Chapter 5: More Racial Oppression

It has been over one-hundred and fifty years since African-Americans have been liberated from the hardships of slavery. Even though the United States of America and its citizens have undergone many modern changes since slavery and its abolition, the effects of enslavement and oppression are still evident today. Many works such as Rituals of Blood: The Consequences of Slavery in Two American Cities, Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, and Nothing But Freedom: Emancipation and Its Legacy all explain a common conclusion; the chattel enslavement of African-Americans left a profound effect on former slaves and their descenders. In 1903, W.E.B. DuBois wrote in The Souls of Black Folk, “the problem of the Twentieth century is the color line”. The problem

The United States is a immigrant country, which faces varieties of problems. The African American problem is one of the most serious one. Racial segregation is a deep-rooted social problem, which reflects in every field in the United States. For example, education, labor market and criminal justice system. In the aspect of education, most of black children were not permitted to enter the school, because the white children studied there. In the aspect of labor market, the black people 's average wages were lower than the whites. They did the manual work. In the aspect of criminal justice system, the blacks were easily in jail. Badly, their sentences were also more serious than the whites. In general, the blacks live in the bottom of the American society. Martin Luther King delivered the famous speech I Have a Dream, ' ' I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. ' ' (1) However, it was difficult for African American to get the freedom. The 1776 Declaration of Independence announced that everyone are equal and freedom.But black slavery still occurred in the southern states of America. Then the Civil War broke out, African American kept struggling for land and political rights.

“All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This is not a choice it is a right. As a human being, we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But as of now, no black people are getting these unalienable rights. Why do we think we are better than anyone else? Why do we mistreat them? Why do we not give them the rights they deserve? Do not let the society influence you. We are all one. We are in this together.

History, especially in regards to issues of race, is a repetitive thing. There are recurring events just with different faces, places, and circumstances consuming the individuals of the communities we live. Once where the black communities started to form their own progressive movements and make a name for themselves in America they are now regressing back to a time where justice for the black community only seems to be something we dream, hope, and fight for. Reading “The Fire this Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race” by Jesmyn Ward made me open my eyes to a different reality one that I think I tried to believe did not exist to appease the fantasy that one day we would all be seen as truly equals. In reality, we are not equals. We live in a world that constantly tries to demean people of

“Oppression, you seek population control, Oppression, to divide and conquer is your goal, Oppression, I swear hatred is your home, Oppression, you mean me only harm.” (Harper). Oppression is a serious issue in our society today. Although it may be less serious than the past it is still a matter of importance, having to deal with sexism, religion and most importantly racial issues. Throughout the decades we have seen various ethnicities deal with racial oppressions. Many of the problems of the past still exist, and they may push the victims of the oppression beyond the emotional point of no return. A Hispanic male such as myself, can be the victim of several types of oppressions, including racial oppression.

Today racial inequality is ongoing whether you are aware of it or not. We have come a long way from segregated seats to public transportation. The issue of race and race relations has really scarred the history of this nation and has been a constant reminder of the horrors people endured as a result of race relations in this country. The ideas from both of the readings explain how black Americans faced hatred and violence because they were viewed as less then. The writings also include how each leader is trying to change the world’s view of

A major issue that is a result of racial tensions in my district is the fact that there are two high schools in the district that have a majority of Caucasian students and a majority of African American students. This has led to the students in those schools not often being exposed to many students of a different race. Therefore these students respond poorly to diversity, and it has led to the minority students in both of those school feeling belittled and overlooked. Similarly, these students feel adverse to diversity, and this has resulted in most of them feeling dislike for students that are different than them.

The life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination… the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself in exile in his own land (qtd. in W.T.L. 235).

Economic benefits are at the center of white privilege. Dating back to slavery, the majority of labor was provided by African Americans from which both the North and the South benefited and is one of the founding source of economy. Yet, African Americans and other minorities still struggle to get their slice of the American pie. Poor and working class whites strongly object to the idea of white privilege, stating or pointing out what they consider the obvious, that not every white person has wealth and power. Other benefits enjoyed by white people, including one which W. E. B. DuBois called the "psychological wages of whiteness." (Williams, 2004) This refers to that age old membership in the privileged group, even for whites on the bottom rung, confers a social status and recognition which is denied to all but the most powerful members of oppressed groups. The history of racial oppression in American is not disputed. However, what is disputed is whether and to what extent, four hundred years of oppression continues to harm African Americans and other minorities and their life chances unjustly. Looking at the way benefits and damages are allocated in the U.S., for example wealth, income, equality of our court system, treatment from the police, access to colleges and universities we see white privilege. As a group, white people have more income, wealth, political representation, status, power, and social reinforces of their human dignity and self respect than any group in

She believes that many people have too narrow a definition of racism, thinking only of racists acts with malicious intent. She explores the ideas of white privilege and explains that acts can be racist even if they lack malicious intent. She goes on to detail residential patterns in the LA area from the 1950s, emphasizing that today’s disparities are rooted in history. The Washington reading also looks at the development of disparities over time, beginning with the Middle Passage that occurred in the 1600s. Working with a very broad definition of ‘environment,’ Washington details the poor health conditions that slaves faced in the New World, both while enslaved and after being freed. Like the Pulido reading, this article emphasizes the historical precedents of environmental

Instead, they received more sufferings, pain, mistreatment, and disrespect. After this novel was released, readers began to read, listen, visualize, and learn about the shocking indignities and injustices of racial segregation in the South, but more importantly, the amount of brutality that was used to enforce this racism. This book sheds light

Minorities are an endangered species. Not only are they targeted by the police, but are also subject to ridicule and misrepresentation in the media. Back when racism was above the surface, when raping, killing and lynching of blacks was a Sunday afternoon activity, is where we start to see the systematic oppression of minorities in the media. White males would paint their faces black, and exaggerate facial features such as the lips and nose, and mock the black community. Even in today’s society, we have sports teams called the Chiefs and Indians, which Native Americans have made clear are offensive to their history and culture, yet no changes have been made. Many people turn a blind eye to the fact that minorities are targeted by the media and it is not always obvious. To be able to spot some of the inequality in the media, one has to really be aware, and analyze how different races are being portrayed.

Jane Elliot's purpose of her experiment is to show that racism needs to be stopped and that perception is everything. She gathers a group of blue-eyed color individuals to sit in the middle of the class and the "colored" to sit on each side of them. Her purpose is in her experiment is treating the blue-eyed individuals the way the colored are treated everyday on a daily basis, and in which they were only treated this way in about an hour, in a classroom, knowing that this was just an exercise or a life lesson. She wanted to prove a point to the people that she feels as if whites are allowed to be ignorant to the anyone that isn't white because this is how the system works. In her experiment she states that in this experiment the white individuals

Although slavery and segregation laws are obsolete, racial inequality remains visible within our society. Throughout the course readings, one thing is for sure: the slave trade is the primary cause of racial inequality from 1500 to the present. Those sold into slavery become the property and a product of violence. Moreover, throughout the 15th to mid-18th centuries, slavery caused people to despise those who looked different from them, based on skin color. Slavery has caused numerous gaps among the privileged white community and minorities who have a history of slavery. This created a divided society based on skin color, with effects that continue to be a small part of our contemporary world.

Racism and the effects of racism can be seen anywhere. In the hallways of the high school, the streets, housing, neighborhoods, cities, and more, one thing is seen, and that 's segregation, which is ultimately caused by racism. Walking in the hallways at school, chances are that you’ll see a group of whites, a group of Hispanics, and a group of African Americans, but rarely do you see these three groups interacting with each other. Racism has been made a part of people’s everyday lives, a border posed by racism: segregation. Racism and its effects can not only be seen around us but can also be traced throughout countless readings in HWOC this year. Almost every literary work focuses on the topic or underscores at its effects, and today, you can walk into any library or bookstore and find something, whether it be a news article or chapter book, regarding racial conflict. This alone is evidence of how racism has integrated our society and continues to inform and manipulate our minds. The literature we have been exposed to this past year is a reflection of society, similar to a reflection in a mirror showing us the piece of hair sticking up in the back, literature is showing us the problem so it can be addressed.