Racial Injustice

I was watching the news, when the footage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster came on. The news reporters were showing a black man walking in flooded waters near a market with a bag full of food and labeled him a “thief”. Social media in the United States has portrayed people of different racial backgrounds differently and unequally in recent years. In the essays “Theories and Constructs of Race” and “Loot or Find: Fact or Frame?” the authors discuss in both essays about issues with racial equality in our world today. Authors Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe discuss in the first essay racial schemes are created through prejudices and the telling and retelling of stories. While, authors Cheryl I. Harris and Devon W. Carbado discuss in their essay about the issue of “colorblindness” in social media. Holtzman is a professor of communications and journalism at Webster University, while Sharpe is a professor at Webster as well. Similarly, Harris and Carbado are professors at UCLA’s School of Law and have addressed widely on race, gender, civil rights and constitutional issues. Both essays do a good job at explaining their ideas and supporting them with evidence of racial discrimination in our world today. The authors from both essays organize their ideas and summarize them, which helps understand the main idea of racism, discrimination and racial inequalities in today’s society.

He seeks to imply that judgement of a person should be based more on the content

At the beginning of the novel, Stephen Kumalo is very respectful and is a caring person that is always willing to help others. “Perhaps you might be hungry, small one” (35). Kumalo expresses his father-like figure to this young little girl because Stephen knows that the little girl has traveled a long way to deliver this letter.

The barriers that separate men have existed for centuries. Race, class, status, these are all ideas that have created a divide among humans. This divide creates competition and tension. Throughout the history of the legal system, justice has been used to validate slavery and other forms of racial inequality. Our system now has changed, but the basic concept has remained the same. According to one study, the judicial system was invented by whites to protect whites and keep people of color at bay (Constitutional Rights Foundation, 2017, p1). This idea of preserving a one superior racial system resulted in a bias still existent today.

When it comes to the War on Drugs and racial disparity, African Americans males are more likely to receive a higher prison sentence than their white counterparts. For example, there is disparity in sentencing regarding powder cocaine and crack cocaine. The judicial system provides a heavier prison sentence for crack than powder, even though it is better than previously. Crack and powder cocaine are both illegal substances that derive from the same drug, which is cocaine. Whites and African American drug addicts use these drugs; however, the difference is the distribution and use of the drugs targets distinct groups of people. White drug dealers use and sell powder cocaine more frequently in wealthier communities. Addicts abuse crack cocaine

As an individual with an eclectic variety of European descent, I have experienced white privilege. White privilege, prevalent in Western countries like the United States, is a societal structure that puts those who are non-white at a political and sometimes economic disadvantage. Many who do not face these negative experiences are not made aware of the effects white privilege has on their life, unfortunately. Having grown up in Los Angeles, I naively thought I was well versed in racial injustice. It wasn't until I met my partner, and made a deep connection with an individual whose life is negatively affected by the same privilege that benefits me that I began to understand. By sharing their experiences as a non-white citizen of this country,

What is racial inequality? Racial inequality is discrepancies in the opportunities and treatment of people based solely on their race. Racial inequality is a serious issue that is often discussed in the American criminal justice system. Although racial discrimination is present in the criminal justice system, some people use the words inequality, discrimination, racism, and profiling loosely and do not understand how truly complex it is to prove that there actually is racial inequality present in the criminal justice system. Daniel P Mears, Joshua C. Cochran, and Andrea M. Lindsey article Offending and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Criminal Justice: A Conceptual Framework for Guiding Theory and Research and Informing Policy illustrates

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.

Thesis: In the United States, racial privilege affects societies everywhere. It especially has a large effect on young adults, such as those in the workforce, because it prevents them from obtaining and reaching their preferred professions.

A young African American was accused of murdering an elderly man last winter at a Christmas parade. The young man stated that the elder had offended his little sister by insulting her. The young man got disturbed and decided to stab the elder to death.

Steinbeck begins the novella by introducing the type of life that was lived by Kino before the discovery of the pearl, and the effect it had not only himself but its effect it had on his family. As Kino watches the ocean he remembers an ancient song from his culture the “Song of the Family” as he remembers this song he takes pleasure in watching his wife do her chores. Kino remembers this moment has a perfect morning like any other mornings. As Kino eats his breakfast he is aware of a scorpion that arrives at Coyotito crib. As the scorpion bit Kino’s son he remembers another ancient song the “Song of Evil”. Steinbeck presents the divides the town in two types - the old natives and the new Christian settlers. Steinbeck uses techniques to distinguish between the native Indians and the more cultured Europeans.

The United States has a long history of racial injustices. Today, this can be seen manifested in our drug laws and policies. The war on drugs, otherwise known as the United States drug polices, systematically targets minorities and their communities. The war on drugs has caused a huge disparity between race, gender and sentencing. According to Gunja (2003), white people outnumber black people five to one in the United States, and they both use and sell drugs at similar rates. However, in seven states, 80%-90% of prisoners serving for drug related charges are black Gunja, F. (2003). These disparities are caused by “mandatory minimums” were sentencing for the same drug, but in different forms are much different. According to Women and Gender

Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton is a stunning and all too accurate depiction of apartheid in South Africa. Even though the novel centers on John Kumalo and his struggling family, it subtly shows the social going ons of South Africa supposedly in 1948, when the book was written. Strong examples of this come across in the choral chapters of the novel. These chapters give voice to the people of South Africa. Chapter nine shows the struggles of being black during apartheid, chapter 12 shows the white citizens racism and fear, and chapter 23 shows the goals of social movements. The choral chapter that shows the issues that existed in South Africa most effectively was chapter nine. It not only shows the economic and housing struggles of the black population, but it also shows the conditions in the shanty towns, and the treatment of the black population by the white minority with power.

In Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton shows us how two families are breaking apart. The natives are suffering but they are not the only one who are suffering. A white person’s family is also falling apart. Stephen Kumalo is a native from Ndotsheni and he has trouble with his family from the start. John Jarvis is a white person and he is also experiencing trouble with his family.

Oppression is a very difficult obstacle for people to overcome and conquer. In The Pearl, the town people suffer many economic and social oppressions in their lives. Kino, a townsman, lives with his wife, Juana, and his newborn son, Coyotito in Mexico. They are a very poor family who cannot afford the best materials life has to offer them. Thier friends, the town people, help encourage and support them with their everyday lives. They soon learn to adapt to the rocky lifestyle, but still struggle to rid the oppression that haunts them. Major problems Kino’s family has are they do not have money, education, and equality.