...Critique #1 | Racial Inequality after Racism: How Institutions Hold Back African Americans | Melissa Bolton 5-15-2016 | Harris, F. C., & Lieberman, R. C. (2015). Racial Inequality after Racism: How Institutions Hold Back African Americans. Foreign Affairs, 94(2), 9-20. Harris, F. C., & Lieberman, R. C. (2015). Racial Inequality after Racism: How Institutions Hold Back African Americans. Foreign Affairs, 94(2), 9-20. The article chosen for critique is titled Racial Inequality after Racism: How Institutions Hold Back African Americans published March 2015, this article suggests "institutional racism" is a primary contributor to racial inequality in America today. Coined by Stokely Carmichael, a leader in the Black Power movement of the 1960's, the term institutional racism is used to define discrimination that "originates in the operation of established and respected forces in the society, and thus receives far less public condemnation than individual racism". The article sites recent social unrest in the African American community regarding the use of deadly force by police officers as a stark reminder that racial inequality is an ongoing social...
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...Racial Inequality does still exist in schools today because colored students get less access to experienced teachers, receive more discipline than their white peers and get deprived from educational...
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...for ethnic inequality Functionalists hold the view that ethnic inequality is a dysfunctional for society, and that ethnic minorities need to become more similar to the white majority. This is known as Assimilation theory, which is staunchly criticised by the Marxists who believe racism exists to justify the inequalities that are so wide spread by the Bourgeoisie via Capitalism. Weberianism concurs with Marxists (so they diverge from the Functionalists) to an extent, but they introduce status into the explanation. Postmodernists take a approach antagonistic to all of the afore mentioned approaches, and that is to argue that blanket terms such as ethnicity are no longer relevant in the modern era, where our identities are defined by consumerism and globalisation. Functionalists outline the Assimilation Theory, suggested by Patterson. Patterson believes that the influx of immigrants into Britain in the 1950s disturbed what was a homogenous society with social stability and a high degree of social integration, leading to a value consensus. The norms and values brought in with the immigrants led to a Cultural Clash, where each different ethnicity were seen to be against the norm. This created many stereotypes e.g. boisterous West Indians. Prejudice also came about, buoyed by xenophobia, competing for jobs between ethnicities and a lack of similarity (Assimilation) with foreigners. Patterson continues by arguing this has caused self-segregation, whereby ethnic minorities separate themselves...
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...SOCIAL PROBLEM Educational Inequality: A Social Problem in the U.S. SOCIAL PROBLEM Educational Inequality: A Social Problem In the U.S. Introduction: The goal of education is to make sure that every student has a chance to excel, both in school and in life. Increasingly, children's success in school determines their success as adults, determining whether and where they go to college, what professions that they enter, and how much they are paid. Why is that getting a good education is dependent upon a person’s socioeconomic status? Education is a right in the U.S, but it seems to be accessible for the privilege. Why do we have inequality in education? Let’s look at different views explaining some possible causes or contributors to this issue. “Social inequality is the expression of lack of access to housing, health care, education, employment opportunities, and status. It is the exclusion of people from full and equal participation in what we, the members of society, perceive as being valuable, important, personally worthwhile, and socially desirable. Economic inequality is expressed through the unequal distribution of wealth in society. This has obvious ramifications in terms of the unequal distribution of what that wealth may purchase; housing, health care, education, career prospects, status - in our society, access to all these things is largely dependent on wealth. Because of the nature of our society - post industrial, competitive, capitalist, commercially driven...
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...Social Inequality essay plans for Part b) 30 mark question Evaluate the usefulness of sociological explanations of ethnic inequalities.(30) Evaluate the view that society is institutionally racist (30) Adapt according to question given Introduction Ethnic inequalities are still significant in the UK – give a few examples. Suggest some explanations e.g Racism, Institutional racism, social class of ethnic minorities (Marxism), welfare dependency (New Right). This essay will identify and assess these explanations. AO1 Define types of Racism e.g Barker and new racism, institutional racism – McPhearson report on murder of stephen lawrence – racism in met police. Jenkins suggests recruitment to jobs is more word of mouth and disadvantages ethnic minorities. Modood 1994 28% of african caribbean people surveyed said they felt they had been refused a job on grounds of race. AO2 There are many government acts such as Race relations acts which should prevent discrimination AO2 However because racism is implicit (hidden) now it can be difficult to prove in court. AO1 Marxists such as Westergaard and Resler argue that race is a distraction from the real issue which is social class. It is capitalism which disadvantages certain groups and ethnic minorities are more likely to be in lower classes. AO2 However this ignores the existence of racism in society e.g in education where black boys have the highest exclusion rates in school. AO1 Another marxist explanation by Castles...
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...Social Inequality Unit 07 What is the relationship between ethnicity and inequality? Learning targets: • There are ethnic differences in life chances in the UK. • Some ethnic minorities appear to be the victims of racism and discrimination in the UK • There have been strict laws to prevent racism and ethnic inequality in the UK. • There are those who believe that the social changes that have come about because of legal controls are more cosmetic than deeply embedded into our social structure. Key questions (AO1) What evidence is there of ethnic inequality in UK? (AO1) How are ethnic inequalities being challenged by government policies? (AO2) To what extent is British culture racist and ethnically unequal? (AO2) What are social implications of racism in our society? Summary of Key Points 1 2 What is racism? Racism is the belief that some ethnic groups are superior and others inferior. This belief is often associated with notions of skin pigmentation or the minor physical differences that are sometimes apparent between different groups of people. However, racism is not always associated with skin colour, but also with culture, ethnicity, with religious belief or language differences. The notion of racism itself is also a very recent idea in our society. In the past, the idea that people from certain ethnic groups were superior to and different from others was so deeply...
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...suffered by minorities for years (Hudson). In response, President Kennedy issued Executive Order 10925 in 1961, creating a Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity and mandating that projects financed by federal funding would “take affirmative action” to ensure that hiring and employment practices were free of racial bias (Hudson). Two more executive orders in 1965 and 1968 prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and gender, giving the federal government the power to enforce this prohibition (Hudson). However, in current times, affirmative action programs have suffered setbacks. Affirmative action in education has been abolished in Texas by court order, and in California and Washington it has been terminated by public referendum (Bybee). Currently, the main question concerning affirmative action is whether or not it is the best way to combat inequality. Also: What groups should or should not have affirmative action? When will the problem be “solved” and affirmative action no longer necessary? While the United States is divided between 49% of citizens supporting affirmative action programs and 43% opposing them, many Americans have a difficult time even defining what affirmative action is (Gallup 2003). The term ‘affirmative action’ includes laws, policies, and programs designed to reduce or eliminate inequality (Hudson). Inequality is also a difficult term to define, but the fact that significantly fewer women and minorities enjoy high paying...
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...Social Issues Position Paper Racial and Ethnic Inequality Amongst Blacks : A Economic Problem of Society Tameekah Myers SOC 1000-Comtemporary Social Issues Thesis Statement In this essay one will come to a better understanding of racial and ethnic inequality and why it exists. It is evident that Inequality amongst certain races is evident however it also linked to a variety of perspectives that account for the continuation of racial, ethnic discrimination and inequality. Inequality amongst Races and Ethnicity ▪ What is race and ethnicity? ▪ Should race exist ▪ Inequality among races Racism against African Americans ▪ Slavery ▪ Racial Profiling ▪ Stereotypes ▪ Causes and Effects of Racism Social status and race inequality ▪ Social/Racial classification ▪ Education inequality ▪ Labor/income Inequality Laws and Policies ▪ Affirmative action policies ▪ Equal Opportunity Policy ▪ Civil Right Act The social stance of American Minorities Now ▪ African Americans Conclusion In this essay one will come to a better understanding of racial and ethnic inequality and why it exists. It is evident that inequality amongst certain races is evident; however, it also linked to a variety of perspectives that account for the continuation of racial, ethnic discrimination and inequality. The story of race is intricate and may challenge how we think about human differences and race as...
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...Some of the lessons and insight provided through school finance, school choice, and disciplinary policies and reform has included: equity in school financing, establishing stability in school financing, and targeting schools who need it and valuing marginalized mentalities and norms. The Promise Neighborhoods Program, with a slight change, would be a great remedy in helping to solve the inequalities and inequities in the public school system. It addresses the multi-faceted nature that contribute to inequalities in the educational system by first identifying that race plays a role in the outcome of children and youth in low-income neighborhoods. The program also addresses establishing stability and a more permanent solution, rather than a bandage solution, in helping the public schools that it serves by helping to develop the local infrastructure of systems and resources for public schools in order for them to sustain and scale up proven, effective solutions across the broader region beyond the initial neighborhood. The program also addresses the problems in zero-tolerance policies because it helps to build a comprehensive continuum of cradle-to-career solutions in both educational programs...
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...integration of various groups of people. He also mentions that the diversity of America is ever growing and the acceptance of this change is slowly increasing as well. There are many categories, groups and class, people of America can be divided into based on what a specific group experience, a patter of disadvantages or inequalities, on how they appear physically and of what social minority group they come from (p.16). A minority group can face various disadvantages or inequalities at places or work or social gatherings where equal right or services are not provided to every group. This is known as stratification and has a powerful impact on the distribution of resources in America (p.18).Karl Marx , Max Weber, Gerhard Lenski and Patricia Hill Collins are all sociologists with different opinions and meanings for social inequality. For example, the author talks Karl Marx idea and mentions that “Marx argued that the most important source of inequality in society was the system of economic production” (p.19). Visible distinguishing traits are the second most defining characteristics of minority groups. The establishment of who is the dominant and who is minority are based on a variety of lines that include religion, language and occupation. However...
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...promotion was a male Alex, with less experience at the job, but better upper management evaluations. Maria argued her poor evaluations were biased from her white, male supervisors. Maria was noted for being a good employee, but is loud and aggressive in her approach to work with others in the company. I feel Maria was treated unfairly for being promoted. Both women and people in the minority struggle when looking at how both are treated in the workplace. Women are facing problems of equality in job advancements and having equal pay. Minorities are underrepresented, and are struggling to find work. This paper will look at the issue of males versus females in the workplace, and the majority versus the minority in the workplace. Many people believe there is not discrimination or hardships that women or the minority face when working. People are under the impression that we have come a long way and have overcome treating individuals unequally. The truth is we have come a long way and made an enormous amount of progress, but there is work that needs to be done when looking specifically at women and minorities in the workplace. The struggles...
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...organizations which show the extent of growing demand. The main reasons for this growing demand would be Kennedys motivation and idealism and also the discrimination and oppression which many groups, minorities in particular faced. The main groups which I am going to explore in this essay are the African-Americans, students, gay people, students, and women, all of which wanted to live their life freely and equal. In both source 5 and 6 there is evidence to prove why demand for freedom increased but also with my own research I have found out about a number of events and organizations which show the extent of growing demand. Kennedy’s motivation and idealism inspired and motivated many young people and groups to adopt this new way of thinking. In source 6 a “fighting spirit” is mentioned and in source 5 we see the “sisters unite in their struggle”. Both of these express a strong feeling and bravery which led to the fight and the growing demand for freedom. Students in particular wanted to change the systems politically and socially as well as wanting to liberate the minorities for example the African-Americans, this idea of idealism isn’t really expressed fully in the sources. One of the reason for the growing demand for personal freedom shown in the sources is the inequality of the minority groups in America in Source five we see how women were...
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...rather than a person’s behavior Racism The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race Reverse discrimination actions that cause better-qualified White men to be passed over for women and minority men Part II Complete the following using the MySocLab Social Explorer Map: Income Inequality by Race located on your student website: · Select 1 racial group from the list below: o African American o Asian American o Arab American o Hispanic American/Latino o White/Caucasian · Write a 250- to 350-word summary of the economic, social, and political standings of that group. Use additional resources if necessary, from the University Library or your textbooks. Even though all Americans have experiences hardship since the economic slowdown, African Americans have suffered greatly from this situation. The average income of African Americans has declined by 1.3 percent since 2000. Along with the decrease in income, the unemployment rate of African Americans has increased. African Americans also have higher rates of poverty and slower growing rates of employment than other minority groups. The political standing of African Americans is very interesting. This minority group tends to support the Democratic Party and its candidates. African Americans have held various political positions for the past 50 years. More recently, the first African American president was elected in 2008. This definitely shows that African...
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...Through all of the readings and class lectures this semester, I have learned that social inequality is an incredibly pervasive and poignant part of American society. The social inequality in America, in part, can be attributed to the relationship between the perceived “superior/normal” and the perceived “inferior/abnormal.” For instance, in race relations, Whites (non-Hispanic) are considered the norm; in gendered issues, the male is dominant. Additionally, many of these issues are interrelated and interdependent. The inequities invade the home, the work place, the school, and the hospital, among other places because they invade all of the interactions humans have with each other. Therefore, it follows that social inequalities would affect...
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...Environmental Inequality in the United States Introduction Minority and poor populations have been experiencing an unequal amount of exposure to various environmental hazards. The goal of this paper is investigate the situation at hand and provide an explanation to whether this treatment is ethical. Thus, in this paper, I will not only attempt to analyze reasons why these populations experience more pollution than other populations and the types of pollution that they experience, but I will also explore the solutions provided by other researchers on how to solve environmental inequalities. Previous research has been carried out to detect why most, if not all, of the polluting industries, such as power plants and waste facilities, tend to be located in minority and poor neighborhoods (Carter; Morello-Frosch; Pellow and Park; Bullard and Wright). Normally, people that live in low income neighborhoods will experience a disproportionately high amount of pollution compared to those living in high income neighborhoods (Morello-Frosch). Therefore, parks, trees, and outdoor recreational areas tend to be located in wealthy neighborhoods. Consequently, minority and poor neighborhoods tend to have the lowest ratios of parks-to-people (Carter). This means that there is a low amount of park space per 10,000 people. Other research shows that even if we ignore the level of income, minority neighborhoods, such as African American and Hispanic neighborhoods, will still experience higher levels...
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