2 jobs at the age of 15 in order to help alleviate some of the financial stress on my mother. Although these were not ideal circumstances, I learned the value of a dollar and the value of hard work.

As stated in Webster 's II Dictionary, a woman is defined to be an adult female human. In today 's society being an African American woman is a rigid task to live up to. It means to reside to what their ancestors have left behind, which means to be stronger than ever. Rosa Parks was strong, Harriet Tubman was also strong, and Jezebel was even stronger. So what exactly does it mean to be a woman? It means to stand up for what is right, even if that means sacrifice, it means to be strong whether it be physically, emotionally, or mentally. African American women are perceived to be the backbone of the family, meaning that even though the male may support the family financially, that the women have the emotional and mental part in the

Being a woman living in America is not only a task but a daily job. Women in the United States are not held to the same standards as men but are expected to work just as hard as a man to work in a higher role that has normally dominated by men. Women have to appear just a tough as a man if not tougher, show no emotion and also think like a man.

In the editorial, U.S. Education: Still Separate and Unequal, Lindsey Cook gives several explanations on the education gap between blacks and whites. She suggests that the main issue that causes the education gap is the impact of the community on a young black child. Also the impact of their parents or the lack of involvement also causes this major gap in education.

The article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Backpack by Peggy McIntosh describes perfectly the hidden racism that is happening every minute in our country. McIntosh compares this silent and almost unknown racism to the power that men have in our society. At one point she talks about how people say “oh yeah that’s good, for a girl”. McIntosh also describes this type of oppression in a way that compares white people to black. She also comes up with a list of privileges we have as white people living in the US, that African Americans do not have. Some of these things we don’t even think about on a daily basis, but they are happening on a daily basis. McIntosh included a list of things and actions that we experience every day that shows just how oblivious we are to this type of taught racism. She talks about feeling safe in our neighborhood and being able to get our hair cut, daily examples of things we take for granted, because we are white. This solidifies McIntosh’s ideas that racism in our culture is an unseen and our nation is almost oblivious to the fact that we are oppressing Black members of our country.

I did not have these views because of racism or classism or any type of gender bias, but simply because of being conditioned by what has been witnessed via the media, internet, and other forms of publications. In essence, it is unfortunately just the way things have been and still are viewed today. People are still judged on the basis of their color, religion, gender, race, sex, amongst other things as well. The challenge to change the mindset of intersectionality so that it is beneficial to all will be a phenomenal challenge and once the challenge has been achieved, then perhaps as Gilman stated, "American succeeds when we all succeed"

Common sense tells us that our main physical appearance is not chose by the individual. So, should I blame one’s parents? One’s grandparents? Who do we get to blame our hatred of the color of one’s skin? It’s not called racism, it’s called us being superior. We don’t care what anyone says, we will always be superior. We don’t care what anyone says, we are superior. This is how we figure people out: If someone is African American, one has slave ancestors. If someone is American, one is either obese or a crack-head. If someone is Mexican, one has no papers. If someone is Cuban, one swam here. If someone is Arabic, one is a terrorist. If someone is Columbian, one is a drug dealer.

Racism is not only shown to the different cultures and races; women in America are also faced with racism. Over half the population in America is women, yet they are still fighting for equality. Women have waged an ongoing battle for equality in much the same way as other racial minorities. Women are constantly harassed on the choices they make, whether it concerns their personal life or their careers. If a woman is sexually active, she is open to censure and punishment; being called names such as loose, a tramp or a whore. Men are not

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