Avery Matney
Mr. Berkoben
English IV
13 November 2015
Racism in Oklahoma Everyone is different. No matter what you look like, where you came from, or how you grew up. Race does not define a person. Racism issues have appeared throughout many different generations. In Oklahoma, there are factors of events proving that racism is still alive today. Racism is any negative thought or action toward members of a racial minority or any manifestation of racial inequality. There are different types of racism: Individual racism, Institutional racism, and Cultural racism. This essay will analyze racism and certain component parts: causes, effects, & prevention. There are various examples of causes coming from racism. Fraternity members at the University of Oklahoma learned a racist chant which was caught on camera and posted online. It was not something that was a part of the tradition. “Do I think these young men are racist in their heart? Do I think they’re proud of what they did? No.” said Boren. (Bidwell). 25 students have received discipline from this video coming out. Also kids from school districts have experienced racist remarks and bullying. Kids are getting bullied for all types of reasons and racism is one of them. People think that remarks about your cultural or ethnicity are not a huge problem. Racist slurs can sometimes be taken lightly. Two stories were shared from students who attended schools in the Oklahoma area. “Holemant said for 2 years she has tried
Racism throughout time has had a powerful negative force in society. There have been many efforts made to relieve racism. Racism is still present in America, although many people are doing their best to put a stop to racism and its somewhat devastating effects on young black males in society. “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” (Lee) The negative stereotypes and racial profiling that Americans hand down from generation to generation are damaging not only to the minorities but to those perpetuating them as well. The behaviors that are kept alive because of these negative stereotypes and the behaviors associated with them, create an emotional and social struggle as well as presenting obstacles when receiving an education and employment opportunities.
Racism can and does lead to violence a majority of the time. It is detrimental flaw in society, where innocent people are killed daily due to their skin tone. In Wolf Whistle, Bobo was a fourteen year old African American boy that was murdered by two white men because he wolf whistled at a white female. He was killed simply because a white man named Solon thought that Bobo’s action was outrageous due to his skin color. Unfortunately, racists people like Solon still walk among us today. They are referred to as white supremacists, since they firmly believe they are better than other races. Killings like Bobo’s still happen today but to a lesser degree. Bobo’s death was a long, slow and vicious death that no human should ever have to go through.
Some possible causes of racism can be of an institutional racism, which means that a group of people have the same faith about a certain type of person. Racism can be from the past and what people of
If one were to drive down any random road in South Carolina today, they might spot a Confederate Flag hanging proudly from a building or a house or even a national monument. The ones who support the display of this flag say that it is more to do with cultural history than racism, however, the history that this flag represents is what motivated Dylann Roof to kill nine innocent people in a South Carolina church in 2015. In this day and age, how did something like the Charleston church shooting massacre occur? This essay will explain how racism, although not as common as it was in the past, still exists today and how this racism is connected to the story of Dylann Roof. Although certain racist laws, such as Jim
The society today likes to classify and individual according to their physical physical features, such as: skin color, hair color, hair texture. eye shape, and etc. This practice reflects that the society have a need to put individuals into categories. Social issues surrounding race is the most controversial of all time. Race is defined as a group of people who share similar and distinct physical features. Words associated with race are racial discrimination, racial profiling and racial stereotypes. Racial discrimination is the practice of treating an individual differently because of their race or color. Racial profiling refers to the practice law enforcement officials using an individual 's race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin when looking for suspects of crimes. Racial stereotypes are automatic and exaggerated mental images society holds of a particular group. How prevalent is race when all these terms exists and each has its own definition? Racism is still alive and harming the society of America.
One-thirty second of “Negro Blood” means you are black, despite that most whites have one-twentieth Negro ancestry (Phipps). Does racism still exist today? Not in the same way as it did many years ago, in 1865 slavery ended and in 1954 segregation ended. For a very long time being white was the greatest thing. Being white gave access to better opportunities and a better life. Since blacks endured this for so long they were way behind in living a life like the whites. Race has determined so much for so long if you would be a slave or not, if you would have a say or not, even where you were allowed to go and who to love.
Racism can occur in different ways, the most common is the use of offensive words, for example “nigger boy” to refer to the color of the skin in a derogatory and rude way. “Don’t you listen to that Quaker Abolitionist and that free nigger boy," he cries out as he whips the men in chains."They got evil in their words and destruction in their
Racism has been a terrible problem in American society for hundreds of years. Racism issues are not limited to one specific race, but include all races. It is the responsibility of the people of this nation to address racism and learn to accept and embrace each other for our differences, and allow this great nation to become even more united for our sake and the sake of future generations. To eliminate racism it is imperative to know first, where racism started and how it has developed, why it continues to be present in our nation today, and what we must do as a people to overcome this major problem.
In my life there has been a small amount of racism. Considering that I’ve grown up in the small town in the middle of Wyoming. Although, I have surely seen the news articles on the subject of racism. Recently, there has been many encounters with this dreaded term in the larger cities. Some are reasonable, others are not so much. When looking over each story available there are a few that really jumps into my path or somewhat upset me.
The Declaration of Independence, created in 1776, states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” (Thomas Jefferson).” No one should be subjected to being treated as if they are less than anyone. Everyone has different opinions on the issue of whether or not racism exists and if African Americans are treated lesser than any other race. Despite efforts to make everyone equal, I am willing to claim not all minorities are treated equal.
This unfair situation called Racism causes results in discrimination against the student victim that leads to poor educational performances. How so? Take for example a student at school who is discriminated because of their race. Such degrading confrontations causes the student to feel discomfort which leads to low self-esteem and being unable to concentrate well in their studies. As explained in The reals racism in our schools-- low expectations or delusional thinking by Larry Strauss, students who are victims have lower grades than a student who is not discriminated against would score. This is the lack of concentration and discomfort that
Everyone is a human being, everyone has the same rights as the only difference is skin color and since everyone is almost genetically the same there is no reason for anyone to be racist. American scholars and citizens strongly support freedom of speech but there are many that agree that all types of discrimination are wrong. In the United States freedom is acceptable but people's opinions on someone who doesn't look the same shouldn't be allowed. Since everyone has a different opinion that can sometimes be unchanging there is no way to really eradicate racism but people can slowly make a difference.
Unfortunately, in this time and age, racism continues to be an issue in the American society, especially in the south. Since the introduction of slavery, many people have the belief that skin color determines someone’s ranking in life. After the freedom of slaves, racism became a big problem in America. As a result, other races look down upon many different cultures and ethnic groups believing that they are superior to others. Racism has lead to people discriminate against one another and become prejudice. Unfortunately, racism effects peoples lifestyles, job opportunities, and education.
Racism is a growing problem in today's society. People are being discriminated against their culture, religion, and background. We can just look south of the border to see how bad racism is. Donald Trump a presidential candidate has promised to ban and deport Muslims because of the growing concerns over ISIS. Not all Muslims are they same and people should learn that by now.
Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideology of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. “Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual” (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the