Reflection About Racism

Is it racism or economics which hinders many African American communities from progressing economically in the 21st Century? This research proposal will address this question by examining the social and psychological impact caused by racism and the economic impact it’s had on the African American community. This proposal will further investigate whether the emotional scars of slavery continue to hamper African American progress or if racism is actually the cause.

As someone of Asian race, but adopted into a white suburban family, it has always been hard to reconcile the two. Growing up I never saw myself different than my primarily white classmates. Only when kids, mostly strangers, would sometimes pull their eyelids back or spoke pseudo-Chinese in an attempt to imitate Asian culture in middle school did I realize that I was different on the outside did I begin to understand that the

Racism is still a very prominent issue in America today. Yes, it has improved from the days of slavery, and we do have a black president; but society is nowhere near equal, and that is not acceptable. White Privilege by Paula Rothenberg truly opened my eyes to the extent of the social injustice on African Americans. Just by being white, one is oppressing another race because the privilege and respect that comes with the skin color. Whether intentional or not, the racism is still there and present and that is not acceptable. Being white, I’ve never suffered from the repercussions of racism, but after reading and becoming more aware of the suffering of African American’s, it is significant to write and spread the knowledge about racism and especially implicit racism. Everyone is surrounded by racism on a daily basis, and it’s important to be aware of your actions and the effects they have on society.

I have always thought about myself as just a person. After taking this course, I think of myself as a white person. To me, being colorblind and attempting to look at everyone as just a person, were ways I avoided being racist. This course, taught by Dr. Bianca Williams, has enabled me to change my views on racism and race to a move correct outlook. I now understand that it is my duty to be able to acknowledge my race and other identities and the privileges that come with being a white, middle class, heterosexual person. I used to think that interpersonal racism was the main problem in the United States, but after this course realize that institutional racism is the problem. This course, coupled with readings from Devon W. Carbado on his piece titled “Privilege”, Beverly Daniel Tatum’s article titled “Talking about Race, Learning about Racism”, Brittney Cooper’s article on “The Politics of Black Women’s Hair” and Audre Lorde’s article called “The Uses of Anger: Women Responding to Racism”, I have shifted my views on race and racism to a more constructive and correct outlook.

In Peggy McIntosh’s article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” McIntosh embarked to uncover the countless advantages whites tend to have over those of color. By doing so, she validated her credibility to the reader by listing her findings along with research and evidence to supplement her claim. After reflecting on the privileges she found, McIntosh stated, “…whiteness protected me from many kinds of hostility, distress, and violence, which I was being subtly trained to visit in turn upon people of color” (McIntosh, 3). This makes it obvious to the reader that McIntosh’s findings are unjust and should be changed. Unfortunately, most white individuals are currently doing nothing to modify these unfair privileges. McIntosh concludes the article by posing

When white Americans choose to self-educate about systemic racism they can become allies in the fight to dismantle racist structures in our society. Systemic racism is a theory that “takes a look at how individual, structural, and institutional forms of racism intersect, overlap, and create a deep-rooted form of prejudice and discrimination that advantages a cultural group at the expense of others in all institutions of a society - economics, political representation, the criminal justice system, employment, and many others.” (Luther College 2015). This includes discrimination affecting credit, schooling, justice, residential location, etc. It can be eradicated in the next century, but not without white people acknowledging that it is a real issue that cost lives. It is not the duty of the oppressed to make a liberty sales pitch to their oppressors. However, it is the responsibility of those benefiting from the oppression of others to become educated, listen, and use their privilege to combat injustice. Asian, Latino, Black, and First Nations people respectively do not experience white supremacy in the same ways. Throughout this essay I will focus on the systemic racism targeted at Black people, using the term “People of Color”, coined by Black Feminists in the 1970s, abbreviated to PoC, to refer to them.

I feel Peggy McIntosh offers compelling points in her article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack”. White people in our society tend to take for granted and not even realize how easily they can live their lives without the discrimination that others endure. They don’t live in fear of being a victim of racism because they are not used to that kind of treatment themselves. Being white is viewed as the norm in our society, while it is also normal to treat anyone who is non-white differently. People in our American society are quick to stereotype any race that is not white. Anybody who is non-white must continuously have their guards up for racism and are often labeled social unacceptable when they do not deserve to be.

As I backed out of the driveway, blood rushing to my face, I had a sudden realization. My entire life I have been looked at as a stereotype rather than a human being. The color of my skin led to people already having judgement about me before engaging in a conversation. Race is a minor characteristic yet it is deeply constructed within our society. The difficulties that black people experience bubbles up racial tension underlying the “post-racial” society that we live in. It is important to have the vocabulary to describe your lived experiences in order to feel like they are justified because people are always trying to dismiss them. “You people always make everything about race!” they would exclaim. Because, for us, everything is about race and it has always been that way. Black people can’t simply live their lives without the presence of their race being objectified. Those who do not understand need to not only recognize but acknowledge race without being oblivious to the reality of this

In today’s society it causes no alarm for people of various ethnicity to sit on a barstool at any counter and be served. When patrons walk into a public place, there are no signs that so white’s only or colored anymore. Yet, only a very short time ago in 1954 Brown v. Board of Education outlawed segregation in the public education facilities. Even though being served at a restaurant or using the same restrooms has changed in the last 50 years, it has not erased the racism that so many people still face as James Baldwin did in “Notes of a Native son.”

Explanations that justify the use of racism directly relates to differential treatment of minority groups and contributes to racism’s existence as an unstoppable social problem. The foundations of these explanations are based on the common misunderstanding of the definition of race. Thus, problems that tend to concentrate in one race are mistakenly judged as “race problems”. This judgement leads to the establishment of a system of inequality between a superior race and inferior races. However, the logic behind these explanations don’t account for the true reasoning behind minority individuals value status. In fact, these explanations contribute to minority individuals’ further struggle in life.

I am a white woman. I am so pale, that my skin blows out the white balance in a photograph. Because I am white, I have been able to escape prejudices that so many other women experience every day. For a very long time, I was unaware of how deep-seated racism is in America. Because I am white, color was a non-issue for me. It was never discussed in my family. Why would it be? Many white people are blind to the injustices that others face, because it has never been something that affected their lives directly. As stated by C. Wright Mills in The Promise of Sociology, “...the personal uneasiness of individuals is focused upon explicit troubles and the indifference of publics is transformed into involvement with public issues” (Mills, 5). This describes how people are so focused on their own personal troubles, that they cannot comprehend the troubles of others. Therefore, they do not see the struggles of others as having the capacity to be a problem within society. Privilege is something I feel has only recently been discussed in mainstream media. Going to college really opened my eyes to the experiences of people who live entirely different lives than me, and interacting with people from all

In this video, Wise talks about how white privilege works in the modern society of the United States. That is the privilege which turns other people’s lives invisible. No media investigates on the victims of discrimination at an institutional level, hence their voices can never be heard. Moreover, white people do not have an opportunity (and necessity) to know about the reality of the people of color, thus the existence of racism has been denied by the white in every generation. Meanwhile, those who are nonwhite should have learned the white reality, culture, and life, to survive in the society. Even in academic environment, they constantly need to worry about whether their academic underperformance would trigger the negative racial stereotype. In this regard,

Racism has been an emotional and hard topic that has been occuring in our society. Racism dates back to the Holocaust when jews, blacks, homosexuals and others were taken into camps because of something they cannot control. Although racism was more public in the past, racism is neither solved nor a thing of the past, racism nowadays is more silence and just as deadly. As we move forward in history, the Civil Rights Era was a shocking and important part of history, “Together, but separate.” Whites had more privilege and gave the blacks the, “leftovers.” In Warriors Don’t Cry, an uplifting, motivation and profound book, the main character Melba Pattillo battles integration as she makes her way through an all white school, who they are not happy to have her and eight others. Currently, while racism is not as public, I believe racism is just as bad as the past. Today, in our world, racial profiling and media have all been a way to express racism in a way that is just as hurtful.

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 and the effects of racism can be seen anywhere. In the hallways of the high school, the streets, housing, neighborhoods, cities, and more, one thing is seen, and that 's segregation, which is ultimately caused by racism. Walking in the hallways at school, chances are that you’ll see a group of whites, a group of Hispanics, and a group of African Americans, but rarely do you see these three groups interacting with each other. Racism has been made a part of people’s everyday lives, a border posed by racism: segregation. Racism and its effects can not only be seen around us but can also be traced throughout countless readings in HWOC this year. Almost every literary work focuses on the topic or underscores at its effects, and today, you can walk into any library or bookstore and find something, whether it be a news article or chapter book, regarding racial conflict. This alone is evidence of how racism has integrated our society and continues to inform and manipulate our minds. The literature we have been exposed to this past year is a reflection of society, similar to a reflection in a mirror showing us the piece of hair sticking up in the back, literature is showing us the problem so it can be addressed.