Racism Is Not A Physical Action

A few examples of everyday racism are un-called for discrimination and individuals feeling as though they have to constantly be on guard because they are seen as “different” to others. Structural racism is seen time and time again in places of low-income. There is less access to high quality food, transportation, and reliable jobs. The government sees these

Racism is a socially constructed concept used by multiple groups of people and creates a hierarchy of sorts based purely on the color of a person’s skin or their cultural origins. It has been an idea that has existed since the beginnings of civilization. A more modern iteration of this concept was made prominent in the 16th century as European settlers began to explore different areas of the world, specifically areas in or around Africa. But slavery can be seen back in the 1500s all the way to 1880 and was most likely a leading example of what helped define racism up to the 20th century. In Ali Rattansi’s book, “Racism: A Very Short Introduction” , the author connects how slavery and race are closely tied together. European explorers would ignore the cultures the invaded in order to see these people as nothing more than native groups that were meant to be seen in a subservient role. Slavery would continue to grow across the Atlantic and seen as an institution that created large amounts of wealth for those who could reap the benefits from it. As long as money was being made, slavery persisted and was justified. Race and racism was conceived the way it was because the slave owning system was controlled by European colonizers.

Do you think America is institutionally racist? Who is at a disadvantage? Institutional racism means that there is a systematic way for certain groups of people to be put on a lower level or have a disadvantage than another group of people. There was definitely institutional racism in America about fifty years ago, and I know that because I can name specific institutions who were racist to the black minority. But in order for anyone to fight modern day institutional racism, you have to tell me what company is being racist, tell me why, and we can fight that together. Unfortunately for those who believe there is still institutional racism in America, they can’t name a business and why. Running around and yelling “there’s racism in America” doesn’t

Institutional racism is still prevalent in the United States. Racial groups are both denied or granted certain rights. Although there may no longer be lynch mobs or Jim Crow, there is still rampant racism from New York to Jena, Louisiana. Society should disband its racial conventions in programs such as affirmative action. It should instead adopt a new system based on many more factors than a person’s ethnic background.

However, slaves told a different story. Fredrick Douglass and Solomon Northup’s experiences show how brutal and violent

Numerous studies have proven that children of minority descent fare less than their white counterparts and a lack of financial stability further perpetuates this harsh truth. According to Jones (2000), there are three levels of racism that contribute to an endless cycle of race-associated health outcomes (Jones, 2000). Institutionalized racism is associated with a lack of power to underprivileged individuals that does not enable them to gain access to adequate resources and does not institute a voice of change on their behalf (Jones, 2000). Personally-mediated racism is stereotyping a person or group of people based on the color of their skin (Jones, 2000). Internalized racism is when the antagonized race accepts that their worth and intentions

A good example of institutional racism is incarceration. An 1850 census shows that, there are currently more black men in prison than were enslaved in the year 1850 (Arene-Morley, 2014). Incarceration statics shows how the system is very unfair to minorities. The crack vs. cocaine sentencing laws also depicts incarceration disparities. Crack is a drug used predominantly by black people while cocaine is predominantly used by white people. Crack and cocaine is essentially the same drug. The only ingredient that separated them is banking soda. Even though these two drug are virtually the same, crack gets a much harsher sentencing than cocaine (Kurtzleben, 2010).

In what societal institutions can institutional racism be found? Certainly the system of advantage operate within various institutions such as criminal justice, education, health care and the workplace.

According to the Institute on Race and Poverty (IRP) in 2000 a white individual making the same income annually as any other race has a seventy-eight percent chance of owning a home, and only a twenty-two percent chance of having their credit denied on a loan, however, minorities like Blacks and Hispanics have a significantly lower chance of both. (Lawrence, and Keleher 3). In fact, Blacks with those same specifications only have a forty-eight percent chance to own a home, and an astounding forty-five percent chance to have their credit denied on a loan. Meanwhile, Hispanics have a forty-six percent chance to own a home, and a thirty-percent percent chance of having their credit denied. While this may seem overtly discriminatory with just a glance, one must first delve into what those numbers actually mean, and the details went into creating those numbers, as well as take a peek into the institution that created those numbers before jumping to the conclusion that it is empirically racist. Recently, racism has exploded into the spotlight worldwide, and especially in the United States of America with stories of racially motivated police brutality and a supposed “race war” taking center stage. All this coming forty-seven years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought to end racial tension and racist government

Black slaves were in the situation that little help would be given to the group from the society. As Northup’s thought when he first beat his master, “An unfriended, helpless slave—what could I do, what could I say, to justify, in the remotest manner, the heinous act I had committed, of resenting a white man's contumely and abuse” (112). No one would help him even though what he did was fight back for his unequal treatment. It seemed that slaves was born to be treated like this; they should only obey their masters; they should take whatever the white gave; they should not complain about anything. There was not right or wrong, but only what the white said and what the black obeyed. Northup wrote helplessly:

For example when Solomon Northup says in 12 Years a Slave “The slave himself or herself is degraded, made to suffer awful torments, and cruelly robbed of physical, emotional, and spiritual riches”(Northup 1). This quote talks about how a slave was mistreated. When you compare this to modern discrimination it is much worse. For example, Northup’s book also tells us “If you want to survive, do and say as little as possible. Tell no one who you really are and tell no one that you can read and write. Unless you want to be a dead nigger”.(Northup 1) The African Americans shied away from the abuse in order to get out of more punishment. Now in modern times African Americans fight back even when it is something so little that it does everybody more good if they just kept quiet. African Americans used to be seen as property; for example in 12 Years a Slave,“Gentlemen... Whoever moves that nigger another foot from where he stands is a dead man. I am overseer of this plantation seven years, and in the absence of William Ford, my duty is to protect his interests. Ford holds a mortgage on Platt of four hundred dollars. If you hang him, he loses his debt. Until that is canceled you have no claim to his life.” (Northup 1). Now the whites do not see the African Americans as property, and they understand and view them differently. Now whites see African Americans not as property and they

There are two forms of racism: individual and institutional. Individual racism involves one-on-one scenarios where racist attitudes are expressed based on a particular individuals belief towards another. For example, one person might be of the opinion that all Aboriginal’s are dirty, and therefore, be racist to an Aboriginal when they are walking down the street, at school or work.

Racism is the unequal treatment of the human beings on the basis of their skin color. Racism is believed to have existed as long as human beings have been in the world. It is usually associated with the skin color of a person, which makes one be distinguished from a certain race or community. The word racism happened to be common in 1600s due to the enslavement of the Africans by the Americans and Europeans. One of the common examples of racism was Americans’ discrimination against the Africans during the early 1600s. Though it is believed that slavery has existed since ancient times, the most outstanding one was the one practiced by the Americans. The dark-skinned people were enslaved on the whites’ farms under

Solomon Northup is a prime example of the cruel treatment black people received. He was deceived into thinking he was joining two fellow performers to work in Washington at a circus, but instead was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. He tries to plead his case and fight for his freedom but all he gets in return are blows to his back until he accepts his new role as a Georgia runaway slave. This is not only an example of how black people were physically abused, but also how they were psychologically abused. As soon as he is kidnapped, he is stripped away from everything he once was and everything he once knew. He is given a new name and identity and if he dared to proclaim otherwise, it would cost him his life. It is unfortunate that black men and women in the North were never actually safe, even if they were born free, they risked getting abducted and sold to slave owners in the South, just like Solomon was. Kidnapping was not the only cruel act in which black people were targeted, they were also humiliated and treated as less than a white person.

Solomon’s Northup ‘12 Years a Slave’ is an autobiography book that narrates his life journey in regaining his freedom as a freeman. He emphasizes the concept of racism and freedom in his ‘12 Years a Slave’. This essay explores the research question “How does Northup portray the concept of racism and freedom in the novel ‘12 Years A Slave’?”. This essay begins with an introduction that outlines the background of racism and freedom in the novel and how the novel has provided detailed information that helps in analyzing. The essay continues with outlines of racism that occurs during 1840’s. The main analysis is included in the body; racism during Solomon’s abduction, how were they treated by his masters, what were his thoughts and