Premium Essay

What Is Internalized Racism

Submitted By
Words 1579
Pages 7
As children, we are taught about racism and physical differences that make us diverse; however, have we genuinely grasped the concept of how we are not different? Outside we may look different, but what is inside has no discrepancies. Coincedently, this belief adds on to what goes on in people's minds. Two reasons; internalized racism and internalized white supremacy. M;l.,m/any people get confused and mix these two reasons and their meanings up. People seem to think that the internalized racism is correlated with whites and the internalized white supremacy is correlated with African Americans. This has become the result of our school systems failures. In this day in age, many people need to understand the differences between these two terms. …show more content…
Like I said before, there is a lot of internalized white supremacy in the world. One of the biggest pieces of evidence is these settings. Front stage is when someone's behavior reflects society's norm and follows expectations of the behavior. Frontstage behavior is a routine. It is how we talk or go on with our daily lives. An example would be talking to someone about what you did over the weekend. This setting hides what we truly feel. This is not what we believe. Our true beliefs cannot be shown in frontstage settings because it may cause conflict and you could get in trouble. This is where backstage settings come in. Backstage behavior is where whites with bad feelings towards different ethnicities can show their beliefs to close acquaintances without getting in trouble. Many turn towards name calling, racial humor, and stereotypes. They feel safe to express their feeling even though they know it could hurt someone if they heard it.
In “Theories and Constructs of Race”, Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe have defined internalized racism as “the process by which people of color take in negative messages of overt and covert racism, superiority, and inferiority, and apply those messages to themselves and others in ways that are self-destructive rather than self-affirming” (600). The main cause of this is not by any physical violence, but the psychological violence that is portrayed through racist meanings and …show more content…
One being in our school system. Throughout history schools have sugar coated what is right and what is wrong. Many children do not get told that what they are saying could be offensive and the child continues to say it. From a firm belief, schools should train their staff or have programs that teach how to tell children about the racism problem happening around them. Schools also only focus on the large facts that some children might not understand. The information that is going into a child's brain should be told at their education level, because then the child will remember it better. Teachers should not focus on the large idea, but focus on the small ideas that have formed the large one. Take for instance, Martin Luther King Jr. Telling children just that he was a civil rights leader who was assassinated is not doing anything for the child’s knowledge. Instead a teacher should go more in depth of what he was fighting for, his background, and how exactly he made his mark on the world. Another reason schools should inform children better is because, as I said before, bullying. Millions of students are bullied, whether it be how they look, how they talk, or their ethnicities. Schools should have a more hand on approach with bullying so that children can understand that what they are doing is wrong. Now any approach of changing the schools is not going to fix problems right away. But if we start and make a little

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Systemic Racism Exposed In Willie Lynch's Letter

...systemic racism, which is structured racism into our social and political institutions, which is executed deliberately in contradiction of cultural groups. Similarly, the letter objective was to create internalized racism, where two individuals from the same background have hatred towards one another. The methods used centuries ago were to keep us living in a white male predominance society, in which they are depicted as the superior. One of the methods that systemic racism is manifest is by the implantation of drugs in the urban communities. The implantation of drugs in the urban communities typically results in the incarceration of a black descent male due to the tracking of drugs or the usage of drugs to execute themselves. The high level of government surveillance in the cities are for the solely purpose to...

Words: 799 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Internalized Racism

...As children, we are taught about racism and physical differences that make us diverse; however, have we genuinely grasped the concept of how we are not different? Outside we may look different, but what is inside has no discrepancies. Coincedently, this belief adds on to what goes on in people's minds. Two reasons; internalized racism and internalized white supremacy. M;l.,m/any people get confused and mix these two reasons and their meanings up. People seem to think that the internalized racism is correlated with whites and the internalized white supremacy is correlated with African Americans. This has become the result of our school systems failures. In this day in age many people need to understand the differences between these two terms....

Words: 1578 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Racism and Its Affects

...Racism and Its Effects Introduction Racism is an ongoing force that negatively impacts the lives of Americans every day. The racist mindset in America stems from the times of slavery, where blacks were thought to be inferior to whites. Throughout history, the ideology of race and racism has evolved and developed several different meanings. Today, we can still see the devastating effects of racism on people of color, as well as whites. “Racism, like other forms of oppression, is not only a personal ideology based on racial prejudice, but a system involving cultural messages and institutional policies and practices as well as beliefs and actions of individual” (Tatum, pg. 9). As a result of this system, it leaves the oppressed at a great disadvantage in society. This includes “access to social, cultural, and economic resources and decision making” (Rothenberg, 2007). In order for change to come about and for the American society to reach racial inequality, we first have to acknowledge the problem openly, which our society has yet to do. In this paper I am going to analyze the meaning of racism and how it affects both people of color and whites. In doing so, I am going to explore how racism impacts one’s racial identity, using my life experiences as an example. I will also demonstrate how racism leads to prejudice and discrimination and provide examples of these. I will close the paper with solutions and ideas to improve our communities and our society...

Words: 4792 - Pages: 20

Premium Essay

Racism Through A Child's Eyes By Maria Lydevik

...The character of Pecola is the most affected by the standardized ideology of racism through the concept of beauty. The unreachable concept of white beauty victimizes Pecola and allows the African American community to also discriminate and address their self-hatred toward Pecola. In contrast to Claudia, Pecola has no self-love for herself as she always sees herself through the eyes of others and her only aspiration is to conform to the standard of beauty to be accepted in the community. The narration of the book allows readers to unfold that it was Pecola's own assumption to feel ugly and that her deep internalization of white beauty standards and their value drives her to her ultimate insanity. The character of Pecola loses or never has...

Words: 1006 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Internalized Homophobia

...Sandra Robinson Professor Duarte SSC 101: Social Issues October 1, 2015 Internalized Homophobia I would like to say that this is most interesting subject and one that is really miss understood by many in our society. I have started to research some information concerning this subject and I find that there are many dealing with this situation in my mist and even in my circle in the church. The definition is defined as lesbians and gay men that really fear being the way that they are but it is what it is. I have through my studies in the last week found out that Internalized homophobia is defined as the involuntary belief by lesbians and gay men that the homophobic lies, stereotypes and myths about them are true. There are two logical, predictable consequences of a lifetime of such messages.1 First, heterosexuals will grow to believe many of the messages, and treat these with this issue and kind of people accordingly. They will be thoroughly indoctrinated into their role in heterosexism, protecting their heterosexual privilege by colluding with the perpetuation of heterosexism / homophobia. But there is a second logical consequence - these same messages also stick to lesbians and gay men, resulting in internalized homophobia. Lesbians and gay men are taught to act out the lies and stereotypes, doubting themselves and other gay people (sometimes called “horizontal hostility.”) This is the...

Words: 447 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Blue Lives Matter: Internalized Racism

...It’s time to recognize that our daily vocabulary just isn’t acceptable anymore, we hide microaggressions in our conversations and deny their existence. Sexist, ableist, and racist language has become part of our culture and we need to stop. Internalized racism isn’t acceptable racism. Microaggressions are the foundation of hostile environments, and have massive impacts. "A lot of white people should shut up and listen. They really don't know what the African-American experience truly is. When you have people getting shot in their cars for no reason and being put in fucking jail cells and it's for profit, we have a serious problem, and the first thing you need to do is get educated. Don't try to do this, like, 'Blue lives matter.' Don't try...

Words: 685 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Racism

...Muhammad Usman Qureshi Mr. Michael Steele 15 January 2016 Racism Speech Festival-16th Jan Honorable judges and respected guests, Imagine living our lives in constant paranoia, where we feel like we are being watched everywhere we go. Imagine living our lives, where we feel like we are judged on everything we do. Imagine living our lives, where we are judged for the color of our skin. This, ladies and gentlemen, is racism. Racism causes thousands of cases of deaths and destruction across the globe every, single, year. In our modern society, ‘racism’ is a combination of prejudice, prejudgment and bitterness directed against someone of a different skin color, different culture and even a different belief. There are different forms of racism; interpersonal racism, institutional racism and internalized racism. No one likes to be left out, so Why do we judge? Why do we pass the torch of stigma to this world? Why do we ignite the flame of hatred? 50 years ago, Martin Luther King dreamed of the day these children will no longer be “Judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” But today, we see that racism remains as a very real threat to our world. We’re not born with racism; we are born as blank pieces of paper and act upon what is written on it. We act upon what society tells us. Is this what our society is? A community of individuals that strive to discriminate Asians, Africans and Arabs? Statistics by the Oxford...

Words: 481 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Male Privilege

...Male privilege…In black and white Dorrell Anthony Alexander Western Washington University What is “Privilege”? When we speak of privilege, what exactly are we speaking of? Many find it easy to get the basic fundamentals of a “right” and a “privilege” confused, so for foundational purposes, I would like to lay out how they differ. First, let’s talk about two of the different kinds of rights; “natural” and “legal”. According to Merriam-Webster (2013) Natural rights are “rights which are "natural" in the sense of "not artificial, not man-made”; “as in rights deriving from logic, from human nature, or from the edicts of a god”. They are ”universal”, (they apply to all people, and do not derive from the laws of any specific society),”They exist necessarily, inhere in every individual, and can't be taken away” ( Merriam-Webster, 2013). For example, it has been argued that humans have a natural right to life. They're sometimes called inalienable rights. Legal rights, in contrast, are “rights based on a society's customs, laws, statutes or actions by legislatures” (Merriam-Webster, 2013). An example of a legal right is the right to vote of citizens. “Citizenship, itself, is often considered as the basis for having legal rights, and has been defined as the "right to have rights"(Broidy and Agnew, 1997), Legal rights are sometimes called civil rights or statutory rights which Broidy and Agnew (1997) believe are “culturally and politically relative”, since they depend on a specific...

Words: 2957 - Pages: 12

Premium Essay

White Privilege: Unpacking The Invisible Knapsack

...factor in society long since the times of slavery and when the Jim Crow system was still allowed in American society. However, back then, racism was more obviously present and easy to spot. Nowadays, whether intentional racism or not, one has to look truly hard and at different angles in modern, everyday occurrences to see the faint remaining traces of racial discrimination in society especially if the person is white. People of fairer skin often find it difficult to notice modern racism, either because they believe it is an obsolete issue or because they take for granted what advantages their skin color awards them as a given for all when it is not. These advantages drawn from a white skin tone is generally addressed as white privilege which most whites would deny having or are oblivious to. Since white privilege serves as an invisible shield of protection and favor, white society is likely to have more advantages over non-whites, especially...

Words: 476 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Personally Mediated Racism

...Put differently, when one accepts and live the stereotypically classification of his/her race and thereby limit that person’s ability to advance or think of advancing beyond that stereotype, such a person may be experiencing internalized racism. An acquaintance of mine who is of Arab ancestry was interested in counter terrorism position in one of the top security agencies in the United States but showed hesitation in applying because he felt he may not be considered or trusted because of the 9/11 terrorist attack. Kahatsu defined evidence –based public health as “the process of integrating science- based intervention with community preferences to improve the health of population” Coriel 2010 p.5 Evidence-based practice involves best available research evidence (qualitative and quantitative) from sources like scientific literature in systematic reviews and journal articles, public health surveillance data, program evaluation, community members and media. Evidence –based...

Words: 1376 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Stereotypes In Public Education

... at the University of Akron, there is not a misrepresentation of different cultures on the campus, but there may be a misrepresentation of non-caucasian students in the technical fields, or the “smart” classes. I began to see my internalized racism and hated myself for it. I thought some students were lazier by the way they look or act; a stereotype that we should throw away entirely. Even attempting to remove stereotypes, I find it difficult to connect with people of different cultures - there is too great a division. The most I have been able to connect with is via my co-workers at a part-time job just South of campus, Chipotle. At that restaurant, I learned more than I ever thought I could. I learned things such as; people of color can be racist toward their own culture, believing that some members perpetuate negative stereotypes and further a ‘negative’ name. People of color deal with vastly different issues than I do, for example, the stereotyping that can sometimes be seen in law enforcement, racism in the workplace, difficulties applying for loans, not being taken seriously in professional or academic situations. Working at Chipotle has taught me about racism in the world, cultures in urban environments, and the inherent normalization of racism in...

Words: 533 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

An Argument Against Racial Profiling

...Racial profiling stems from a root of internalized hate and little to no knowledge about the minority or racial group that is being discriminated against. Ever since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, there has been a very skewed perception about p.o.c. from Middle Eastern countries. Since passenger jets were used to bring down the twin towers in 2001, the TSA developed screening devices and techniques to minimize the chances of an attack through means of aircraft. With these new devices, all passengers are to be screened without any judgements of race, religion, or ethnic origin; unfortunately there have been many cases that would say otherwise. There have been many lawsuits against the TSA with claims of racial profiling towards people of Middle Eastern and Asian descent. It even goes to the extent that passengers on a flight can be removed if the other passengers feel uncomfortable or unsafe. US Citizens have an internalized sense of fear because of the attack and as a result of that, most muslims feel isolated because of fear of being suspected of terrorism. According to an article from USA TODAY, “ Many Arab Muslims say their community is turning on itself- shying away from a society increasingly inclined to equate...

Words: 1411 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

An Exploration of the Reproduction and Perpetuation of Socio-Historical Oppression in U.S. Schools: Pre-Prospectus

... * Data Sources * Data Collection * Data Analysis * Ethical Considerations Chapter 5: Research Findings Chapter 6: Conclusions, Discussion, and Suggestions for Future Research * Summary * Conclusions * Discussion * Suggestions for Future Research Towards A Phenomenology of Liberation From the very start, I am thus fully endorsing the premise that no account of race can be dissociated from a critique of power and a social historical ontology of ourselves (de Oliveira, 2010, 209). INTRODUCTION I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was in the third grade, I watched as five of my white peers were pulled from class to attend gifted courses. I always wondered why, I, who had always worked hard, was never pulled for what I perceived as reward for hard work and good grades. During the first week of school of my fifth grade year, the same White gifted teacher pulled the same five White students to begin gifted courses. The buzz around the class was that the five elite were preparing for Odyssey of the Mind, which was deemed an honor for the brightest and best in the school....

Words: 6268 - Pages: 26

Premium Essay

An Exploration of the Reproduction and Perpetuation of Socio-Historical Oppression in U.S. Schools: Pre-Prospectus

...Researcher's Role • Data Sources • Data Collection • Data Analysis • Ethical Considerations Chapter 5: Research Findings Chapter 6: Conclusions, Discussion, and Suggestions for Future Research • Summary • Conclusions • Discussion • Suggestions for Future Research Towards A Phenomenology of Liberation From the very start, I am thus fully endorsing the premise that no account of race can be dissociated from a critique of power and a social historical ontology of ourselves (de Oliveira, 2010, 209). INTRODUCTION I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was in the third grade, I watched as five of my white peers were pulled from class to attend gifted courses. I always wondered why, I, who had always worked hard, was never pulled for what I perceived as reward for hard work and good grades. During the first week of school of my fifth grade year, the same White gifted teacher pulled the same five White students to begin gifted courses. The buzz around the class was that the five elite were preparing for Odyssey of the Mind, which was deemed an honor for the brightest and best in the school....

Words: 6229 - Pages: 25

Premium Essay

Religion Essay on Racism

...Racism “The dynamic and integrating power constitutes the principal frame of reference for all individual and collective experiences-has been preserved in recognizable form among the North American Diasporas.”[1] Racism still plagues the veins of America today. Whether it is positive or negative racism is to be decided. There are examples of positive racism such as: Affirmative action and following a role model of the same race. Traces of negative racism still exist within groups such as the KKK for example. Our group has mostly examined racism against African and African Americans. We believe the term “African”, in it self, is racist. Do you see anyone calling a white American, a European American? The answer is no. Why can’t we call the group labeled African Americans, Americans? When our group goes to a TCU football game, we cheer for the team as a whole. At TCU a black football player is called a football player. A white football player is also called a football player. If a sport as simple as football can get past discrimination of white and black, how come America cannot? People like Johnny Lee Clary, Martin Luther King, and Nelson Mandela are great examples of attempts to over come black racism. Peter J. Paris makes many great points in his book Virtues and Values: the African and African American Experience. Paris uses leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. to empahsis that troughout the hard times, African virtues and values stood strong...

Words: 1054 - Pages: 5