Racial Discrimination And Racism

Among minorities such as Asians, Hispanics, Indians, Native Americans, and Middle Easterners, the African American race has been affected tremendously by the health disparities in the United States. Currently, African Americans have significantly higher mortality rates from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV, unintentional injuries, pregnancy, sudden infant death syndrome, and homicide than do whites Americans (Fiscella & Williams, 2004). While African Americans may lead in these categories, other minorities are not far behind in experiencing health disparities.

Rosa Parks once said “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and hopefully, we shall overcome.” Racism is a struggle that, to this day, has continued to be a major issue. The color of someone’s skin alters how a person is perceived by society as a whole. Race is a social construct created by humans to categorize the world. (Sullivan 2) The outlook on racism varies from community to community, family to family, and even person to person. Skin color can alter all aspects of an individual’s life, because unlike inner differences and beliefs, skin color is a physical appearance. Social status, perceptions, roles, occupation are just a few of the characteristics of life which can be affected simply by a person’s physical differences. Not long ago somebody could even be discriminated against and their basic rights and freedoms could be altered based on their appearance. Many people believe that the United States is a colorblind nation or is tolerant of people 's race. Racism may go unnoticed by those who believe that it is a thing of the past, but to the people who are directly impacted by racism, it continues to be play a major role in today’s society.

African Americans are the third largest racial or ethnic population, totaling 13.2% of the United States population (CDC, 2015). Giger (2013) states, some health disparities associated with African Americans is due to discriminatory practices and inequalities in social, economic, and educational opportunities, rather than biological factors. Statistics identifies higher health disparities for this population reflected in overall mortality rates compared to other populations. According to the Office of Minority Health (2014), the adult mortality rate is higher in African Americans for heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, influenza, pneumonia, and diabetes, as well as higher rates of infant mortality. For instance, the overall adult mortality rate for African Americans is 860.5 per 100,000 population compared to 731.0 per 100,000 population in Caucasian Americans according to 2012 data (KFF, 2015).

The presidential election of Barak Obama has led many to believe that we live in a post-racial society. If an African-American candidate has been elected in a predominantly white nation, this must signify that the U.S. does not have barriers that hinder African-Americans and other people of color from accessing opportunities or that we live in a color-blind society – in which race is not an issue. However, public perception on police profiling and the fairness of our justice system, public support for Donald Trump’s discriminatory ideologies, and racist actions by fraternities at universities illustrate the prevalence and continuity of racism in the U.S. Thus, to address the way in which racism plagues our society, it is important for political leaders and the media to educate believers of a color-blind society that racial discrimination is an issue which needs to properly be addressed for the well-being of all member of society.

Almost everyone has heard the famous hymn, “Jesus Loves the Little Children,” but not all understand the true meaning when it says, “Red, and yellow, black, and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.” The moment sin entered into the world, perfection no longer existed. This loss of perfection changed the way humans viewed each other. It made one ethnicity view another ethnicity as inferior, and in doing so, created what people now know of as racism. For centuries, racism has been a part of society, shaping the way humans view each other, but with the aid of Young Women 's Christian Association (YWCA) - Stand Against Racism, racial discrimination and injustice can be eliminated.

Today, racism and racial discrimination is something you see everyday. Whether it be in a news story, an article on social media, or something that you personally witness, but what is racism? The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes racism as a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. This means that one race will discriminate another because they believe that their race is better. Some people think that the only people that can be racist are white people. Their definition of racism is summed up to white people discriminating against the minority including African Americans and Latinos. Their definition of racism is not true. Racism does go both ways. Anyone is capable of saying, “Hey, my race is better than yours for this reason.” This is called reverse racism. The term reverse racism is referred to as discrimination against racial majorities inflicted by racial minorities. Reverse racism does exist and it is just as common as racism (“Racism”).

When we think of racism, we think of the horrific past events in America. Most people consider racism to be a terminated concept, however it is far from the truth. With the resources provided to me in this class, I have learned that many veiled discriminatory practices are still embedded in our society today, causing minorities to be limited in opportunities that would have helped them live a successful life in America. I would like to shed some light on how minorities are currently being affected due to how our society is structured. First of all, the reading titled “Sociologists on the Colorblind Question” written by Elaine McArdle illuminates the idea of how our societies way of thinking that there is no prejudice towards people of color

It has been an established fact that of all the minority groups, the African-Americans have or are predisposed to the most health risks. They are unfortunately combated by more disabilities, diseases and the phenomenon of early death than the other minority groups.

Racism is as prevalent as ever, and racial minorities face inequality socially, economically, and politically. Instead of promoting equality, we take to Twitter and argue over “Black Lives Matter” and “All Lives Matter”. Instead of celebrating our differences and taking the opportunity to learn about different cultures and identities, we generalize and label people without any consideration. In the United States, Americans have lost their ability to empathize. It is easier to pretend that the problem doesn’t exist, rather than come together to find a solution. Just like Jefferson, we turn a blind eye to our

Race is not solely a topic that has infiltrated our lives the past few years, but a topic that has finally seen the light of day in mainstream media that is now being openly discussed since its creation. President Obama’s joke about “Colored People Time” at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, police brutality specifically against African Americans, Donald Trump’s candidacy revolving around putting down marginalized groups, and even Beyoncé’s latest release of her album Lemonade have put the concept of race and its negative effects in the spotlight. However, since Affirmative Action policies were introduced, attempts to improve the lives of marginalized groups in the United States have been implemented and in regards to education, have imposed admission considerations based on race. Some have argued and even filed lawsuits against the schools who have denied them admission claiming that not being a minority were the grounds for not being evaluated fairly.

“I believe in human beings, and that all human beings should be respected as such, regardless of their color.”-Malcom X. Is racism against the African American descent still a big issue in America? Racism against African Americans has been going on for quite some time and yes, it’s still a continuous problem. People believe it has settled down over time, but it’s still a major issue that we as Americans are trying to overcome.There have been many events and issues since the 1930s that have showed racism is still an issue such as, the use of racial slurs, protests, police attacks, etc. as a whole the United States needs to come together and unite as one. We need to not be judged by the color of our skin, but the actions we make. If a person is only judged by the color of their skin the situation will never be solved. Racism against African Americans is an issue that we still have in America and it needs to be solved.

Throughout the 20th and 21st century race relations have been a substantial issue. Some issues have went through trial, and others have not. Even today in society, race related matters are still continuing. One is being targeted for the color of their skin, the traditional clothes they wear, and the principals they believe in. Many trials have been brought to court but there are an abundance of other situations that have not been brought to the eyes of others.

1. The issues of diversity don’t involve the color one’s skin, but whether your eye color was brown or blue. Any volunteer with blue eyes was bullied and sent to a holding room with a security guard. They are being shouted at to sit down and shut up. Brown eye people are being sent straight through to their seats in the main hall. The brown eyes were the privileged majority, while the blue eyes were the minority. The issue that white blue eyed people needs to know how it feels on the receiving end of racism. The whole issue of diversity is the majority positions, the powerful positions of whites, don’t understand the problem of racism. Racism was an immoral and irrational social construct that people were far too quick to sign up to. The

The more we comprehend our self, our social location and the nature and history of power, oppression, and prejudice, the more we will be able to identify and react racism and discrimination when we see it. The harsh truth is that racism is something we learn not something we were born with, it’s very serious issues and shouldn’t be ignored, we should never try and hide our identity in fear of being discriminated, the good news is that no matter where we are there will always be support for us. Just make sure we look in the right places.

Discrimination and racism impacts everyone in the U.S. in some way, shape or form. It can have harmful psychological impacts on those who are directly affected – especially if the situation becomes traumatizing. Several studies surrounding discrimination have shown an increase in both physical and psychological problems. According to two journals, those affected run the risk of developing depression, the common cold, hypertension, breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, among other things (Takeuchi, & Williams, 2013). It is apparent to see that discrimination, racism, social interaction and health, are persistently correlated with one another.