...century is the problem of the color-line, --the relation of the darker to the lighter races of men in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea. Every study has come to the same conclusion that biologically, there are no 'races', yet the social construction of race as a category is alive and well today. The classification system, which radicalized different groups - typifying them according to their skin color and/or other defining features has a long history. With the advent of colonialism, racism underpinned the different and negative valuations attached to skin color. The racism of today is much more subtle and is no longer the blatant discrimination based on the color or your skin. It exists within the institutions of our society. It is the combination of government, corporate and media institutional racism that is largely responsible for the inequities of today. Unfortunately, these divisions impact the way in which we live our life and how we advance socially. Race has always been a complicated subject and is inevitable. Although we have made tremendous strides to dismantle the foundations of racism, it is clear and evident that racism still persists within the institutions of our society. I believe that America is one of greatest countries on the earth and it is a land of opportunity for everyone. The American dream is alive and well and many people of all races have had tremendous success. With these positives in place, it is no wonder why there...
Words: 1293 - Pages: 6
...Raivaysha Johnson 4/15/2014 Racist For many years racism has been a problem for Americans since slavery. People like Rosa Parks, who refused to give up her seat to a white person paved the way for many of us today. Also, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched for our equal rights he felt that everyone should have the same opportunities. In Tatum’s article, she defines racism as someone who has misinformation about others racially, religiously, or different from ourselves. A racist can be defined as someone who discriminates against others, is judgmental, and ill mannered. African-American’s have been discriminated against ever since slavery began. In most places they were not allowed to live in the same neighborhoods with whites, nor were they allowed going to the same school, restaurant’s, or drink from the same water fountain. African-Americans were made to sit in the back of buses, if a white person wanted there seat, they would have to move. African-American men were not allowed to date or marry white women, but white men were allowed to have black women if they chose to. As an African-American they were not able to go to certain schools, so there education was not as well as a white person unless they taught themselves how to read and write. If they disobeyed there master’s a slave could be beaten half to death or even lynched. In addition, the world today judges you by what you look like or how you act. For instance, if you see someone screaming or yelling in a store...
Words: 608 - Pages: 3
...Race In America: “We Would Like To Believe We Are Over The Problem” In the article “Race In America” written by Maryann Cusimano Love, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and New York Times best-selling author, argues that race is still a problem in today’s society. Love provides evidence from sources like Senator Obama’s presidential bid, the Virginia state legislature, statistics from the 16th Surgeon General of the United States Dr.David Satcher, and information from MLK Jr.’s speech along the lines of the Civil Rights Movement to show that racism still divides us as a country. Thus to prove to her readers as well that inequality of blacks versus whites in America still persists even after all that has changed for African Americans...
Words: 1011 - Pages: 5
...Race in Obama’s America 1. Text one “Black is being seen in a whole new light” is a commentary written by Yolanda Young. The text is published on USA Today’s website on August 14, 2009. Yolanda Young is a lawyer and columnist. The author brings the view on black people into focus. She didn't get noticed by white people until Barack Obama got elected for President. Her main statement is that the view on black people has changed. “For a woman the color of dark coffee to be noticed, even admired, suggests a cultural paradigm shift”. She supports this statement with an example. In a research from 2008 two psychology professors found that 51% of the 300 non-black participants preferred white people. A previous research showed that white people had a 81% preference for white people. She concludes that she has hope for the future. The second text is written by Eric Holder. It is an excerpt from a speech which was given on February 18, 2009 at the Justice Department. The text is called “Black History Month” and was published on the website of the Justice Department. Eric Holder is Attorney General of America. Eric Holder finds is really important that black and white Americans communicate with each other about the racial separation to be united. His main statement is that we have to understand Americas racial history before we can understand America. “One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation” He believes...
Words: 936 - Pages: 4
...Race in Obama’s America 1. Give an outline of the different attitudes to the situation of African Americans presented in text 1, 2 and 3. Outline of text 1: Text 1 is a commentary publicist on USA Today website on August 14, 2009, and it is written by lawyer and columnist Yolanda Young. Yolanda Young’s main statement is that there has been a paradigm shift in the culture and that Africa American women now are being noticed. In her commentary she comperes her own experiences of being a black woman before and after the election of Barak Obama. To support her main statement she uses facts from different researches. In the end of the text she concludes that it has become easier to maintain a positive self-image now that such a beautiful women live in the White House. Outline of text 2: Text 2 is an excerpt form a Speech given by Attorney General Eric Holder on February 18, 2009 at the U.S Justice Department. The speech is to be found on the website of the Justice Department. Eric Holder’s main statement is that “One cannot truly understand America without understanding the historical experience of black people in this nation”. He thinks that to many Americans see race as a taboo, and that you cannot solve the problem if you do not feel at ease with it. In the speech Eric Holder refers to two historical events, one of them being the Gettysburg Address. He says that the people in this room have a moral obligation to the nation and most live up to the Gettysburg...
Words: 803 - Pages: 4
...Race has become a significant factor, especially after the 2017 presidential election. United States of America is an advanced, well developed and immigrated country. As history said, Indian American were native here and the other people immigrated from all around the world as time passed by. However, the current event represents the whole different definition of “Race”. Race is a social conduct which is generated by many groups of people based on their different beliefs. In another word, us. As we have read through material, many articles indicated that there is no cluster of gene of all brown, black or white people. Many scientists have done research on this situation. There are certain groups of people have variances such as skin disease...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Race in Obama’s America The American society has developed a lot since Barack Obama became president and his wife Michelle Obama became first lady. But there are still some issues. It’s getting better and better with race, but can it be perfect in a country with the American history in mind? I will make an outline of each of the three texts, and give my own opinion of one of them. The first text is called “Black is being seen in a whole new light”. It’s written by Yolanda Young. She is a lawyer and columnist and writes for the USA today. In this text she is writing about the differences she had experienced since Barack Obama became president. Yolanda looks like Michelle Obama. She often gets compliments about that: “For a woman the colour of dark coffee to be noticed, even admired, suggest a cultural paradigm shift.” (s. 2, l. 7-8). She can feel the development in the society. When two psychology professors surveyed 300 non-black students, the survey was about the non-black students’ implicit racial prejudice. It showed that since Obamas appearing the automatic preference for white Americans dropped from 81% to 51%. She thinks it’s good that there are some icons like Michelle Obama. It makes her feel better with herself. Her self image is getting better and better. But she is still vigilant. But she is happy that the most powerful man in the world is black, and his wife is proclaimed as beautiful. The second text is a speech written by Eric Holder it is called “Black...
Words: 632 - Pages: 3
...Race and Sports in America By: Patrick Minnick December 12, 2014 “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives”. This quote proved true for no one more than the man who said it, Jackie Robinson. Robinson is seen as a pivotal figure in the fight for racial equality in America. However, he didn’t make his impact through speeches, civil right protests, or violent rebellion. Robinson did it by playing the sport he loved, baseball. Sports have always had an ability to bring people together, but, in the last century especially, sports have given racial minorities something they can’t find elsewhere; a chance to compete on a level playing field with everyone else. Jackie Robinson showed that race is simply a myth, a superficial characteristic that holds no insight to the physical or mental abilities of a person. Sports by themselves show no racism and serve as a constant reminder of this racial myth. Sadly, people are more reluctant to abandon old beliefs; meaning racism still runs deep in the organizations that are built around these sports. This research paper will focus mainly on three subcategories: 1) The history of the relationship between sports and race in America; 2) How sports have benefited or damaged race relations; 3) Why certain sports are more popular among different races. The history of sports in America dates all the way back to the Native Americans who played an early form of lacrosse that was used for recreation and promoting teamwork...
Words: 1651 - Pages: 7
...Race in Obama’s America Axel Bevort – 2.b Section A In the first text, Yolanda Young, a lawyer and columnist for USA Today, reflects on how she experienced what she calls “a cultural paradigm shift”(line 7) first-hand. She begins by writing that for twenty years, she walked the streets of Washington D.C. virtually unnoticed by its white citizens. This all changes when Barack Obama was elected in November 2008 and his wife becomes the First Lady Of The United States. Young starts receiving regular compliments on her looks, such as “You’re so pretty. You look like Michelle Obama” (line 5). Due to a change in presidency, racial equality between the black and white races will no longer be a dream. This point is further emphasized by a study conducted in 2008, in which “51% of (non-black) participants showed an automatic preference for white people”(line 11), compared to a previous research where 80% preferred whites. Although there have been exceptions of black women ”who were embraced as beautiful” (line 14), e.g. Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell, the average black woman was not perceived as being as attractive as a white woman. In 1954, two psychologists provided expert testimony regarding experiments, in which they presented a black doll and a white doll to black children and proceeded to asking them which doll they preferred. To Young’s surprise, almost ”half the girls thought the white doll was prettier” (line 25). She blames the results on low self-esteem and concludes...
Words: 892 - Pages: 4
...History and Significance of Race in America Race prejudice abounded in the colonial America, shaped by cultural connotations of blackness in medieval Europe and Judeo-Christianity. The existence of Slave trade is arguably the root of subsequent conceptualization of the black-Americans. The Native Americans population of the country’s labor force proved drastically reduced after the whites were decimated by violence and diseases. The voluntary European labor force used was unsustainably costly and detrimental to their home county labor and competitiveness. The introduction of slavery of the Africans who were brought in large numbers and their labor was cheap, made the agricultural plantations in America much profitable. The 19th century saw an introduction of institutionalized racism and legal discrimination against the black Americans. Racial discrimination, expression and segregation concerning supremacy of the white people increased hence increasing the levels of anti-black violence that included both race riots and lynching’s of the black people. The African American activists and politicians advocated for the peoples civil rights in the 20th century, this saw the peaking of human rights movement with the desegregation of education in the year 1954 thus leading to the organization of a widespread strike across the United States under the leadership of the young generation activists. Martin Luther King was the catalyst for most strikes which led to the passage of the civil...
Words: 676 - Pages: 3
...Writing Assignment (Part 4): Race, Incarceration, and Recidivism Nicholle Harris SOC 100 - Intro to Sociology Professor Deborah White June 15, 2014 Writing Assignment (Part 4): Race, Incarceration, and Recidivism Racism in this country directly impacts incarceration and recidivism; specifically for African American males. This is an age old issue in our country that continues to propagate itself. Our society strips away the rights of felons and they become life-long criminals. The implications of incarceration, recidivism and race directly creates quality of life issues for a large percentage of people in the country. There are several sociological concepts that apply to this theory. Poverty leads to higher crime rates. People with lower social classes are more likely to be targeted by the police. The Drug Policy Alliance (n.d) explains in the article “Race and the Drug War” that law enforcement has a “focus on urban areas, on lower-income communities and on communities of color” (para. 1). This type of targeting creates a negative view and disrespect for authority; as a result, it is more likely for crime to be committed. Macionis (2010) states that “race is closely related to social standing, which as already explained, affects the likelihood of engaging in street crimes. Many poor people living in the midst of wealth come to perceive society as unjust and are therefore more likely to turn to crime to get their share.” (p. 232). Higher crime rates...
Words: 1738 - Pages: 7
...Kristy Nguyen JOUR453 Spring 2014 The Meaning of Race in a 21st-Century America As far as America has come in the battle for equality and improving civil rights, the topic of race still looms over our nation and sparks many different debates. The division of the 21st-century isn’t as obvious as it used to be in the past, there are no “Whites Only” sign to direct us and the simplistic black-white concept of race no longer exists. The issue lies much deeper than we could ever imagine and its fast-paced change is making it difficult to comprehend. The increase in the multiracial population further adds to the complexity of this topic and our ideas on race. That is why Center for American Progress located in Washington, D.C. decided to tackle this matter head-on by opening an in-depth panel discussion entitled “The Meaning of Race in a 21st-Century America” to dig into America’s history to find the origins of race, address race and ethnicity today as the nation’s demographics are shifting, and emphasize the importance of the U.S. Census to accurately represent the people of this. Featured panelists included Rinku Sen, President and Executive Director of Race Forward: The Center for Racial Justice Innovation; Julie Dowling, Associate Professor, Department of Latina/Latino Studies, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Roderick Harrison, Senior Research Fellow, Civic Engagement and Governance Institute, Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies; and Hilary O. Shelton,...
Words: 2168 - Pages: 9
...When I look at America today, I see a country divided by race, gender, wealth, political views, or someone's sexual orientation. This is not how it has to be though. Our country is an incredible place, founded upon the idea of all men being equal, no man better than another. Although today, that is not the case. We are divided by such things, things that seem immense, but in reality, are just minor differences. This country is divided by groups, some that are just now emerging, but are not accepted, and others have been around for centuries, and are still not considered as equals. When you look at everyone in each group, they are people, human beings, like you, like me, and they should not be treated as anything less than that. When I think...
Words: 363 - Pages: 2
...any other race, you are given a label, regardless, because that’s how the world works by labeling things, places and people. The world feed us things that help us understand who we are and others around us. In “The Fallacy of Race: A Post-Racial America," Otto F von Feigenblatt argues that a complex construction of a new understanding for America is the idea of race from cultural studies, which the study consists of the labels for white and black than with phonotypical traits as skin color and facial features. Von Feigenblatt states that, “Nevertheless the resulting labels were useful in some cases in order to predict behavior and culture....
Words: 532 - Pages: 3
...The book Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White is written by Frank H. Wu an Associate Professor of Law at the Howard University School of Law. In Frank Wu’s Yellow, he covers a lot of Asian American related topics, many of whom are covered in Asian American class, and he provides his social commentary on the subject matter. Frank Wu opens his books by recounting stories of his experiences as an Asian American and providing events in history that connect his personal experiences to the larger picture of being an Asian American. Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White then moves onto the topic of “The Model Minority”. The idea of the model minority is that Asian are the perfect minority, all prospering without any problems despite their past hardships due to the hard work Asian put in without any complaints. However, this idea is rejected as a myth for three reasons. First off, it is highly inaccurate as a representation of all Asians in America. When you break down the difference between native Asian Americans and immigrant Asians, native-born Asian Americans do significantly poorer in education. And for those who do finish college, there is a lower return on investment as Asians are found to make less than their equivalent white counterparts. Immigrant...
Words: 1313 - Pages: 6
