Archive for March, 2007

op ed final piece

{ March 19, 2007 @ 9:46 am } · { Uncategorized }
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706 words

Is it ethical for a person to be judged solely upon the color of their skin? Such happens daily to those who have been uncontrollably born of color. Yet, it has been justified by our society and those who inhabit our nation. As a nation we have definitely come a long way in fighting racial discrimination and its downfalls. However, Americans have become satisfied with this opinion and are limiting their efforts towards uniform treatment for everyone within our nation, regardless of class, race, or gender.

 Racism occurs when people discriminate against others based on the color of their skin. It is the reason why colleges and prisons have racial populations that are not proportionate to local populations. For example, many private colleges in New England have an 84% white population among students while New London has less than 45% whites (not minorities, which would include African-American, Asian American, Native American also known as Amerindians, Arabs, and Latinos). Among college professors the gap is greater where the faculty is 90% white and 10% minorities. This is due to an institutionalized and historical process of racism that has produced an unequal distribution of resources, not only in the form of money or salaries, but also access to other resources such as education, medical services, and bank loans, among many others, creating a significant disparity.

The majority of US people in prison are minorities, not because they are innately criminals but because the process of racism pushes them intentionally in that direction. It is true that crime is a product of ignorance, as well. Therefore, by not giving our minority populations proper access to formal education, we are breeding people who choose crime to get what they think they deserve.  

Our whole history has been a product of injustices against other races due to malignant prejudices or plain ignorance. In a country that has shied away from facing racism, it is crucial that we go against it at this time in history. We as a nation, have given back to other races that have a history of mistreatment. The prime example of this is Native Americans. Due to their history of extreme abuse, the United States has attempted to reimburse them by providing their descendents great benefits,  usually in the form of preferential treatment in admission to colleges and in hiring practices as well as great financial prosperity.

Having read The Debt, I can see that Blacks are frustrated with their positions in society and their minimal ability to control their lives and destinies. They are still victims of their situations, unable to strive in America. Author Randall Robinson strongly believes that blacks require aid in order to advance in society. He contends that they are victims, no different than the Jews in the Holocaust. In ignoring the race problem in America, we are becoming more and more stubborn and backtracking from our consistent history of success and progress in obtaining a nation of equality. As reform for blacks in America is delayed, blacks are becoming more and more angry and discouraged. It is our duty as white Americans to provide minorities with all the necessary means to suceed and live self-fulfilling lives. Many Americans cannot see the racial disparities that exist within our nation. However, denial is not a reflex of logic and it is comfortable only temporarily.

The majority of people of color in this country live in intolerable conditions of poverty, suffer from staggering unemployment, and are faced with limited social opportunities, due not to laziness or genetically inferior capabilities, but because of structural racism, which is the cause of their marginal cultural existence in American society. Over a century after the end of slavery, black Americans are still poorer, less educated, and earning less than their white counterparts. Statistics reveal that they lag behind whites in just about every aspect of mainstream American life. It is ironic that within a nation built upon the pronciples of equality, many groups are targeted for being different and are not provided with the same benefits. We must begin laying the foundation for a viable, racism-free society today. It is vital for America to continue its period of progression, getting closer and closer to acquiring a racism-free future.

Reflection

{ March 5, 2007 @ 6:07 pm } · { learning }
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The main question here that I ask of myself and of my readers is whether or not my research accurately portrays my assigned topic of racism. Have I given enough evidence and factual information to prove my claim and ultimately persuade my audience to believe as I do and take such action as I see fit? Well I suppose that would be up to you, the reader. However, according to me, I believe that I have done extensive research and read from many different readers, receiving very different points of view about such a controversial topic.

In doing my research I stepped out of the required 10 sources by my teacher and found many to be of great help, using only the most prominent ones for my paper. I used all of the databases available to students at my high school, however, did not include all of them in my final draft. I took advantage of the public library as well as the one at my school. I found the databases extra helpful, because all of the articles that are written in them are dated. They allowed me to see how views and opinions evolved throughout time. In molding my own view of the topic, I compared the past with the modern and had much interest to hear what professors from Conn College thought about racism and what I had to say. I found it was good to hear other points of view, from those who had also either done extensive research or know exactly what they are talking about from first hand experience.

I have found many people to be of help to me on my quest to acquire as much knowledge possible about racism. I have found many local references as well as references to the topic from other continents, such as Europe. I believe that by making global viewpoints cue in my research I have been able to get a worldwide perspective of the issue at hand.
Having acknowledged the opinions of many different people, I feel as if I have accurately portrayed the range of proximity of my topic. I feel that I have chosen the course of action that I see fit and possible to eliminate racism from our society and culture. I felt in doing my research that there were many books and opinions from a wide variety of people who wished to have their feelings known to the public. In reading those opinions I developed many of my own, which I will portray in my final paper. I do, however, still have much respect for the opinions of others, who I feel are equally as important as mine. Having said that, I do believe that my research was a success and I am pleased with my acquired knowledge about this interesting topic which I have become ever more passionate about. As a person who has done extensive research about this topic, I feel that I am qualified to make such an opinion that I believe should be respected by others, as I have respected theirs.