Racial Disparities In America

There were so many different nationalities that made of the school is was like a miniature melting pot, and this allowed me to see things about not only my culture but others as well that I have never seen before. For instance too often, "racism" is seen as a social phenomenon that happens to black people, but it happens through black people as well. That is, the negative affiliations hurled upon black people and black culture that paint how we perceive EACH other. Blacks & whites receive the same anecdotes & images that perpetuate common stereotypes of black criminality & flippancy while systematically synonymizing white culture with American values. Its to be expected for there to be an observable impact on black intragroup perceptions. Nevertheless,

Growing up in a predominantly white community, I had never thought of the issue of race as a child. My neighbor and I were best friends, and I never thought of myself as different. She had blonde hair; I had black. She had blue eyes; I had dark brown. We loved to play with the same things, thus we were

When I was young I didn’t really realize the impact of being African-American until high school. I went to a predominately white school for elementary and middle school. I was just like any other youth. I had my group of friends who were white; I was active in school activities and clubs. I was a student athlete and I got along well with my teachers. Everyone saw me as an upbeat person with a bubbly personality. Surprisingly, race was never brought up it wasn’t an issue for me during that period of my life. However, as I got older I realize there was a difference. As an adult I could really see the prejudice in others. I recall working a on a special project for the

I always identified myself as Mexican because technically I was mostly Mexican, but I didn’t speak Spanish and was never really accepted by my Spanish speaking peers. I also remember not wanting to be identified as White, I was an American but I didn’t want to be called White. I idolized Martin Luther King Jr. as a young child, and I remember feeling deeply moved and fundamentally changed after seeing the first images of the civil rights movement during Black history month. Then I remember starting to wonder why I always saw the same videos and learned the same lessons each year during February and I began to question things. I remember getting so angry at my own ignorance of the history of racism in this country during my first multi-cultural history class at Cal State Long Beach. I realized how much I wasn’t learning in school and that I never got an authentic version of history from any group other than the dominant White culture. It was an eye opening experience and it had a profound impact on me. I learned to embrace being an American as long as I was willing to commit to continuously questioning and challenging the current power structures in place and work to expose the institutionalized racism that continues to plague our public

This paper is a group discussion project that will look at the different viewpoints associated with whether or not America is close to being a post-racial society. In addition, this paper will discuss my opinion on this question which is that I do not think America is close to being a post-racial society because we are still racially divided. Racial economic issues are still an issue along with many other problems that still exist such as job opportunities and incarceration to name a few examples. Furthermore, the United States has come a long way compared to the past, however, we are nowhere near close to being a post-racial society because to many injustices and disparities exist.

Over the past couple of months Obama has talked about how he wants to take on criminal justice reform. Recently both political parties have shown bipartisan support for reforming the criminal justice system. Senator Chuck Grassley has introduced a sentencing reform bill that appears to have bipartisan support. [1] Some liberals say this bill will help to address racial disparities; however, although this is a step in the right direction this bill, if it were to become law, would not significantly change the racial disparities between white and black Americans. The bill fails to address the stigma felons face in the job market, it fails to address a felons right to vote, and it fails to address crime prevention. To fully address racial disparities in American nearly every institution will require some form of reformation.

In a country where many believe the hatchet of racism was buried with its first black president, many people of color, both non-black and black are still frustrated and disappointed in the progress to be made. Many progressives prefer to see America as a colorblind nation, a nation where if you work hard and do right, you 'll fulfill the American Dream. Often this dream is accompanied with challenge after challenge for people of color. Of course what first must be asked is if racism is still present in our justice system and in the fabric of our country? What must be understood first is that answers to these complex issues are never black or white, which leaves far too much gray area to be discussed.

From my experience within my community, I sadly still see today the occurrence of race-based residential segregation in our society. There was one incident that I remember from my childhood, where an African American family was looking at a home across from my family and the older neighbors were in an uproar about their property value going down. As a child, I really did not understand what the big deal was or what difference it made to have that family move into the neighborhood.

When playing on the playground during my early years, race was never on the forefront of my mind. If you were White, Black, Asian, Latino, or bi-racial, it never mattered to me because I never paid attention. My entire elementary education was spent at small, predominantly White, private Christian schools. Being the only Black person in my class from kindergarten to fifth grade had no effect on me until Barack Obama was elected President of the United States in 2008.

During this stage, individuals will idealize their own racial group, and be intolerant of other minority groups. If I were to experience this stage, I would believe in White racial superiority more, and often blame certain racial minorities for their own problems. I would acknowledge the realties of racism, but also believe that other racial groups should change, not my own racial group. I also might attempt to reach out to other racial groups, in an attempt to help them. I would do this by imposing my White standards upon them.

Growing up white, I never fell victim to racism or segregation, and sadly, I believe I was ignorant regarding these issues until I reached college. My sister and I were raised in the lower-middle-class by a single mom; But, we were fortunate to be born into a large family that has always supported each other in times of need. Being raised in the middle-class society, I never went without. My mother raised me in a nurturing way, but also believed in tough love in order to create a resilient young woman ready to tackle the world. Through my college education, I have recognized that I was born with white privileges that were given to me rather than something I earned. Coming from a large, tight-knit family, one of the most

My family instilled in us at a very young age that we had to work for anything we wanted, my families’ social class is middle class. My parents always emphasized the importance of education and respect. My parents always taught me that we are equal to any other race, we lived in a neighborhood that was predominantly African American and attended an all-black elementary school. My earliest memory of race was when I was twelve I was adopted by my aunt and uncle who loved in a predominately Caucasian neighborhood, I would play outside, with my cousins being a few years older than me I often played and rode my bike alone. Soon I met some children that lived in the neighborhood who were caucasian and we would play with each other, I use to even go over their homes. Well, one day I asked one

Now, this insight was definitely not a sudden realization. It was a process that took time, experience, and a strenuous amount of observation. As a freshman, I was more blatantly unaware of racism than when I was a sophomore, and so on. I had never been the target of discrimination, but I began to notice that it surrounded me, so much so that it began to affect my thought process. Hallways, classrooms, sporting events. Everywhere I went there was tension in the air; an awareness

First time I became aware of racially diverse people, was when I was six years old.I was

In all my years of ignoring and displacing my ethnicity it had hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. I was a young black woman, a member of one of the most fundamentally scorned racial subgroups, and I could either be the victim or the victor.