For the Oral History project, I decided to gain a perception of American society from an individual that has experienced discrimination and persecution in the United States because of their race and sexual orientation. “Mr. Wilson” identifies himself as biracial male that has considered himself to be LGBTQIA+ for the past twenty years and over the course of his life, he has been victimized for his identification in both groups. Within our interview sessions, we have explored the topics of how individuals that identify themselves as being members of those groups (identifying with one group only and identifying with both) experience life in our society. Our conversation had an underlying theme of social justice and diversity that we chose to …show more content…
In addition, this piece offers no less than a radical transformation of the United States’ application of the concept of democracy, especially within the confines of racial consciousness. By analyzing the dispersion of European exceptionalism and Western-centrism, Daniel illustrates how race has been constructed in the United States. The “one-drop rule” (i.e. being considered black if you have at least one ancestor of sub-Saharan-African ancestry) compelled people to identify as black or white, in effect removing mixed-race individuals from the social landscape. Due to these conditions, many mixed-raced individuals have attempted to acquire the socioeconomic advantages of being considered white, which Daniel defines as “passing.” Throughout history, interracial marriages were condemned, but have become more common throughout the last few decades and those individuals that are biracial and multiracial as a result of those unions have demanded institutional changes that would acknowledge the plight of multiple racial backgrounds and challenged society to move toward reform of perspectives, both socially and politically. This analysis of biracial and multiracial groups and the evolution of the United States concerning the consciousness of race, as well as social justice for all, was added to bolster the perspective gained through conversation with “Mr.
Hahn’s most important point is his idea that a large number of black activists put forth multi-racial and democratic vision of the nation in which birth and loyalty determined rights and citizenship rather than race. Because African Americans put forth this remarkably modern view of America, it brings up the question of who built and defined this great
Smith introduces the concept of ascriptive inegalitarianism, which effectively brings to light the conditions in which the reality of political ideologies exist due to social preconceptions that are passed from one generation to the next about the “natural” superiority of one race, gender, religion, etc. Liberalism and republicanism exist and function within this realm, not allowing for their respective ideological potentials to be fully realized. Hereditary burdens are placed on minorities because of clashing of democratic liberalism and republicanism along with these systematic and cyclical discriminatory practices. When seen through the eyes of society and government, these systems are completely inescapable. Americans, through these ascriptive systems of multiple political traditions, struggle with the contradictions each idea presents against the other and as a society attempt to embrace the best qualities of each. These outlooks help explain why liberalizing efforts have failed when countered with supporting a new racial or gender order. The ascriptive tradition allows for intellectual and psychological validation for Americans to believe their personal and hereditary characteristics express an identity that has inherent importance in regards to the government, religion, and nature. This provides those who are a part of the white elite to dictate which features are the most desirable and holy, giving head to social conceptions like “white wages”, which make them inherently superior to all other races and cultures. These ideologies are institutionalized within all facets of American life such as causing evils like mass incarceration, wage gaps, and rising suicide
Elie Wiesel once said “neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” In Michelle Cacho-Negrete’s Essay “Tell Me Something” she talks about her brother who died in the Vietnam War. In the end of the essay she challenges the reader “tell me something good about my country (739).” What is good about America is that it’s not. Hear me out, because America has been racist, sexist, and homophobic for so long that a new wave of LGBTQIA, feminism, and civil rights has emerged. As a queer, black woman these movements make me feel as though some people care about my struggles.
Race-thinking: what is it? Isn’t the world past the issue of race? Do races even exist and if so, what does it mean to have a racial identity? Is colorblindness possible and how important is it? These are the questions Paul Taylor addresses in the book “Race: A Philosophical Introduction”. Paul Taylor is a self-proclaimed “radical constructionist” who will maintain that race is very real in our world and in the United States as a whole (p. 80). Taylor takes care to ensure he addresses the real needs concerning racial dynamics in the U.S., referencing historical events, prevailing policy affairs, and even pop culture to explain that everyone capable of forming opinions ought to have some sort of grasp of the concept of race-thinking. As Taylor will analyze, race and race-thinking “has shaped and continues to shape private interactions as well as the largest political choices” (p. 8). In other words, race-thinking encompasses everything we do and every interaction we have. In this paper I will attempt to interpret and expound Taylor’s views and definitions of race, concepts associated with race, and input my own interpretations as they are appropriate.
Carmichael views America as a system that refuses to acknowledge the issue of race in an honest fashion. Because the holders of the country’s power, Whites, have no sense of urgency in the matter, it is comfortable taking its time in addressing such “inconvenient” problems. When the current power structure leaves those at the top of it in a particularly comfortable state, the desire to make changes that would only allow for others to have equal chance to take such a seat is unlikely.
In the second half of her book, Cooper addresses America’s race problem. She argues that, yes, there is a problem concerning race in America and the only way that it will eventually be solved is by the power and grace of God. U...
Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its impact in today’s society; therefore race still remaining to matter to this group in the U.S. People who place themselves in this category are constantly conflicted with more than one cultural backgrounds and often have difficulty to be accepted.
concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...
...n). LGBTQ individuals of African and Latino descent have especially had to face youth homelessness, unemployment, social discrimination, and lack of healthcare. However, in order to combat this, the QPOC communities have begun to fight back by standing up for themselves. Support groups covering all forms of identity have been established nationwide, and continue to grow. In addition, media projects and political organizations are working to set QPOC apart from the dominant white queer community, thus giving them a voice to speak out against the issues they currently encounter. Although they continue to face multiple forms of oppression today, through the acknowledgment of LGBTQ communities of color and advocacy for their rights, the resistance efforts of QPOC can help in the movement to ultimately eliminate intersectional discrimination from our society altogether.
Following the 1890’s, the world began to undergo the first stages of globalization. Countries and peoples, who, until now, were barely connected, now found themselves neighbors in a planet vastly resembling a global village. Despite the idealized image of camaraderie and brotherhood this may seem to suggest, the reality was only discrimination and distrust. Immigration to new lands became a far more difficult affair, as emigrants from different nations came to be viewed as increasingly foreign. In the white-dominated society of the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the only way to truly count oneself as American was to become “white”. For this reason, the idea of race, a socially constructed issue with no real physical basis, has become one of the most defining factors which shape immigration and assimilation in the United States.
Discrimination has always been prominent in mainstream society. Judgments are quickly formed based on one’s race, class, or gender. The idea that an individual’s self-worth is measured by their ethnicity or sexual preference has impacted the lives of many Americans. During the early colonial period, a social hierarchy was established with white landowners at the top and African-American slaves at the bottom. As equality movements have transpired, victims of discrimination have varied. In the late 1980’s when Paris is Burning was filmed, gay rights were still controversial in society. The lack of acceptance in conventional society created hardships in the lives of transgender women and gay men.
Over seventy years ago a man by the name of Gunnar Myrdal published “An American Dilemma: The Negro Problem and Modern Democracy (1944), which focus on thinking that relates to race and politics in America. Mr. Myrdal was commissioned by the Carnegie Corporation to investigate “the Negro problem,” right here in the United States of American. This Swedish gentleman was chosen for a few reasons, some being that his country was assumed to have little to no history of
In Doing Oral History, Donald Ritchie, historian of the United States Senate, explains that “Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through recorded interviews.” He says that memory is the core of oral history, and that this is where meaning can be extracted and preserved (Ritchie, 2003). When we collect and oral history from a subject, we are collecting their memories which Ritchie argues are of historical significance, especially when coming from under-represented groups of people. He says these interviews “may be used for research or excerpted in a publication, radio or video documentary, museum exhibition, dramatization or other form of public presentation. Recordings, transcripts, catalogs,
Along with ethos and small touch of logos, the author Roxane Gay uses a strength appeal of pathos to persuade her audience onto her argument. “White people will never know the dangers of being black in America, systemic, unequal opportunity, racial profiling, and the constant threat of police violence. Men will never know the dangers of being a woman in America, harassment, sexual violence, legislated bodies. Heterosexuals will never know what it means to experience homophobia.” (Gay). In this paragraph, the author is identify the inequality between racial barriers, genders and sexual orientation which an emotionally involved topic to bring up. How people are treated differently how the way they look, where they come from. Woman would
When one hears the words “LGBT” and “Homosexuality” it often conjures up a mental picture of people fighting for their rights, which were unjustly taken away or even the social emergence of gay culture in the world in the1980s and the discovery of AIDS. However, many people do not know that the history of LGBT people stretches as far back in humanity’s history, and continues in this day and age. Nevertheless, the LGBT community today faces much discrimination and adversity. Many think the problem lies within society itself, and often enough that may be the case. Society holds preconceptions and prejudice of the LGBT community, though not always due to actual hatred of the LGBT community, but rather through lack of knowledge and poor media portrayal.