The Rise Of Racial Differences

In Omi and Winant, Racial Formation the topic of what race is brought up. They bring up the question of "What is race?" Which lead to the use of pseudo-science to justify the physical difference that were observed. Race is later defined as a social construct which is shaped by broader societal forces.

The social construction of race is a topic that is worth discussing. In the United States the black/white color line has historically been rigidly defined and enforced. People have been stereotypical and afraid as long as I can remember. Labeling people as we think they should be based on the color of their skin or just thinking it’s in their biology so they must be this or they must be that. Race is socially constructed and is not a biological construct.

Racial Formation in the United States by Michael Omi and Howard Winant made me readjust my understanding of race by definition and consider it as a new phenomenon. Through, Omi and Winant fulfilled their purpose of providing an account of how concepts of race are created and transformed, how they become the focus of political conflict, and how they shape and permeate both identities and institutions. I always considered race to be physical characteristic by the complexion of ones’ skin tone and the physical attributes, such as bone structure, hair texture, and facial form. I knew race to be a segregating factor, however I never considered the meaning of race as concept or signification of identity that refers to different types of human bodies, to the perceived corporal and phenotypic makers of difference and the meanings and social practices that are ascribed to these differences, in which in turn create the oppressing dominations of racialization, racial profiling, and racism. (p.111). Again connecting themes from the previous readings, my westernized influences are in a direct correlation to how to the idea of how I see race and the template it has set for the rather automatic patterns of inequalities, marginalization, and difference. I never realized how ubiquitous and evolving race is within the United States.

In recent years and in light of recent tragedies, police actions, specifically police brutality, has come into view of a large, public and rather critical eye. The power to take life rests in the final stage of the criminal justice system. However, the controversy lies where due process does not. While the use of deadly force is defined and limited by departmental policies, it remains an act guided chiefly by the judgment of individual officers in pressure situations. (Goldkamp 1976, 169). Many current studies have emphasized the racial disparities in minority deaths, primarily black Americans, killed by police through means of deadly force. The history of occurrences reveals the forlorn truth that police reforms only receive attention in wake of highly publicized episodes of police misconduct. The notorious 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the matter to mass public attention and prompted improved law enforcement policy. Significant local reforms resulted, for instance, ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs. Additionally, on a broader platform, in 1994, Congress approved provisions to the Crime Control Act in effort to tackle police abuse in a more structured way.

The United States of America has become a police state. Racism, in America, is not dead, but rather revived and practiced through the criminal justice system; blacks were the main targets of police brutality and patrols. The prison system has been manipulated to put people of color in jail, more than whites. Hispanics, now, are also becoming targets of the American policing system. How can America change its policing strategies to being more just and fair? The United States should stop making racially biased legislation and patrol all neighborhoods equally. The legal system should implement punishments that do not create more criminals, but rather help rehabilitate those who are deemed criminals.

truly concerned me growing up. Raised on the North side of San Antonio, Texas, I was never

The black/white racial gap dates back about fifty years to the Civil War. This gap is an ongoing problem. As stated in a previous discussion, the best way to look at this is to place a white and black student in a race. Not only does the white student have a head start but they have less obstacles to overcome. While through no fault of their own, these black students could have obstacles such as: their parents not graduating high school or college themselves which in fact contributes to a lower success rate for them, improper education where the teachers shorten the curriculum or even outside factors such as family or neighborhood interfere with the quality of education they receive or even being unable to attend school all together to take

Race relations in the United States Navy have had a long and rocky history. Although there is no denying progress has been made, especially in today’s Navy, it wasn’t always the case. Black sailors have honorably served in the American Revolution, however records by race weren’t then, and they continued to serve in the Navy up to this very day. (Williams, 2001) Since the American Revolution though, they have suffered from bigotry, segregation and outright racism from their white counterparts as well. This research paper is going to give a brief history of racism that black sailors suffered from the American

The racial division is only prolonged by a vast array of individuals from different backgrounds refusing to judge on anything besides color of skin and superficial differences. The problem does not end there; It extends further beyond just judging, it’s judging based on faulty assumptions, and plain wrong perceptions based on differences. America’s racial divide is further fueled by the concept of two Americas for African Americans and Immigrants. There are five categories, (Education, Wealth, Health, Incarceration, and Violence) where statistical data provided by US News, reveals a sad reality that cannot be overlooked. (Bremmer) When it comes to education, white’s chances to finish high school, are twice as high as compared to African Americans (suspension, expulsions, and dropouts play vital roles). Education is an important foundation, that writes out the scripts for either success or an inevitable collapse. That being said, African Americans without a High School diploma, are set up for failure, when it comes to adulthood. Some who do not complete High School are the exception. There are those who were not able to complete high school but strive to at least earn

Race is one of many key factors that influence the historic relationship between classes, ethnicity, immigrants, bodies, and the state, specifically when it comes to notions of citizenship. The articles, Perils of Degeneration, Hygiene and "The Indian Problem", Nationalizing Children through Schools and Hygiene, Puffy, Ugly, Slothful and Inert’, and The Vice Trust, all point to the function of popular perceptions of race in society, specifically how individuals are classified based on certain racial markers. All of these articles surround the theme in which notions of race influenced political and social responses in both the United States and Latin America.

Lee and Bean argue that in the U.S today while “racial boundaries may be fading, they are not disappearing at the same pace for all groups” (Lee Jennifer, Frank D Bean, Beyond Black and White). Lee and Bean argue that in our current society, it is no longer a white and non white racial structure, it’s argued now that our society is forming a new color line that is “less rigid for Latinos and Asians than blacks” (Lee Jennifer, Frank D Bean, Beyond Black and White). This new color line that is being created focuses less on racial background and more on integration, and skin color, the new structure is everyone else in society with only African Americans still being strongly excluded. Non black minorities such as Asians and Latinos are starting to become more “white” and gain greater benefits in society because of their higher rates of intermarriage with whites, stronger levels of assimilation into white society, and therefore greater integration into white culture. With these benefits come better job opportunities, social mobility, and most importantly access to better education. However since the color line still disadvantages African Americans I tried to create a policy to combat educational inequality among the color line and hopefully break down these barriers. My policy would raise taxes and create more funding for schools that are located in segregated African American neighborhoods, “37% of African Americans students attend a school that is almost entirely black”

All men are created equal yet the glaring disparities between races and ethnicities say otherwise. The African American demographic of America has the lowest poverty rate and household income than all other races and ethnicities. The statistics about African American poverty are staggering in regards to more than just unemployment, food insecurity, and nutrition. In the 21st century, decades after the civil war and desegregation, and with such a diverse population, the poverty in our country still pertains to race and the color of our skin. The following paragraphs will explicate the various distinctions in socioeconomic statuses of the African American and white populations of America. It is not my intention to pit the white and black

The 19th century marked a period of widespread racialization in the United States, which was carried out for political and economic purposes. However, as time went on race differences were seen as less relevant, especially when the minority races started proving themselves through their actions. Successful individuals from the minority groups were elevated while stories of less successful individuals, such as Asians and European immigrants diminished.

Race is invisible to white, because they don’t have to think about it. When white people are in poverty, they never think to consider their skin color as a factor to why they are. Whites are mostly oblivious to this happening in general, because it does not happen to them.

Throughout the Americas, the notion of race has been commonly used for making social distinctions (Telles, & Paschel, 2014) Race continues to influence power relations, construction of identities and resource distribution (Jenkins & Dillon 2012). The consequences of slavery led to desegregation and since then there has been ongoing issues of discrimination, prejudice, hate crimes, regarding race in the United States (Lee, & Bean, 2007). W.E.B. Dubois, in 1903, predicted that the issues of the twentieth century would be problems of the color line, by which he meant a metaphorical line that divides the country for historical reasons (Lee, & Bean, 2007). His prediction was spot on, because what was set in motion was a series of black and white