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Racism in american history x
Racism in America in the 20th century
Racism in America in the 20th century
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The people I interview were my sister Shola who is 18 years old graduate from Kipp College preparatory, another sister Lisa a student who is 16 years old and my dad Antwane who is a mechanic and is 40 years old.These events of inequality in America has made these 3 women be more protected and have their freedom narrowed down a little bit. To my dad it made him worry for his kids and face stereotypes that society has given to black men. A quote from the interview with my dad is “being a white male means power, being a black male means you have to struggle nothing is given to you everything is earned and white males everything is given to them by nepotism and they don’t have to struggle as hard as we do.” Also from my interview with my sister,
In her article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Peggy McIntosh writes about the privilege white individuals get without noticing it. McIntosh talks about how whites are taught to not recognize their privilege. McIntosh having a background in Women’s Studies, she also talks about how men have more privileges than women, yet they rarely recognize it. In the article McIntosh claims that “After I realized the extent to which men work from a base of unacknowledged privilege, I understood that much of their oppressiveness was unconscious.”
Growing up as an African-American you are always taught to be twice as good. Twice as good as the white people to receive the same treatment as them. I grew up hearing this same phrase constantly but never really understood exactly what it meant until I got old enough to actually see the kind of world we are living in. The author of the article, “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” Peggy Mclntosh, took as step into shoes of black America and found that white privilege not only exist, but many whites are blind to it. She gives a clear argument about how white privilege is harmful to our society and how we can work together to fix this.
The two articles that had a profound impact to my understanding of race, class and gender in the United States was White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh and Imagine a Country by Holly Sklar. McIntosh explains the keys aspects of unearned advantage (a privilege that one group hold over another) as well as conferred dominance (the act of voluntarily giving another group power) and the relationship that these factors hold when determine power of a social group. Additionally, the purpose of McIntosh’s article was to demonstrate the privilege that certain individuals carry and how that translates to the social structures of our society. Furthermore, conferred dominance also contributes to the power of the dominant group
Peggy McIntosh wrote this article to identify how her white privilege effects her life. Each statement is written as a privilege that Ms. McIntosh does not need to consider or fear as a white woman. From financial credibility to national heritage, this article makes a valid point regarding the way white people can be arrogant and naïve when the same treatment is not being given to their neighbors, coworkers, and peers. There can be two responses when reading this. The first would be a person of color. They will appreciate the attempt at realization of what white people take for granted. The second would be the reality that smacks the white people in the face when they realize how true all 50 statements are. Once this begins to sink in, many will start to broaden their competence realizing the unfair treatment of the people in this world. Moving down the timeline, we can see how the acknowledgement can mend broken relationships. Owning the reality and doing something to change it can give the people of different races the treatment they deserve (McIntosh,
"Why can 't black people just work harder?" Hard work results in success, and black people are in many cases looked at as less successful than white people. Therefore, that means that black people simply work less hard than white people. This is the perspective that many privileged white people may have when discussing the issue of white privilege. They fail to realize that white privilege plays a significant role in what opportunities someone might have. In Princeton University student, Tal Fortgang 's essay, "Checking My Privilege: Character as the Basis of Privilege", he criticizes those who tell him to "Check your privilege". He argues that the phrase discredits his achievements, and that white privilege is not the reason that he became
...actions on the part of Black activists empowered a generation to struggle for their most basic civil rights.
Power and privilege may be challenging and trigger defensiveness from white counterparts. However, it is important to recognize the systemic privilege that whites have over those who come from disadvantaged groups. Prior, to the readings I had a little knowledge of the power and privilege but I did not know the avenues that privileged people do to ensure that their children enroll in the top universities and colleges. As a result, whites have greater access to certain higher social status and income levels that will position them to have greater control over decision-making. This privilege reinforces the imbalance of privilege that whites have over racialized groups.
Many people will argue that she is correct, while some others will explain why this is not the case. The main point that McIntosh is pushing forward is that both whites and males have certain advantages. McIntosh says that “white privilege is an invisible package of unearned assets” (605). White privilege are the advantages that white people receive just for being white. They didn’t earn any of the privileges other than being born with the right skin tone.
When my family and I could feel the warm fine sand, the gentle cool breeze, witness the crystal clear aquamarine ocean and swaying palm trees, and smell the sweet fragrant scent of plumerias, we must have gone to heaven. The enchanting beauty of this Hawaiian island, Maui, gives us a sense of warmth, peace, and serenity. In search of paradise, we explore the infamous Road to Hana, snorkel with underwater marine life, and journey back in time to experience the true customs, traditional cuisine and the original song, music and dance of Hawaii at a luau.
With all of these facts, the author tries to prove that racial differences and privileges appear exaggerated and unrealistic. The privileged and less privileged exist at all levels of society. Duke wants white people to understand that they are in the same position as all other races. The awareness of “white privilege” is only a fallacy that causes feel of guilt without foundation.
In the “Between Barack and a Hard Place” by Tim Wise, Wise explains institutionalized racism in the categories of income and jobs, housing, education, health care, criminal justice, and Hurricane Katrina Response. Institutional racism is the pattern where blacks and people of color have given some negative treatments based on their race or skin color. Wise gives some key points and statistics in each areas that disproves the idea that people have equal opportunities in the United States. In terms of income and jobs, Wise shows unequal opportunities for applicants with black-sounding names: “Job applicants with white-sounding names are 50 percent more likely to be called back for a job interview than applicants with black-sounding names.” (Wise
African American men are treated more poorly than the average white person. The large population of African American men are degraded because of their skin color, giving disgrace to white people. White men show a sense of empowerment toward African American men because nothing matters to them when it is dealing with black individuals, mostly targeted at men. White men judge African American men belittling their reason of living. According to Identities.mic, Peggy McIntosh states that, “the access to privilege does not determine ones outcomes, but it is definitely an aspect that makes it more likely that whatever talent, ability, and aspirations a person with privilege has will result in something positive for them”. In the stories “Big Boy Leaves Home” and “Battle Royal” both
...conomically stable than other minorities. Being the highest of the working class is powerful. Whites are known to have superior access to funds, estate, and education than other minority groups. Also, greater workplaces are granted towards Whites. However, along with the concepts of acceptance, we are contradicted with an idea that race involves competition, which then leads to power and power can change the way we view each other. This causes separation and conflict between all minority groups because there is an act of superiority within our own kind. In today’s age, the model minority is looked at in the Asian American Community. For Example, in most Universities, the population is populated with Caucasians and Asians. Because they are on the hierarchy of minorities, they are the closest treated to White, even though all minorities are still considered “inferior.”
Women's rights and civil rights have always been an extremely important part of United States history. Even though the Civil War abolished slavery, and the ratification of the 19th amendment finally allowed women to be able to vote, both groups were still discriminated against and oppressed in many ways. Because of the spark of second wave feminism, and because of the peak in the Civil Rights Movement, the 1960’s is thought of as one of the most pivotal time periods in American history. During this time, women were very unhappy with their lives as housewives, and they wished for more job and work opportunities. While most women had it hard throughout the 1960’s, black women had the most difficult of times. Not only were they discriminated against
tend to earn less than white men at the start their careers, basing future pay off past pay, the thinking goes, Gentlemen, imagine life for one second. Imagine life not making an equal dollar to a woman. Imagine looking provocative in your required business attire no matter how modest it is. Imagine not being worth the pay. Imagine your boss hiring you because you are cheaper to pay. Imagine being asked to leave the job you have had for quite some time all because you have a child now, and you should be home taking care of him or her instead. Imagine being told that work was never meant for you. You do not belong in the workplace. Your job is meant for a woman, a man could never handle it. Now stop imagining and reflect