How Does Race Shape Our Identity

Racial profiling is simply, “the unlawful police practice of using race, color, or ethnic background, as the reason for conducting a traffic stop on an individual.” (Michigan Civil Rights Commission) This definition can be extended to any kind of discrimination mainly based on myths and stereotypes towards a certain race or ethnicity. However, the term racial profiling is commonly used when a police officer or any other law enforcer stops, questions, searches or arrests an individual purely on the basis of their race. African Americans or simply blacks have been the major racial group that has suffered much of racial profiling. Much of this is based on the stereotypes against the blacks are perceived as more likely to engage in criminal activities. For instance, in a 2013 Racial Profiling Data from Ferguson Police Department, out of 5384 police stops, 4632 were against blacks. (Ferguson Police Dept. 1) Despite the low population of blacks in U.S. compared to other races, the former continues being subjected to more racial profiling. Racial profiling against African Americans continues to expose the blacks to humiliation and racial injustices, as this paper will expose, thereby calling for the responsible authorities to address and find solutions for the problem.

Since the birth of our nation, racial profiling has been an issue longstanding and troubling among minority groups and still continues to exhibit severe consequences in communities.

The National Institute of Justice (“Racial Profiling”) stated that racial profiling, which is a form of discrimination, racism, and stereotypes is when law enforcement, based on a person’s race, ethnicity, national origin, or religion targets a person for suspicion of crimes. Today people can turn on their television, go online, and even listen to their radios and they will hear about racial profiling. Racial profiling is not anything new and has been going on throughout history; it goes all the way back to slavery. Racial profiling has recently started being recorded, which is why it has become such a huge national issue today, because people can no longer ignore it. This issue is not specific to one race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin. People of many races, religions, ethnicities, or national origins have been affected by racial profiling for years since the start of this country, but one group that has been affected by racial profiling at a high rate is African Americans. The goal of this paper is to analyze this main group that has and still is being affected by racial profiling and acknowledge other groups that are being affected as well.

In America’s judicial system, the color of skin or race are often equated with criminal behavior. Dr. King once said “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.” As United States citizens, we are not convicted of a crime until proven guilty. However, racial profiling aids law enforcement on deciding when to pursue or detain a suspect based on race. This method undoubtedly categorizes that certain races are more prone to commit crimes. Nevertheless, racial profiling is a violation of constitutional rights thus protected by federal law; oddly it is often disregarded by states.

In this essay the term racial profiling is understood as: actions that rely on exterior features such as race, ethnicity, gender, stereotypes, age, etc. in reason for protective and security reasons. In addition, racial profiling can happen consciously, or unconsciously as people who racial profile may be unintentionally influenced by racial biases they have, which can be illustrated by R. V Brown, a landmark case (OHRC; OJENb). Which can be examined through how institutional racism revolves around this pheromone.

But it does not start there, rather it also starts early on, in grade school, where schools harshly punish children differently based on the color of their skin. This research paper will detail the theoretical elements that are contributing to the development of racial profiling that is enforced upon minorities from a young in the education system. Having children simply move through the system until they are no longer welcomed, and from there they are hurled into an entirely new playing field where if you were not white, you will have a target permanently etched into your

Race is about how you use your nationality to represent yourself to the world. Social class is an aspect that gets many people confused when they associate this with other aspects and one that can change the way you live. Each aspect has a relation to one another that can be seen as positive or negative, also the relationships between the identities form the human. These elements of race, class and their affiliations with other aspects can help identify a person’s

In the U.S, people are judged every day, whether it be by the way they look, talk, dress, or act. Humans are judgmental people who look for the faults in another. Race is one of these faults, and is a huge cause in civil rights violation. The dictionary defines racial profiling as, “the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense”. However, in reality, racial profiling is violating the civil rights of minorities and Muslims. According to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) “Racial profiling by law enforcement is commonly defined as a practice that targets people for suspicion of crime based on their race,

Racism and Prejudice Inflicted black communities since segregation and is still continues in today’s 21st century. The past and present assure us that history once again repeat itself with no difference. Americans has become divided to an expectation of what an American is. It seems that there has not been any solution to racial profiling. Unconsciously criminal’s assumptions are being beaten, violated, and murder over the decades. According to Thandisiwe Chimurenga, NO DOUBT THE MURDER OF OSCAR GRANTS illustrates the importance of a white supremacist system that has been designed to oppress people by racial profiling by color through the rigged judicial system, and media bias.

In today’s society it seems to be believed that all racial conflicts or issues have been resolved, yet unfortunately, this could not be any further from the truth. Issues stemming from how people view different races and ethnicities continue to be so prevalent in this modern world. Judgement and prejudices cloud people’s minds and that does not allow them to really comprehend that race and ethnicity are only one feature of a person. First of all, in order to fully grasp the idea and effects that race and ethnicity play into a human being, it is important to know what these two words really mean. In the book, Social Problems: Community, Policy, and Social Action, race is defined as a population that shares a set of genetic traits or physical features, and ethnic groups are defined as groups of people who display a set of cultural traits such as language, religion, or diet (Leon-Guerrero, p.65). Now understanding what the race and ethnicity of a person means, the next step should be to understand that these factors should not play into any consideration for any judgement since they are only one part of a person. Unfortunately, people who are part of the race minorities tend to fall into scrutiny by a society that does not fully comprehend this. This has led to negative mindsets and many forms of discrimination in different types of environments. Ultimately, the race and ethnicity of an individual will play a factor in the success of that person by affecting the type

Racial identity is a part of a socially constructed hierarchy that identifies human beings based on their ethnicity and ancestry. Essentially, the only difference between race and ethnicity is that race is determined by the dominant ethnicity. Race has been a relevant topic throughout history, and racial conflicts still exist in the modern world. Judgements based on racial identity create prejudice and bigotry. The susceptibility of people to believe others’ predispositions is what causes prejudice and bigotry to grow. Racial identity inhibits individuals’ opportunities when predispositions are formed from a lack of credible knowledge.

Does the color of your skin define your identity? Despite the abolishment of African-American slavery in the United States in the late 19th century, black individuals during the 20th century were still subject to unequal treatment due to the color of their skin. Racism was alive and just like a disease, it spread rapidly and affected the way black individuals were treated during this time period. As these black individuals attempted to live their lives freely, they entered a time period where Jim Crow Laws were put into effect. The Jim Crow Era highlighted the idea of separate but equal rights for blacks during this time period. This left racism a major issue that people left unresolved until the mid-1900s where civil rights activists

As someone who identifies as a multi-racial woman, I have found that my racial location in society has been different based on who I am around. I am of lighter skin, and I have acknowledged I am more privileged than a woman who is darker than me. As a multi-racial woman, I at times have had to make sure I fit in based on who I was surrounded by. I am aware that in ways I do benefit from white privilege, but in a lot of ways I am still put into the subordinate group by the dominate racial groups. I fully became aware of my racial identity as a child, going to a predominately white elementary school. After my encounters with some of the peers and teachers at this school, I became aware that I was “different”, and for the first time not feeling fully accepted into my peer groups.

The study of the racial autobiography has discovered the racial identity of the individuals. Particularly in Asia, people who have identified themselves through the racial, they have developed different perceptions about the world. A part of the race, cultural, sexual and gender identity has done more perceptive on how individuals view the world. By using the Asian history to study race, culture, and gender, there are quite a number of cognitive adjustment on how individuals view the world.

Racial profiling is a longstanding and profoundly alarming national issue in spite of cases that the United States and many other countries has entered a post-racial time. It happens each day, in urban communities and towns the nation over, when law authorization and private security target non-white individuals for mortifying and frequently unnerving confinements, cross examinations, and inquiries without confirmation of criminal action and in light of saw race, ethnicity, national root, or religion. Racial profiling is obviously unlawful, damaging the guarantees  governments give of equivalent security under the law to all and flexibility from preposterous inquiries and seizures.  Similarly as vitally, racial profiling is incapable. It distances groups from law requirement, prevents group policing endeavors, and makes law implementation lose validity and trust among the general population they’re supposed to serve and protect.