...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
...Title: Racism Introduction There has always been some kind of prejudice among people who live in a certain geographical area. Whether in the way of living, the way they look, their wealth or the resources available. The way one was brought up or his/her way of life will define how that person will relate to the people around him. An example is whereby a girl was brought up in a strict religious family. Her church had a congregation of African Americans only, and any other race was not allowed to worship with them. As a result, she grew up with no knowledge of any other culture but this. After getting employed, she was openly racist with no regard to the people she was meant to work with. She did not attend to clients from different races and never associated with her colleagues. Her culture propagated her racist ideologies. Hence, it is obvious that culture often goes hand in hand with racism. Racism is the clear discrimination against people who do not have the same skin colour as you. The lifestyles of the people around us should be celebrated and embraced. Therefore, culture should not be used as a way of propagating racism or any other kind of prejudice. It is evident that the racial prejudice is a mindset, which is subject to change. Racism should be criminalized because it denies the community from the full potential of a person and the loss of opportunities that could empower the whole society. (Dovidio & Gaertner, 2004). There is a stereotype that there is a wealthy...
Words: 1495 - Pages: 6
...Racism is something something we've all witnessed. Many people fail to believe that race isn’t a biological category, but an artificial classification of people with no scientifically variable facts. In other words, the distinction we make between races has nothing to do with genetic characteristics. Race was created socially, primarily by how people perceive ideas and faces we are not quite used to. The definition of race all depends on where and when the word is being used. In U.S. history, the meaning of the label “white” has changed over time, eventually adding groups like the Italians, Irish and Jews. Other groups, mainly African, Latino, American Indian, Pacific Islander, and Asian descendants, have found the path for worldwide social acceptance much more difficult. The irregular border of ethnicities touch educational and economic opportunity, political representation, as well as income, health and social mobility of people of color. So where did this type of behavior begin? There are many ideas thrown around as to how racism began, though the truth lies in the history of mankind. Before people were able to travel and experience difference groups of people, we predominantly stayed in the same kind of area with the same kind of people. We feared things that were different, and were lacked the power to face those kinds of things. All this changed once we did, in fact, obtain this level of human advancement, but the fear never drifted. The truth is, racism began as soon...
Words: 529 - Pages: 3
...Racism is a word that can be defined in many different ways to people. To some, racism is a way of life, and to others, it is a repulsive term that represents closed-mindedness. Racism comes from different cultural values, ethnic backgrounds, as well as the physical appearances. The conflict of racism occurs when the majority group of society feels that the different cultures and values of the minority group brings the deviance to the society. The United States of America, which brought people from all over the world, is stated as the land of opportunity and freedom, it is also the country that is notorious for the racial discrimination. From the beginning of this country, there were conflicts with the Indians, slavery of blacks, and going against the people who immigrated here hoping to achieve the American dream. Racism have been one of the most significant issues that people have been facing and fighting for, and is still occurring around us without even knowing. I have not felt any serious racism against me so far since I am a student and had only been here for such a short period of time. Although the society that I am living in now is like the melting pot of all different cultures, I was able to figure out during my stay at school that most people who were in the same color used to get along together. I also heard about the experience of racism that my uncle had, who immigrated here about 6 years ago. My uncle owns a store in the city of Tustin, which he often had to...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...EN105 25 January 2015 Racism For many years African Americans have been discriminated against, not as individuals, but solely because of the color of their skins. In her essay “How it Feels to Be Colored Me”, Zora Hurston relays to the reader that being discriminated due to your color doesn’t take away from who you are as a person, nor does it change the morals and virtues and pride that you have for yourself. Hurston speaks of her life experiences, and through those experiences she has became to know who she was, which at the beginning made her feel ashamed. The author didn’t realize or have ever been truly exposed to racism until the age of thirteen, when she moved from Eatonville, FL., a predominately black community, to Jacksonville, FL. Until then white people only differed to Zora because they didn’t live in her town. There in Jacksonville Zora experienced racism and discrimination; through all of this Zora never felt bitter towards those that discriminated against her. “But I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow damned up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all. I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood.” (Hurston 266). Though slavery was sixty years in the past, Zora understood that slavery was the price that was paid for civilization by her ancestors. Racism is alive and well. The past year many of us were stunned by the cases of racial intimidation and judicial bias, during the Michael Brown and Eric...
Words: 1053 - Pages: 5
...Racism is caused by many factors, and the effects are mild to serious. The dictionary defines racism as “a belief in superiority of a particular race; prejudice based on this”(oxford 118). I. Racism is caused by many factors. A. The family of an individual can influence a child’s view on other races. B. Television and movies affect the way people view racism. C. Friends and peers influence young people. II. Racism can lead to many things. A. Racism can lead to such things as hate crimes. 1. “A hate crime is a crime in which the defendant intentionally selects a victim, or in the case of a property crime, the property that is the object of a crime, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin etc.(Altchiller 17)”. 2. Sept 15, 1963 a 13 year old boy was killed by two white youths. B. There are many people that have lost their lives true out history because of racism. 1. “Jan 30, 1956 a bomb explodes in Montgomery Alabama, home of reverent Martin Luther King (Altchiller 17). 2. “March 16. The Jewish Community Center in Nashville, Tennessee, is dynamited (Altchiller 29).” C. Not even famous people safe from racism. 1. “April 11, 1956 six “KKK” members assault singer Nat “King” Cole during a performance at Birmingnan, Alabama, municipal auditorium (Altchiller 28).” III. Racism is still a very large part of our society. A. “May 9. In Rutherfordton North Carolina, two men with...
Words: 351 - Pages: 2
...American History X is clearly a film dealing with racism. The interesting thing about this film is the way in which the subject is treated. First of all, it is obvious that, though racism is always a difficult subject to deal with, American History X presents it without any reservations or dumming down. Second, the film's figurehead for racism, Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton), is not an unintelligent redneck racist as films often portray them, but is in fact well-spoken, charismatic and intelligent, although he clearly holds ideals that are terribly wrong. Finally, the film shows that it is not just the white, neo-nazi racists who are fools to be involved in this, but all racism is foolish. Through these methods, the film shows the viewer, extremely convincingly, that hatred and racism will destroy a person and those around him. It is immediately revealed to the audience at the outset of this movie that there will be no holds barred and no playing down the realism of this intense racial hatred. When the film flashes back to the reason for Derek's incarceration, we see Danny wake up his brother to tell him that some black guys are trying to steal or wreck his truck, and Derek immediately jumps out of bed, grabs a gun, and shoots one of them, wounds another and fires at the third as he drives away. Then, in one of the most brutal scenes in film history, Derek forces the remaining, wounded man to put his face on the curb and Derek kicks the back of his head, smashing in the man's...
Words: 344 - Pages: 2
...Origins of Racism When the word racism comes about, many people don’t really stop and think where or even when racism began. They just think that since our history books tell us about the segregation that had occurred that it’s just a natural thing that happened in the past and still goes on today. The invention of racism was socially constructed and as a society, we developed the concept of racial segregation, racial discrimination, racial stereotyping and negative prejudice. Some believe that there is no real original concepts of how racism began, but how would we wrap ourselves around the concept of racism being uniquely developed so that one race was meant to be inferior to all the rest? There are many ideas about how racism came about. Some say that it’s because that’s how nature took its course. It was just made to have one race has to be above all the others, a superior race, and the inferior races, which are looked at as being intolerable. Seeing one race less important than another is dehumanizing but it is within the definition of racism, inferiority and superiority are stated. According to the Oxford dictionary, racism is defined as the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. This mentality of having superior and inferior races began in the 1600s where slave trade was considered to be normal. Slavery was not based on racial discrimination...
Words: 1970 - Pages: 8
...Racism –Final Tho Nguyen Delicia Battle English 090 Strayer University June 9, 2012 Today, racism is increasingly more and more of a concern too many. It is often unseen and unheard, but racial tension still exists between many ethnic groups. I have personally observed how different races condemn one another as if their race is superior to others. I think I know what it is like to believe I’m the superior, but I realize that I am not. It is terrible to see how racially proud people can blow the boundaries out of proportion. For example, at my former school, it was common to see people from one ethnic group socialize together. The group shared a common background and sense it pride, but least once a day you could hear “Yeah, Yea Asian pride ,”or ,”White power.” In hindsight it is silly to think about it, because of how it could make others feel if they walked by and heard the group? We would walk with an arrogance that said, “I’m a superior ethnic race, don’t mess with me. It is an ego that is shared among many of us. I believe it is pathetic that we allow racism to become such a part of our culture and world. It is good to have confidence in who you are, but being too prideful can be shameful, and the fault can be found among many of us. Having pride in who you are is not wrong, because it shows that one has self confidence. Even in the Military, each branch has their own pride and there are barriers that create...
Words: 410 - Pages: 2
...RRacism is a topic of discussion that will always bring out a debate. Many events have occurred that one would find horrifying just based off racism. Simply being judged or opposed by the color of your skin or ethnic features, something one has simply no control of. All humans are under one race, the human race, yet some still discriminate against others of different backgrounds. “Is racism a permanent feature of American society?” is the matter at hand though. In this article, this question is answered and given many points to view when answering this question. The debate of this question in this article begins with two different viewpoints. There is case that someone who goes by the name Derrick Bell, says yes to racism being a permanent feature in American society and then there is Dinnesh D’Souza who thinks otherwise. The article then goes to show what people believe racism is and ways to end it in American society. Derrick Bell feels that racism is a permanent feature in American society. He feels this way because there are whites that truly won’t let go of the past racial discrimination and will only stand for their color. He gives examples such as lower class whites will stand with upper class white; who don’t have a real interest in helping the lower class, rather join blacks who share the same needs as them. He also says that whites only view blacks as being lower than they are that’s why blacks don’t stand a chance in competing with whites in society. He...
Words: 1262 - Pages: 6
...Racism consists of both prejudice and discrimination based in social perceptions of biological differences between peoples. It often takes the form of social actions, practices or beliefs, or political systems that consider different races to be ranked as inherently superior or inferior to each other, based on presumed shared inheritable traits, abilities, or qualities. It may also hold that members of different races should be treated differently.[1][2][3] Among the questions about how to define racism are the question of whether to include forms of discrimination that are unintentional, such as making assumptions about preferences or abilities of others based on racial stereotypes, whether to include symbolic or institutionalized forms of discrimination such as the circulation of ethnic stereotypes through the media, and whether to include the socio-political dynamics of social stratification that sometimes have a racial component. In sociology and psychology, some definitions only include consciously malignant forms of discrimination.[4][5] Some definitions of racism also include discriminatory behaviors and beliefs based on cultural, national, ethnic, caste, or religious stereotypes.[2][6] One view holds that racism is best understood as 'prejudice plus power' because without the support of political or economic power, prejudice would not be able to manifest as a pervasive cultural, institutional or social phenomenon.[7][8][9] While race and ethnicity are considered...
Words: 353 - Pages: 2
...Racism Racism is a big problem in life today. It shouldn’t matter, but in school, life and even relationships it’s a more of a problem than it should be. People discriminate against black people. Racist people think that they are not good people. And they have a lot of bad stereotypes about them. Racism hurts feelings and it’s mean and unfair. It’s wrong to hate on someone or make fun of them, because they are a different color or a different race. In school, people who are racist are mean to black people and others. Everyone has feelings and sometimes people don’t think about other people. They just think about themselves, and what they want. If two people are happy and in love with each other; and they are a different race and a different color from each other. Then let them be happy together. It’s not like they are hurting anyone, and why would anyone want to talk away someone’s happiness. It’s the 21st century, things are changing and some people need to accept it. The stereotypes people have about black people and others are that they steal, or they are dirty. But really if you think about it, white people steal and some white people are dirty. So when people say that about the, and have that stereotype, then they should think about other people in society who are committing crimes; and they are white. Racism is all around the world. People discriminate against people of a different race and it’s not right. It’s hurtful and mean, and no one would want to have...
Words: 304 - Pages: 2
...Racism is a term that is often used to describe a variety of social, culture and economic problems, but has, unfortunately, acquired “so many contradictory meanings that it takes on the aura of a myth,” it has become increasingly difficult to define . Although the term wasn’t officially featured in the Larousse Dictionary until 1932, racism had been a dark cloud hanging over the global horizon for centuries (de Benoist, 1999). Whenever there are people of different cultural and social characteristics introduced into the mix, a recipe for racism and the hostilities it generates is created. Because racism defies a singular definition but is usually represented by the categorizing of people according to certain criteria, it can perhaps best be understood by discussing the issue itself in terms of such categories as the reasons for racism, its causes, why it continues, and how its meaning is ever-changing. It is widely accepted by sociologists that racism is essentially an ideology or belief system with its foundation cemented by three basic ideas. First, there is the fact that human beings can be divided naturally into different physical types (Vorster, 2002). For example, Africans are ‘typed’ by their dark skin color and by their curly hair; Asians are known for their ‘yellowish’ skin color, black hair and slanted eyes, etc. Often, solely on the basis of these physical traits, assumptions are automatically made that become “intrinsically related to their culture...
Words: 1899 - Pages: 8
...the original conversation replied “ well ….” Then he looked at me dropped his head and finished” that’s not always true”, I could guess where he was going to prove his point and why he decided to refrain for saying what was on his mind. Listening to this brief exchange made me think back to another conversation I overheard in an ITT classroom, during my second or third quarter I was making up some work and some guy were comparing Columbus and Hilliard ITT campuses when they referred to the Columbus campus as having too much “fried chicken” as they looked at me and laughed; not funny. Racism is defined Webster’s dictionary as the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social or moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. That’s the dictionary’s definition but what is racism really? A lot of people say that racism no longer exist, yet just a couple of weeks ago a gunmen went on a shooting rampage killing three people he thought were Jewish, I wonder if it bothered him at all that the people he murdered weren’t Jewish just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Have you ever been cut off on the expressway by someone and in your anger you shouted out a racial slur? Does that make you a racist? Are we all “closet racist”?...
Words: 921 - Pages: 4
...Racism: Yesterday’s Norm, Today’s Problem, Tomorrow’s Memory I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." * Martin Luther King Jr. Racism is literally defined in the dictionary as, “A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. “ From this, one can derive that racism is not only occurring between blacks and whites, but between all races; and not only in America, but all over the world. However, when trying to solve a problem one must start somewhere, and since the U.S. is a world leader, if it changes its values, much of the world will follow. Therefore, this essay will focus on relative solutions readers can relate to as residents of the United States of America. Nevertheless, a problem can’t be solved without first finding its causes. The reasons’ of why racism exists include: xenophobia, prejudices, governmental influences, etc…Yet, the paramount reason for racism is IGNORANCE! People are afraid of what they don’t know or understand. They feel the need to oppress rather than embrace other cultures because they are not similar to their own. This ignorance spreads like wildfire and turns others into ignoramuses as well. It is like professor Benjamin said, “In a pen...
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
