Racism And Yik Yak : Improving Education

The overarching theme of critical race theory is centered on race and racism, however in higher education, critical race scholars recognize that racial identity and this form of oppression (racism) intersects with other subordinated identities (such as gender, class, religion, ability/disability, sexual orientation, etc.) and forms of oppression (sexism, homophobia, ableism, etc.) to influence People of Color’s lived experiences (Bartlett & Brayboy, 2005; Brayboy 2005; Kumasi, 2011; Lynn & Adams, 2002; Solórzano & Yosso, 2001). This means that in higher education, critical race theory challenges the dominate discourse on race and racism as it relates to educational theory, policy and practice (Solórzano, 1998).

In this spellbinding lecture, the author of White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son offers a unique, inside-out view of race and racism in America. Expertly overcoming the defensiveness that often surrounds these issues, Wise provides a non-confrontational explanation of white privilege and the damage it does not only to people of color, but to white people as well. This is an invaluable classroom resource: an ideal introduction to the social construction of racial identities, and a critical new tool for exploring the often invoked – but seldom explained – concept of white privilege.

Racial diversity is something that is often discussed on college campuses. As a student who self-identifies as a minority in more ways than one I often feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the subject of racism and race. However, often times when these issue are discussed I learn something new; this was the case when reading the articles this week. This week’s articles examined the issue of race from different perspectives. This allowed me to re-examine the issue in a fuller manner; it also allowed me to question some of my own notions that I hadn’t really challenged before.

Wise’s examination of the inconspicuous character of racism 2.0 dovetails fittingly with our course’s recurring theme of institutionalized racism. In class lectures we have defined institutionalized racism as the discriminatory practices that have become regularized and routinized by state agencies, organizations, industries, or anywhere else in society. Although such practices might not be intentionally racist, they end up being racist nevertheless as consequence of the systematized and unspoken biases that have become increasingly convoluted and entrenched within society over time. It also doesn’t help white people to recognize these discriminatory practices considering they have been unconsciously tailored to be consistent with white perspective and mentality. In her article, White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh examines not only how white folks often consider themselves to be a normative figure within society, but also how they are carefully taught not to recognize the advantages they gain from the disadvantages that impair people of color. In the article, McIntosh acknowledges the reality of her own white privilege and expresses, “In my class and place, I did not see myself as a racist because I was taught to recognize racism only in individual acts of meanness by members of my group, never in invisible systems conferring unsought racial dominance on my group from birth” (McIntosh 4). In fact, even if white folks do not believe themselves to

While racism is seen as a broad topic and people can generally grasp its effects on a broad scale, there are many more personal effects of racism and it effects every person differently. Each person can respond to racism in very different ways, while some may be motivated by it others may be harmed by it. In the essays “My Vassar College ID Makes Everything Okay” by Kiese Laymon and “The Meaning of Serena Williams” by Claudia Rankine, the authors analyze how people react to racism in their lives. Along with the analysis, both authors also looks at how those perpetrating racism react to the effects of it. In “My Vassar College ID Makes Everything Okay” by Kiese Laymon, Laymon evaluates how the racism in both his and college students’ lives have influenced them, while “The Meaning of Serena Williams” by Claudia Rankine mainly focuses on how racism affects Serena Williams. When comparing these two groups of people, the extremely wealthy or famous and all the other African-Americans, we can definitely see some glaring differences the reaction to racism in their lives.

Hannah Guthrie was a second year English major student when this article was posted in 2010. Hannah being a student questions her creditably because she isn’t an expert and nor does she have a reputation for being advocate on stopping racism. She was a writer for the UCI’s “New University”, which is a school news paper often stretching to seek attention from the media and other forms of

Throughout Shakur’s article discussing the topic of racism and white supremacy, Shakur builds his credibility with his audience by providing statistics, information cited by other people, and personal experience. This particular article brings attention to a major controversial issue in the nation from the viewpoint of an African American male. The fact that Shakur discusses the nonexistence of racism or white supremacy and how blacks often cause problems for themselves when buying unnecessary items or sending children to learn about black culture from a white teacher, demonstrates he is unbiased towards his own race. This creates a credible article because Shakur contains no positive bias favoring whites and provides information that is negative for both blacks and whites, creating an unprejudiced exposition. Shakur specifies “racism is mental. It only exists in the mind of the believer…If [people] constantly think about racism, then racism will manifest (Shakur, 2016, p.7). Similarly, the Pew Research Center also must create credibility with its audience in order to successfully capture full attention of readers and inform them of reliable and accurate information. This article provides and array of graphs and charts to represent statistics and survey results. The surveys were conducted by the Pew Research Center, involving United States adults, to create a representative sample of the data. In order to create an unbiased source to make the article as a whole more credible, the opinions were included from both white and black men and women so readers obtain information from both viewpoints. Overall, the survey results find “profound differences between black and white adults in their views on racial discrimination, barriers to black progress, and prospects for change,” demonstrating the racial discrepancies still

As I walked into the University Student Center after my Issues in Public Policy class one August day, a disturbing sight immediately struck me. For a moment I thought I needed to pinch myself because I felt as though I was having a horrible nightmare. Then, I thought that maybe I needed to check my calendar to make sure that I had not traveled back in time to the sixties when segregation was still an accepted practice in the United States. Much to my dismay, I was not dreaming, and it was still in the year 2000. As I continued to look around at my fellow students, my stomach churned, and it was not because I was hungry. The sight that lay before my eyes was not only very disturbing but also

Race and racism continue to exist in our world, and with the assistance of white privilege it becomes increasingly difficult to find a solution. Beverly Daniel Tatum’s book, “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” provides an understanding of why race and racism continue to operate in our world. Tatum effectively answers the question she poses as the title of her book; moreover, I agree with her perception of Affirmative Action and the word racist, but I do not agree with the definition of racism in her book.

In the article Sha’kema Blackmon and Anita Thomas spoke about election results thought that most African Americans viewed the death of Trayvon Martin as a race-related event (Gabbidon and Jordan 2013; Pew Research Center 2013). This online investigation tested African Americans, opinions on the fatal shooting of Trayvon Martin and how it relates between Black racial identity groups. Each test taker had multiple reactions, also being asked question about whether Trayvon Martin’s death was racially motivated. The groups talked group and three black racial identity groups were listed. Group 1 was made of each person of the different Black racial identity attitude types. Group 2 was made of each person who tries to put separation between students of African-American and Caucasian to an end and who wants everybody to be together.

American society likes to believe that race relations in our country are no longer strained. We do not want to hear about the need for affirmative action or about the growing numbers of white supremacist groups. In order to appease our collective conscious, we put aside the disturbing fact that racism is alive and well in the great U.S.A. It hides in the workplace, it subtly shows its ugly face in the media, and it affects the education of minority students nationwide. In the following excerpts from an interview with a middle class African American male, the reader will find strong evidence that race plays a major role in determining the type and quality of education a student receives.

Bias-related incidents, including hate speech, are entirely too common at institutions of higher education. When visual expressions of hate speech are found on a campus, the institution’s administrators, as well as staff and students, must quickly condemn the rhetoric, support affected students, and educate others in the community. It is the duty of student affairs professionals within institutions to advocate for students affected by hate speech and to lead the efforts in engaging the community in learning and dialogue surrounding social justice issues in order to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Moreover, it is essential for student affairs

“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” (George Orwell) This past Spring of 2017 the University of Harvard revoked ten incoming freshman admissions for engaging in a meme group message on Facebook for the class of 2021. The freshman called the group chat “ Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens.” The memes were derogatory towards different races. The students posted jokes about the Holocaust and racist jokes towards Mexicans and other races, pedophillia, and child abuse. These Memes that the incoming students posted on Social Media caused a controversy within the campus. Students who felt perturbed about the memes screenshotted and emailed the university authorities.Which lead to an investigation and which they sought to revoke the admissions of ten students.

Although some individuals may wish or even naively claim that we live in a post-racial society, the reality in twenty first century America is that individual and institutional racism continues to take a horrible toll on young people of color, who are at greater risk of race-based violence, unjust criminalization, as well as economic, political and educational discrimination. The powerful advantages that come from being born white are immeasurable and painfully real. It is critical that white individuals recognize the depth of their privilege, but doing nothing more than that can appear self-congratulatory, and as an attempt to exempt them from responsibility. An example of one writer’s over-simplification of white privilege can be found