Reflection About Racism

Until then, little to no people had ever heard of the term Ebonics. Coined in 1973 by Dr. Robert Williams, an African-American social psychologist, he amalgamated the words “ebony” with “phonics” in reference to “black sounds.” Dr. Robert Williams, as well as numerous African-American social scientists had previously discussed the psychological development of black children and ultimately were largely displeased with the term Black English and began to ponder on the alternatives, in which he subsequently found significance with the term Ebonics. He states that Ebonics must “define what people speak and to give clear definition to the language.” With the knowledge that ebony meant black and that phonics refers to speech sounds or science of sounds, he mingled the two words to codify the term.

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.

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.

It appears to be that the discussion of race and class in America has become amplified, especially in the last couple of years. For many, it is a touchy subject that hits close to home. With the presence of social media and news that feeds off of racial tension in America, the issues are polarizing and difficult to productively discuss. America’s handling of race and class relations is generally not something to be proud of, and there exists a long history of issues with race. It is clear that there is a lack of understanding and empathy of what others experience toward those who are oppressed. So often it is too easy to dismiss another human’s experiences as reality if one has had no prior encounter with the same challenges. Race is easy to sweep under the rug, but we must address the problem, and it is not a one size fits all solution. It is a problem that has been years in the making and continues to have an enormous impact on our human capital from an economic standpoint. And most of the time, there is a correlation between race and class.

Savan explains how close yet how far apart the White and African American languages really are. She writes about how often black language is now being used in everyday “American talk”(381) by white people. She feels that the media has used so many words of African Americans that these words are now becoming part of “Standard English”(368). Although many words of blacks are becoming extremely accepted by white people the entire black language is not accepted. “December 1996, the Oakland, California, school board approved [a new way of teaching] African American students [in the classroom]’’(Savan 385). The school board approved the method of using ebonomics in several African American populated schools around the Oakland area. This new way of teaching created an uproar with the media and white people. Once again African American people were being scrutinized over their language and were being made fun of again. Many of the same white people/media using black language were mocking African American’s saying “to teach ebonomics [is wrong because blacks would be ignoring] standard english”(Savan 386). This is a very thoughtless statement because if blacks would be able to use their own black language in school it could help them understand the standard english system along with several

Before I began this class I thought I was well versed in terms, of race, ethnicity, and nationality. However, I may have been partially wrong. I always considered my race to be Mexican and my ethnicity to be Hispanic while my nationality is American. However, according to the definitions I don’t have a race. On forms, I usually check the block for other and identify by ethnicity. I consider myself of Hispanic ethnicity from Mexican descent. However, to Mexicans from Mexico, I am not considered Mexican. I am a white Mexican, Mexican American or Chicana; both of my parents are born in Mexico of Mexican parents. I am most certainly proud of my roots as well as being an American. In the world we live in today it’s difficult to neglect the fact that I stand out for obvious reasons. That at times I am treated differently. That because of my roots I am told to go back to my country. That I shed a tear as I write this because I live with an inner struggle of who I am.

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.

Racism in a pre-Civil Right Era was violent, abhorrently blatant, and prevalent to a fault. Post Jim-Crow, racism has diminished so much so that it barely exists; or so society likes to believe. In actuality, racism has been transformed under a different lens where racism still stands as the structures and functions of American society but have been so normalized and legalized that white Americans feel as the country has progressed in terms of racism. This lens, one that Eduardo Bonilla-Silva has defined as colorblind in his book Racism without Racists, explain how racism still dictate how people of color live and suffer in contrast to their white American counterparts despite the racial “progress” that society so desperately want to believe. Colorblind racism can be defined as the belief or behavior that racism no longer exists at all or like it once did in the past by disregarding how race plays a role in minorities lives and thus continuing to prop up the same racist structures and foundations that was at play decades ago before the alleged “progress” of the post civil rights era. What makes colorblind ideology a problem at its basis is held within the fact that white Americans know that race exists yet they both subconsciously and willfully ignore how the sociopolitical and economic aspects of the nation work to keep white Americans ahead while minorities struggle to survive in a world that essentially ignores them. A prime example of colorblind racism in a modern

Humans have come a long way in terms of racism. We want to live in an era where discrimination and racism was a very common thing. The big question I will however pose is, is it not still a big and common thing? Racism a great amount of violence. Romberg the holocaust? The group that wiped out nearly 6 million people? All of this chaos created by one single racist mind. Racism is not always about violence. Racism is discriminating against someone because of either their religion, skin color, or their features. But out of all this hatred, came some inspiration, from Martin Luther King jr., Barack Obama to Collin Kaepernick.

There are many destructive forces in this world, one of them being racism, the most powerful prejudice in society, as seen by Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. This small town in the 1930’s, during the Great Depression presents numerous examples of racism and its negative repercussions. As illustrates in the novel, racism is displayed in a variety of ways throughout the novel, however it is most present in the case of Tom Robinson’s trial, the prejudice that is displayed by the citizens of Maycomb, and the state of Calpurnia’s Church.

What is the author trying to make us understand about this ? What the speaker is saying that back then it was hard for black men and black women because of racism , you think that the present day of racism is bad not like back then. Black's were treated if they weren't even human but more like a animal with two leg's, two arm's , and a face.If you were black back then and you had did something by accident to a white they would give you a life sentence for doing that we , but it not as bad like back then.Being black back then was like you as a rock always being step on or being kick around the sidewalk or being

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.

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

Racism is an important aspect in the world because it is presented almost every day in our communities. In the article “Chapter 7: What Is Racism,” DiAngelo states “Racism is a form of oppression in which one racial group dominates others” (87). Racism surrounds our society,economy, and political environment which create an inequitable issue of privileges, resources,and power between all race types (DiAngelo 88). My basic definition of racism is when an individual of a specific race, such as Caucasian, discriminates against another race, such as African American, because one feels superior to the other. I believe a racist is one who gets involved in ethnic discrimination; therefore it is cruel to live in a world with people who do not get along with others due to the color of their skin.In the book “Twilight Los Angeles, 1992” written by Anna Deavere Smith, there are a few examples that define a possible, clear, and not clear case of racism. In the Rudy Salas Sr.interview, Salas was beaten very badly by a police officer then after he threw a punch at the officer but was not too hard. Salas was a Mexican and the police officer was a white American.Salas was also beaten and kicked by four police officers and they fractured his eardrum which made him become deaf. This made Salas have an insane hatred for white policemen (Smith 1-7).It may seem as the police officers were racists because they attacked Salas, but we do not know the exact reason why the police officers attacked