"People think race is a natural way to categorize people, it's really just a social construct," Kelly Greenwood (Bio major at Stony Brook University). Sociologists Omi and Winant stated, "Everyone 'knows' what race is, though everyone has a different opinion as to how many racial groups there are, what they are called and who belongs to what specific racial categories." Race was created to associate characteristics of skin color, hair texture, and facial features to one group. By doing this, European's who were colonized in the US used it to make their race a superior race, to have control over the other races, to degrade and dehumanize them. Examples stand in the American times of slavery. Over 50 years later since the civil war, prejudice, racism, social hierarchies are just as bad as they were back then. if anything, it's worse because it's all behind closed doors, subliminal messages/acts/initiatives.
With who is now our 2016 President-Elect, the racism is no longer behind closed doors. People are displaying their racism openly, through acts of violence, graffiti, hate speeches, and harassment. People in America no longer feel safe to walk out of their homes. A woman was attacked and had her hijab taken off. Another woman was told to sit in the back of the bus. Nazi symbols are being spray painted across properties. Teachers are apparently telling their students why their parents should be deported.
Race was defined to be associated with genetics and phenotype. If you were African American, then you had more physical capabilities such as running faster or being stronger genetics wise. They also said that the African Americans were less intelligent. Research proves that genetics have no correlation between how you look and how physically/intelligent/mentally able to you are.
Today the concept of race is more complex, it is judging how you look underlying with what ethnicity you are. If you are Hispanic/latino but you look white, you are considered higher on the social status than latinos who are dark skinned or have facial features that are more indigenous than caucasian/European. Anyone Italian, Irish, or just newly immigrated to the US was considered black. There were cases where Indians, Japanese, and other minorities spoke up about how they were/should be considered white. Middle Easterns have the biological descendants of the Aryan race however that still was not accepted. White men, the ones who created this concept that white is superior and what it means to be white is not about just your skin color or even if it is biological or not if you come from 'white' ancestry. If you do not look fully or mainly white/caucasian/European. Then you are excluded from that category and unable to pertain all its privileges.
The Racist ideology in the US is "a set of beliefs that is widely accepted and critical to maintaining the subordination of black Americans and other people of color"(Feagin 2000.) Taking my sociology classes with Tiffany Joseph, Ethnic and Race Relations in the US was perfect timing with the elections. I learned about the Intertemporal perspective on racial oppression throughout US History; Which is the perception of examining racial oppression over time to understand the development and structure of the US (Feagin 2000).
Through systematic racism, institutionalized racism; Job Discrimination, Housing Discrimination, and Political racism. People of color live in environments that are either not safe or have a poor education system due to housing segregation only offering selected homes in certain areas for a specific group of people. It goes under the nose because there is no proof other than the word of the real estate saying "sorry this home is not available" if it's a home they prefer to sell to a white person. Job discrimination starts with judging the person's name either consciously or subconsciously. If it is an American name you are more likely to get chosen for an interview over someone with a Spanish/Middle Eastern/Black. This is taking away opportunities for minorities that came here or their ancestors came here FOR the FREEDOM and FOR MORE OPPORTUNITIES. Yet, look how that plays out when the real estate companies after WWII only sold homes and gave out loans to the white families in Long Island where they were building a entire new society away from the minorities living in today's NYC. The loans they created for blacks/minorities after this was exposed were extremely high interest rates that led these minorities to go in debt and bankruptcy. Knowing better that the families could not afford it, let them sink into turmoil. Where is the opportunity in that? Even today still within NYC, all five boroughs are going through gentrification. Pushing out the working class/minorities out of their homes so that they can build new fancy expensive buildings and stores for the elite. What great opportunities for them.
These racist beliefs are taught and incorporated throughout society. It is ingrained in our culture through the media, television shows, jokes/stereotypes, etc. It causes us as humans to behave and interact in ways we do not notice in ourselves. The way to first address this issue is to not only become educated in the problem itself and understanding its underlying factors and history. It also starts with noticing how it affects us ourselves. You may want to believe you've never discriminated, or been prejudice/racist. However, did you ever try to step out of your shoes and take an objective look at yourself? Perhaps even take a step into someone else's shoes and understanding how they feel or what it means to be them in that situation/scenario.
Step one, is education and understanding how important the issue is. Step two, is consciousness and awareness of yourself and your surroundings. Step three, is making a change within yourself. Step four is exempting that change and talking about it, discussing it, educating others. It's not about being right or being the better person. It's not about lecturing others either. This is about becoming innovated, open minded, humane, and all the good qualities of being human that have yet to be practiced and exercised within society.
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