Racism in America

Racism is defined as the belief that one culture or race is fundamentally superior to another, despite anthropological evidence to the contrary. Racism has been used to subject certain races to unfair rules throughout history. Differences in physical characteristics have always been used as justifications for discrimination. Racism is a term that encompasses not only racism based on a person's race, but also racism based on economic power, ethnicity, and culture. Racism has existed in the United States for a long time, with its peak occurring during the Jim Crow era. Various organizations have formed to combat racism in the country over the years. The efforts from these groups have always been based on cleansing racism in aspects such as social, political and the legal structures platforms in the U.S. Despite these efforts, racism continues to thrive in the country, beneath the fabric of society untouched for years. The widespread institutional and societal changes which have been used since 1960 have done little to ameliorate the covert racial discriminations that the minority face; however, there are several modern approaches that can be used to overcome the vice of racism in the United States.
Haltinner, Kristin. Teaching race and anti-racism in contemporary America. New York: Springer, 2014.
The article Teaching race and anti-racism in contemporary America by Kristin is based on teaching especially when it comes to the issue of racism in the United States. The article discusses first the stereotype that has manifested itself among the white community about African Americans. The author has employed the tribulations of a girl named Olivia to narrate how whites depicted African Americans during a certain Halloween day. The author further gives account of the “two-faced” racism among the students. The students hold a no racism character in public but in a company of close friends of the same particular race, they engage in all manner of racist jokes. The author further illustrates her stance by giving examples of jokes about Jews people followed by punchlines that are derogatory in nature. The author has used the first part of the article to show the blatant racism that exists in the United States and the two faced racism that is present among the students.
One way of overcoming racism in the United States according to the author is by letting the white students trace their family histories as well as the overall white history and the evilness that such people caused. Kristin argues that the only way that racism can end is by teaching the younger ones about the evilness of racism and the people that have perpetrated racism in the society as well as giving them an outlook of the suffering the other parties suffered. This is the reason that Kristin uses the article to give suggestions on how the students can be shown the effect of racism. For instance, Kristin uses the character of Janet and how she saw the true nature of herself on matters pertaining racism. Many students especially white students do not understand that they perpetrate racism. By giving them family assignment such as family history, they slowly understand the evilness of racism.
Griffith, Derek M., et al. "Dismantling institutional racism: theory and action." American journal of community psychology 39.3-4 (2007): 381-392.
The article dismantling institutional racism: theory and action by Derek is based on a psychological perspective. The article suggests that a few community psychological models are needed for creating a system that that can properly address oppression n the society. The article introduces the topic by giving accounts of racism in the Civil Rights era. The author gives account of how Civil rights era did away with ethnic barriers and over racial injustices in the US health care system. The author comes with a counterargument that despite such changes, there still exists inequalities in different institutions around the country. The article states that ethnic and racial disparities exists in the healthcare where white people are welcomed or rather taken care of easily than colored individuals.
The author argues that one way in which racism can be overcome in health care institutions is by encouraging cultural competency. According to the article, one way in which the perceived racism continues to manifest itself in the health care system is through perceived discrimination. As a result, people of color with chronic diseases are unlikely to seek for constant treatment on their issues. The author further states that training should be carried out in the institutions to increase cultural awareness. Additionally, the training should be carried out with the aim of reducing racial insensitivity. The author states that educational approaches to racial discrimination has failed or rather it has been ineffective. As such, the author wants a more psychological approach to control racism in the United States.
Warren, Jonathan, and Christina A. Sue. "Comparative racisms: What anti-racists can learn from Latin America." Ethnicities 11.1 (2011): 32-58.
The article Comparative racisms: What anti-racists can learn from Latin America by Warren and Sue debates on the US racial discourses especially concerning strategies that are being applied wrongly by anti-racist campaigns. The authors discuss about the implications of the current strategies in the United States of minimization of racial consciousness, racial mixing, multiculturalism, as well as colorblindness. The author claims that the strategies that have been used in Latin America can provide the US with ideas on overcoming the current racial discrimination in the country. The article states that the US has always been fixated on what it can give to Latin countries regarding racial discrimination instead of looking what it can offer them. According to the other, it has reached a time whereby the strategies used in the southern American countries should be used in the US to help fight racism.
The first idea that the authors have given is that mixing races in American have done little to stop racial discrimination. The first step according to the article is to stop concentrating its efforts on trying to mix the races or promoting race mixture and instead start to concentrate its efforts on other strategies such as educating the society. Interracial marriages has existed in the US for many years but racial inequalities continue to flourish. The article also suggests that colorblindness or racial avoidance has perpetuated racial discrimination. For instance, social policies such as affirmative actions have not reduced the rate of racial discrimination the country. The article states that it is imperative that the government avoids racial injustice and tackle the issue head on.
Seabrook, Renita, and Heather Wyatt-Nichol. "The ugly side of America: Institutional oppression and race." Journal of Public Management & Social Policy 23.1 (2016): 3.
This article is based on how institutions have oppressed the African Americans as a way of maintaining power within the confine of the white population. According to the authors, racial turmoil and social unrest has existed in America for ages. Structural racism and institutional oppression has been used by the white racist as an overarching form of social control. The purpose of this system is to maintain dominance over the minority ethnicities in the United States. The authors have discussed socio-historical significance in four major section. These sections are: Racism: Reconstruction and Jim Crow, Foundation of racial oppression, Reckoning: Embedded Racism and the criminal Justice System, and Renewal: Civil Rights and Civil Disobedience.
One of the ways that the authors think will help fight or do away with racism in the United States is by first stopping racial profiling. The authors argue that racial profiling of African Americans males is in violation of the statutory rights and various constitutional rights. However, the main issue is that racial profiling results in negative stereotypes of blacks and other ethnic minorities in the US. As such, this leads to black males being treated roughly by the general population as seen by their frequency in arrests which is four times more than the whites. The article articulates for accountability among the people especially the police force who have been at the center stage of many high profile killings of black American males. By being accountable in their work and the people in charge taking care of officers that are involved in racist acts, racism will slowly fade into obscurity.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Dimension of Racism, (2003), 1-2008
The article was prepared by United Nations Human rights office. The article articulates that with the current globalization, racial discrimination and racism ought to have been handled or rather end. According to the article, there are two factors that give shape to racism: diversity and identity. Diversity gives from to the old racism while identity gives form to the new type of racism seen in most countries. These two factors have given rise to the issue of racism in most countries. The article postulates that the only way to tackle racism is by using the same elements. According to the article, it states that for every country to overcome racism, it is imperative that they adopt diversity, do away with the ghetto mentality concerning the blacks, and exclusion of the negative differences that exist among the people.
The article further states that the way of eradicating racism is by transposing the concept among the people of living together. This will in turn give a new vision to human relations. With such a move, the dialogue of civilization and cultures will give rise to the expression of bio-culture. Additionally, the authors of the article suggest that in overcoming racism, diversity can be transformed from an ideologically and historically laden concept to a value whereby pluralism links diversity to unity dialectically. Through interaction, mutual understanding will arise among the people. The current low rate of interaction fuels discriminatory patterns as seen by some of the housing patterns seen in most states where there is a black community and in other areas, a white community gated property. By doing away with such arrangements, interaction will increase while racism will decrease at the same time.
Grassroots Policy Project. Race, Power and Policy: Dismantling Structural racism, (2010), 1-38.
The author of the article first mentions the racialization throughout the US history. Highlights of racialization has been give starting with the 1676 Bacon’s rebellion. During this period, both the poor whites and blacks stood together in resistance of the colonial masters. The authorities however drove a wedge between the two racial groups starting the racial discrimination that is still witnessed today. However, the main point that defined racial discrimination was in 1789 where the constitution was used to legally put the white people above the black folks in the US. The article further provides literature on the organized resistance to racism over the years. The second chapter gives ideas on how the economy was racialized as well leading the blacks to suffer further. The economic problems can still be felt in the current state.
The authors provide narrative, worldview and framing as one way of overcoming racism in the US. According to the authors, telling stories about the short coming of the previous generations will give the current generation ideas on how to avoid such scenario in the future. As a result, the people will be more willing to love one another than being divided based on the color of their skin. One instance of helping the people overlook their racial backgrounds is through framing. The word illegal has been used extensively to help the people forget about their difference and come together. For instance, immigrants who do not have proper documents are currently being labelled as illegal. As much as this at times might lead to a small issue of racism based on the race of the immigrants, it has however helped the Americans to come together as people of one nation and not of different races. The article articulates that there are other various ways in which racism can be overcome in the US.








Works Cited
Grassroots policy Project. Race, Power and Policy: Dismantling Structural racism, (2010), 1-38.
Griffith, Derek M., et al. "Dismantling institutional racism: theory and action." American journal of community psychology 39.3-4 (2007): 381-392.
Haltinner, Kristin. Teaching race and anti-racism in contemporary America. New York: Springer, 2014.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Dimension of Racism, (2003), 1-2008
Seabrook, Renita, and Heather Wyatt-Nichol. "The ugly side of America: Institutional oppression and race." Journal of Public Management & Social Policy 23.1 (2016): 3.
Warren, Jonathan, and Christina A. Sue. "Comparative racisms: What anti-racists can learn from Latin America." Ethnicities 11.1 (2011): 32-58.