...associated to the concept of racial equality, which can simply refer to ‘social equality for peoples of all races’ (Crenshaw 1988). In spite of this however, there remain deeply entrenched processes of discrimination resistant to legal and political interventions throughout society (Solomos 1993). This essay will discuss the claim ‘there ain’t no Black in the Union Jack’ in relation to these processes of discrimination which have encouraged the mis representation and exclusion of Black people within British society. The first part of the essay will outline the meaning of race and racism in the 21st century. It will then go on to discuss processes of exclusion, which are reinforced by the media and politicians representation of black migrants and the existence of so called ‘White spaces’. These exclusions of black people can be seen to prevent them from identifying as British thus excluding them from being part of ‘the Union Jack’. Whilst the concept of racism has been restricted by the notion of ‘colour’ as it has concealed the full range of ways in which racism has operated in Britain, including against Jews, Gypsies and the Irish (Jewesbury 2008), throughout this essay the term will only be discussed in the political sense to ‘denote people who self- identify, originate or have ancestry from global majority populations (i.e. African, Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin America) and Indigenous and Bi-racial backgrounds (Nagarajan 2013). Essentialism forms the backbone of what is...
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...a great 21st century poet. She has a wide selection of poetry to choose from. One of my favorite is "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing". This poem bring about many ideas and thoughts, there is not just one meaning. The poem is about the repression of African American race, segregation, and freedom. Maya Angelou wrote " I Know Why the Caged Bird Sing," at the end of the American Civil Rights movement. This poem is about two birds one is trapped in a cage and one is flying free. The one trapped in the cage is a metaphor for black people. The bird that is flying free is a metaphor for white people. Maya Angelou illustrates how the free bird, or a metaphor for the white race, is untroubled. It also shows how the white race has the audacity to own and govern society unjustly. She states ''(the free bird) dares to claim the sky." This shows how whites demonstrated discrimination and prejudice toward blacks. Unfortunately, this deplorable conduct was condoned in society. Maya Angelou describes the actions of the caged bird, or the black people. She states on lines 8. 9, 10 and 11," But a caged bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage." This shows the anger and frustration blacks were forced to endure. Black people were mistreated because they were different and thought of as not equals. She also states on lines 1 and 2 ," The free bird leaps on the back of the wind…,". She is saying that whites believed they were better than other races due to the...
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...‘an-thropos’ meaning ‘human’ and ‘metron’ meaning ‘measure’. According to Merriam -Webster's Collegiate Dictionary 11th ed, anthropometry is defined as ‘‘the measurement of the size and proportions of the human body, especially as an aid for comparative study in physical anthropology’’.The Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary 21st by Donald Venes, 2009 defines , ‘‘anthropometry is a science of measuring the human body, including craniometry, osteometry, skin fold evaluation for subcutaneous fat estimation, and height and weight measurements.” Milestones of anthropometry In the 13th century Marco Polo described the different body builds and sizes he encountered. Anthropometry...
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...Constructing Meaning through Critical Literacy Keona Shorter Grand Canyon University: EED-475 Curriculum, Methods, and Assessment: Reading April 17, 2016 The Poem I, Too, by Langston Hughes, is a literary classic. It illustrates the societal struggles America has been through and reflects a common perception about a class of people in that day. Students can use this poem to learn about social issues and societal norms of 1925 while also developing an opinion about how to treat other people in everyday life. Middle school students have the mental capacity to understand conflicts and racial indiscretion. These activities can help the students to create a resolution in common problems they may face in life as well. Langston Hughes, "I Too" is a Common Core reading from Appendix B. “Hughes, Langston. “I, Too, Sing America.” The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes. New York: Knopf, 1994. (1925)” (Common Core, 2016). —From The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes, edited by Arnold Rampersad (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1994), p. 46. Platform Strategy | Activity | Reading Supplementary Texts"Practitioners can use lyrics from popular music as supplementary texts to engage students in a discussion about race, gender, religion, politics, etc." (UNC- Chapel Hill School of Education, 2016). Using accessible supplementary materials will help to open the understanding of the students and provide then with a more analytical perspective of the poem. The song is essentially a...
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...on the streets, in schools and elsewhere. Though it still exists to a limited extend, if we look decades ago it had a whole other meaning. Though that people may be more aware of the consequences of using labels, it can offend one’s sense of equality in the society. A study developed by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology shows that the racial labels can have a tremendous impact on how a person is met by other people. The study explains that the racial label “black” makes people think of a person with lower socioeconomic status, compared to the racial label “African- American”. It is rather disturbing that a peoples racial label, can have such a big impact on people’s opinion about one another. It is directly saying that a black labeled person is less worth than an African-American. This can also mean that when a man is going to a job interview, he will be situated less ambitious compared to another. The differences in words can play a large role in how persons are perceived by one another. It is important to remember, that the black people are not the only victims in the persistent racism that is found in 21st century. The roots of the racism can impact an African-American perception of white people and conversely. The racism happens from both points of view. Because of the persistent racism that we see today, there are a lot of race and segregation problems that never will be solved. It has been...
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...their hunting, fishing, and gathering culture. Language loss has been especially acute in North America. No doubt scores, perhaps hundreds, of tongues indigenous to this continent have vanished since 1492. Some have perished without a trace. European/French usage of metal tools altered Indian ways of life, especially as the gun, or rifle, and the plow, meant the European/French colonies were deliberately planned to settle the so-called New World. The European/French presence introduced at least a dozen strange diseases during this era that American Indians had no natural immunity against. The native population suffered enormous losses. It has been said that more native people died due to foreign diseases than were lost in wars fighting for their homelands. The "white intruders" brought much change to Indian people. Who is to say that it was not meant to be that way? Yes, the entire North American continent has been taken away, except for about two percent that American Indians still have that they call their homelands. The American Indian almost disappeared with the buffalo when less than a thousand buffalo were left by the turn of the 20th century, and only 225,000 Indians had survived the deadly new diseases and more than one thousand wars. But life was hard; it was never meant to be easy -- not for anyone! Perhaps, that is what all of us must learn for the 21st century. That we should not waste our natural resources and that we should value the natural environment, or...
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...MEANING OF FOLKSONG A consistent definition of traditional folk music is elusive. The terms folk music, folk song, and folk dance are comparatively recent expressions. They are extensions of the term folklore, which was coined in 1846 by the English antiquarian William Thomas to describe "the traditions, customs, and superstitions of the uncultured classes." The term is further derived from the German expression Volk, in the sense of "the people as a whole" as applied to popular and national music by Johann Gottfried Herder and the German Romantics over half a century earlier. Traditional folk music also includes most indigenous music. However, despite the assembly of an enormous body of work over some two centuries, there is still no certain definition of what folk music (or folklore, or the folk) is. Folk music may tend to have certain characteristics[2] but it cannot clearly be differentiated in purely musical terms. One meaning often given is that of "old songs, with no known composers", another is that of music that has been submitted to an evolutionary "process of oral transmission.... the fashioning and re-fashioning of the music by the community that give it its folk character." Such definitions depend upon "(cultural) processes rather than abstract musical types...", upon "continuity and oral transmission...seen as characterizing one side of a cultural dichotomy, the other side of which is found not only in the lower layers of feudal, capitalist and some oriental...
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...Matthew Requejo The Contemporary American Family: 21st Century, Social Class, and Race Coastline Community College Intro to Marriage & Family M. Go 3-1-12 One of the issues confronting modern families is the economy. Every small business to large corporations are finding ways to cut costs, reduce energy and streamline the way business is done. One unfortunate way companies do this, is by laying off citizens or downsizing their company. This reduction in jobs certainly and most dramatically affects modern families because families are forced to commute to different towns and even more extreme, to different states to find employment. Due to these economics, it effects a majority of the socially underprivileged more and here is why. Low-income families tend to have less-education, multiple partnerships, and more breakups. This leaves them vulnerable in an unstable job market and unable to look for steady employment. Whereas the moderate to higher income families who have college education have adapted to the economic spiral and are able to confront the job market with skillsets/marketability. Andrew Cherlin explains in his book, “The marriage –go-round,” that college educated individuals are the winners in this globalized and automated economy. HE describes he skills that college educated people have, such as analytical and having the ability to conduct abstract tasks. These abilities are in high demand because of the changing technological world. The impact on non...
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...events that have defined who we are today, and also where we stand in the world. Some of these events include, but are not limited to The Civil Rights Act of 1866, The Progressive Era, The New Deal, Grand Expectations, the Reagan Era, and 21st Century. First, when we address The Civil Rights Act of 1866, we find that this is an Act to protect all persons in the United States in their Civil Rights, and furnish their means for Vindication. The Progressive Era (1890s-1920s), as the name implies, made huge changes towards the right of women and minorities. This Era was very crucial in the transformation of civil liberties that are enforced today. The New Deal (1933-1939), known for its lasting program of the Social Security Act of 1935, is still taking care of the elder and the disabled. Grand Expectations (1945-1974) was a period of optimism. African Americans finally began to realize many of the deferred dreams left over from decades of Reconstruction from the Civil War, the country was economically prosperous and social reforms promised an even better future. The Reagan Era (1981-1989) known for a restored and regenerated confidence in the nation; brought a positive economic outlook for some, but economic despair for others. And lastly the 21st Century, which along with an African American President, women have made huge gains in politics and in equalities. Now we will proceed to explore these events and discover some of the developments that helped create history throughout the years...
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...sent to jail, Jennifer begins to rebuild her life while Ronald’s life begins to fall apart. The story then switches to the point of view of Ronald, who explains his side of the story and emphasizes his innocence. It was not until DNA testing came around that Ronald was able to truly prove his innocence. The overlaying theme of this story is that Jennifer’s eyewitness account was so strong that a jury believed, without a doubt, that Ronald Cotton was the man responsible for the rape of Jennifer Thompson. This certainty was quickly dispelled by DNA testing and brings about the problem of misconceptions. Jennifer thoroughly believed that Ronald was her rapist and this proves how easily it is for people to misidentify features of different races. It also helps to disprove eye witness accounts (Thompson-Cannino & Cotton, 2009, p.1-287). Keywords: rape, conviction, innocence, misidentification The People Behind Picking Cotton Each day something will come about that two people can perceive differently. This differentiation in the perception a person has can be related to a misconception. Most misconceptions come about because of the way a person was taught. Misconceptions are so common that often people do not...
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...For my first contention, according to Bruce Fein, Constitutional Lawyer and General Counsel for the Center of Law…the crimes of rape, murder, kidnapping and torture are unforgivable crimes that deserve nothing less than the highest form of punishment, and to say this is not moral is insulting to the victims of society. The criminals who deserve it have done incredibly evil crimes. The death penalty serves to honor human dignity by bringing justice to innocent victims and treating the defendant as a free citizen able to control his own destiny, for better or worse. For my second contention, The Declaration of Independence states that people have the right to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness. The Death Penalty is often said to be unconstitutional, but for a criminal to murder an innocent victim is unarguably against everything Americans stand for. Deserved punishment protects society by restoring an order of justice, making the criminal pay a price equivalent to the harm he has caused. This is retribution, and should not be mistaken with revenge, which is guided by a different motive. Stating my third contention, according to deathpenaltypro.org, there is no credible evidence to show any innocent person has been executed since the death penalty was reactivated in 1976. Even so, the inevitability of a mistake should not serve as a valid reason to eliminate the death penalty any more than the risk of having a fatal car accident should make driving a car illegal...
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...American students, who have these background ethnicities, to describe in their own words what being Asian American means to them. In addition, we walked around campus and interviewed several second-generation Asian Americans. In their explanations, we encouraged the students to explain if it was a struggle growing up in America, whether they have ever been a victim to stereotypes or discrimination and how they have dealt with it. We took these statements and compared them to the stereotypes placed immigrants of the 1900s. In addition to the interviews, we analyzed our finding with an article published by Jerry Park of Baylor University titled, “Second-Generation Asian American Pan-Ethnic Identify: Pluralized Meaning of a Racial Label” who did a similar study in four public universities, along with other readings from class. The term, Asian American, was formed as a significant symbolic move in constructing an ethnic identity for the pan-Asian community in the 1960s (Espiritu, 33). The term was created to identify the majority of Asian American immigrants, mainly Japanese, Chinese and Pilipino (Espiritu, 32-33). The beginning waves of Asian immigration in America stared in the mid-1800s to early-1900s, of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Filipino and Korean descent (Hing, 28-50). These immigrants were used for hard...
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...Time Capsule Since the creation of time, man has been inventing creations to enhance and abet the living experience of human beings with hopes of making daily tasks (domestic or work) more manageable while exerting less physical effort or for safety measures. This time capsule has been written to share with future generations some of the creations that were made near the end of the 20th Century and the beginning of 21st, to afford a propitious soul with a better understanding how life was 100 years prior to what it might be when this letter can be read. As you read this, I will illustrate my personal daily tasks as they exist now, discuss current morale and decision-making, my definition of happiness, Langston Hughes’ Mother to Son, the architect – Aguas de Barcelona, Human by Brandy, the movie John Q, and the significance of airbags in automobiles. Concluding this time capsule, you will have learned more on how we lived in the late 20th and early 21st Centuries and possibly how some of our inventions may help to inspire some future inventions. Due to the recent economic crisis, America is experiencing a recession that is slow to recover. Because of the recession, the jobless rate has reached a 10.1 percent high (Chandra, 2011). I unfortunately am one of those workers whom were laid off. Therefore, I am taking this time now to focus on attending school full-time and getting a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. I currently receive unemployment...
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...Civil Rights Movement Since 1845, African Americans have struggled to find equal rights in America. Thus, African Americas have a long history of activism in America, from fighting for the right to vote to pushing for integration in public places. Activists like Stokley Carmichael organized the freedom rides, James Meredith fought to integrate blacks and whites at the University of Mississippi, and Rosa Parks instigated the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Although these protests were often legal and non-violent, the protests made a powerful impact on civil rights in the United States. With the bravery and help of activist like Carmichael, Meredith, Parks and many others, the country slowly worked to acknowledge the basic rights and contributions of African-Americans within the United States. Through it all, African American civil rights leaders risked and sometimes lost their lives in the name of freedom to end segregation, discrimination and isolation to attain equality and civil rights. With civil rights activists leading the fight for racial equality, America slowly but surely became a better place. Through the protests, marches, sit-ins and news articles; African Americans showed there was more ways to attain freedom and equality as opposed to violence. Even before Rosa Parks, on Sunday July 16, 1854, Elizabeth Jennings Graham boarded a street car of the Third Avenue railroad company at the corner of Pearl and Chatham streets. The conductor of the train ordered her to...
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...ethnical groups from varied geographical locations. Acculturation is not easy for these several Racial Groups such as Hispanics, Asians, or Africans, as the incidents in the film covering a time span of 36 hours, reveal. The characters are portrayed in the context of several ethnic stereotypes in prevalence, even in the 21st century due to ethnic differences. To illustrate, “The predominant modern stereotypes are the violent, brutish African-American male and the dominant, lazy African-American female - the Welfare Mother (Green, 1998-1999, p. 1).” Set in a mixed society of different cultures the aim is to prompt the audience into ‘looking into themselves’ and acknowledge their own personal prejudices; they are overt or covert racists too. The 3 elements of cultures openly portrayed are the language used, the norms maintained by society, both formal and informal. As far as how many viewers actually have the courage to accept their faulty mindsets, is left to them. While at first glance, the movie appears to send out a passionate appeal about ending racism and discrimination, an in-depth probe reveals that the ‘wrongness’ of proclaiming Whites as a superior race, albeit subtly, is actually not acknowledged at all; the excuse of personal problems suffices to let them off the hook quite easily. Symbolic Interactionism Theory: It seems as if the director is in a dilemma regarding the acceptance of underlying racism and the total abolishment of existing racial tensions in the U.S...
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