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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.

Personally, I believe education is the key to combating racism. We must education our peers on our cultures. We must explain that “colorblindness” in society is not what’s best. Only by embracing and recognizing each other differences we will be able to break the social bubbles we live in. I’ve gained a stronger sense of racial awareness through this course. I have the ability to challenge and change other people’s ideologies and understand my own. I know because of my social position have scholarships, financial aide and the values of hard work and education instilled in me by my parents and grandparents. I’m also aware that many people are not able to gain that same access. Because of my racial awareness there is so much more I want to find out about the contributing factors that led to my family’s social position in New Orleans. It is through my racial awareness I plan to beat the system.

The researchers randomly selected eight African American students from a low socioeconomic status at a school on “…the outskirts of an urban center” (Andrade, 1995, p.7). The methodology included interviews and observations. The researchers found that in general, the African American students entered and left high school with high goals for themselves and despite some cultural conflicts felt by the students, the Catholic school “…fosters a positive ethnic identity and minimizes identity and cultural conflicts” (Andrade, 1995, p.

In today’s society, including within schools racism is very much still prevalent and can have huge effects on a student’s school life and wellbeing. In fact, around 85% of participants from the Challenging Racism Project that took place in 2010 at the University of Western Sydney believe that racism is still a current issue today. (Human Rights Commission, 2015). As racism is inextricably linked to socio-economic factors and depending on the area where Indigenous communities live can affect the racial discrimination they receive. For example, if a student is at a school in a middle socio-economic area and the school has a supportive program for Indigenous students, they may receive less discrimination as the other students at the school have been well educated about Aboriginal culture and their history. Vice versa the opposite experience could happen as Aboriginal students could be subject to extreme racial discrimination if they are at a school where their peers have not been properly educated about their

The keynote speaker, Dr. Anthony Graham, is a professor and dean of the College of Education at North Carolina A&T. As a scholar, Dr. Graham presented his research on African American adolescents and more at various international, national and state conferences. During his tenure as a professor at North Carolina A&T, Dr. Graham has published a variety of book chapters and co-authored a book. The great speaker has written grants totaling approximately $10 million. He has also created numerous initiatives to increase the number of racial and minority students. He was recently recognized by the National Association of Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club Inc. Dr. Graham’s messages share optimism, critical consciousness and more that inspire the minority mindset to be successful.

From the very foundation of Berea College, the school has had the core principles of Christianity built into it. The principle that it is our obligation to work towards alleviating the adversity of all, regardless of the race or class of those who are disadvantaged. Unfortunately Berea College’s commitment to race and class is not always fully expressed by their actions. In order to remedy this, Berea College should put greater effort into its commitment to class and race by creating a committee made up of multiple races and classes, with the purpose of creating programs to help individuals who are disadvantaged by their race and/or class. Such a committee would be tasked with working to understand every aspect pertaining to the races and classes

My experience has led me to believe that racism is extinguishing our opportunity of getting good education because it is bringing our chances down to get in to a good school or program, also the lack of laws that states everyone deserves a chance no matter what race he or she belongs to, lack of advertising for programs, and financial barriers can impair us from

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.

Over the years, I met so many Shavons—Black teenage girls, most of whom were experiencing multiple traumas in their personal lives. They all had their voices silenced, their actions demonized and ultimately punished for speaking up. My master’s studies helped answer a lot of my initial puzzlements and what I learned made me a better educator but, most importantly, I believe that it has led me to a greater opportunity to contribute to our society. I am deciding to pursue my doctorate in (degree/program) because there is still much more that needs to be unlocked about the reality African-American girls currently face in urban education settings. If we as a nation want to truly transform our public education system, we have to invest our girls.

Have you ever experienced racism? Most of us have and we all know it is not a good feeling, because it has always been here. I have witnessed racism and discrimination first hand. One of my friends Ricardo was teased on a daily basis by white kids. He was constantly teased for his race and for the people he hung out with. The kids would shout at him “go back to your country” “where's your green card” “leave you beaner” This all occurred during class time in middle school. The staff would see this but wouldn't do anything about it, and when RIcardo tried to defend himself he would get in trouble. This school was almost all whites and this can be considered racial profiling. I believe that this caused him to be less confident in himself and made him fear other people. According to racism statistics and facts “racism has been mainly responsible for the death of over 62 million human beings in the last 100 years” Over the course of the year this has become a problem in white and

Racism in educational institutes of Nebraska is higher than one could ever expect it to be. Children are bullied on the basis of their skin color, they are degraded for the same reasons, and academic success often befalls the white community rather than the black community in such academic institutions because the black community is perceived as undeserving in the manner. Even the chancellor of Nebraska has admitted that he has witnessed racism in his own university and that there should be more done in order to excuse such racism and prevent it from happening ever again (Howard, 2015). This revelation and admittance came out after the UNL University had discovered increasing racism among students and faculty staff against the black community that persisted in the

It is an undeniable fact that racism still prevails. The full extent to which race impacts one’s lifestyle is undefinable; it effects where people live, what jobs they have, what schools they go to. Today, just under fifty percent of Hispanic and Black students attend high-poverty schools. At such schools, the resources available to the student body are quite limited; henceforth, there is less test prep, less push towards attending institutions of higher education, and less emphasis on education within the school environment and in local culture at large. Affirmative action aims to compensate for the aforementioned downfalls of belonging to a minority group by giving a small push to such students. Since it is easy to prove that currently poverty-stricken minorities have yet to break the cycle of poverty, this system is aimed at allowing that cycle to

Victor Hugo once said, “Society is a republic. When an individual tries to lift themselves above others, they are dragged down by the mass, either by ridicule or slander.” This directly reflects the circumstances at Ruskin High School, the school at which I am a proud member of, but subjected to ridicule by the outside community. Although I myself am Caucasian, the school’s student body is primarily made up of African-Americans, and that alone is reason enough for others to have such speculative opinions on a school they have never truly seen. Never are the diligent students of Ruskin High judged off their hard work ethics or amazing literary works, instead we are constantly berated for the bad behavior of the few students who cause havoc.

According to the New York times, Black students are three times more likely to be suspended than white students. The story Invisible Man covers this issue with a black man struggling in school because of racism. Even after the Brown vs Board case, we still have inequality throughout the school system. We can work together as a community to prevent racism in our schools. The use of racism in schools kills the dreams of the students of the future.

Affirmative Action in the college setting needs to continue, and more factors should be taken into consideration in order to admit a wider range of students who truly require assistance. Having students with different ethnicity, backgrounds, regions, experiences, and social classes in the classroom leads to a richer learning environment. “If we believe we learn from our students, and that our students learn from each other, then the importance of minority students in the class is obvious. A diversity of views leads to a better discussion and greater understanding among the students. My best classes often involve students debating each other on issues of race, tolerance, fairness, etc” (Finkelman). These issues need to be more than read about--it