Unveiling the Veil: Racism in Schools Racism is a systemic issue that permeates various aspects of society, including educational institutions. Schools, often considered bastions of learning and growth, unfortunately, are not immune to the insidious effects of racism. In this essay, we will delve into the pervasive nature of racism in schools, exploring its manifestations, impacts, and potential strategies for combating it. Manifestations of Racism in Schools: Racism in schools can manifest in various forms, ranging from overt discrimination to subtle biases ingrained in institutional practices. One prominent manifestation is racial profiling, where students of color are unfairly targeted for disciplinary actions or surveillance based on stereotypes. This …show more content…
Furthermore, the perpetuation of Eurocentric narratives as the standard of knowledge marginalizes the experiences and contributions of non-white cultures and perpetuates a skewed worldview. Microaggressions also play a significant role in perpetuating racism in schools. These subtle, often unintentional, verbal or behavioral slights communicate derogatory messages to students of color, undermining their sense of belonging and self-worth. Whether it's a backhanded compliment or a dismissive remark, these microaggressions contribute to a hostile learning environment for marginalized students. Impacts of Racism on Students: The impacts of racism in schools are profound and far-reaching, affecting not only academic outcomes but also emotional well-being and future prospects. Research has shown that students who experience racism in educational settings are more likely to suffer from low self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. Moreover, the stress and trauma resulting from racial discrimination can impede cognitive functioning and hinder academic
A lot of people migrate from different countries to the United States each year. Most of them are looking for education especially for college students. In order to adapt easily to the new surroundings, many parents think their children should come here as soon as possible. However, in order to not forget their origin, the parents decide to send their children to the United States when they are 14-17 years old. Thus, most of them are high school students when they come to the United States. Due to that, there are many students of other races in high school. I think American high school students need to discuss racism. Because racism can cause students to discriminate against students of other races, understanding what causes racism is very important for the high school students, especially the 11th and 12th grade students. Why is it more serious for the junior and senior? According to official statistics, the school bullying statistics shows us that cases are often conflict between the students of different races. Because of rebellion, those students are junior or senior. For instance, one of my friends was treated badly in high school. My friend was a typical Asian boy as same as the others. However, he did not get on well with the other students. The other students always called him a nerd because he was an Asian. They not only called him a nerd, but they also made fun of his name. Due to the unkind nickname, my friend started to cut class. Finally, his parents had to find another school for him. Generally, most of the students think the Asian students are not diplomats, and they only know how to deal with the computers. Racism doesn’t only cause physical bullying, but it is also a severe hurt to one’s pride. Reading “The Unwanted” can make students see clearly how racism put the screws on a kid. In order to prevent the same thing, that’s why I think
Unequal funding and lack of opportunities offering are restricted minority students to compete to white students. The school system is not independently separated from race and racism as people think. Race and racism are social illness that immediately need action in order to bring the best atmosphere and energy for educational system because schools are places for teaching and learning. Schools should not allow race and racism affect their spaces’ neutralization. Withstanding race and racism in education is a long and difficult task, but it is a worthy effort because in the future, all children will able to receive a better and equal
Racism is more than just blatant comments and police brutality. It is also found in the subtle things, like the lack of opportunities in education. Graduation by Maya Angelou and I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose both address this issue of opportunities and race. In St. Louis, Missouri, Maya Angelou went to an all-black school during the 1930s and 40s, while Mike Rose is a second generation Italian immigrant in Los Angeles in the 1950s. Both wrote about their experiences with systemic racism in education. Both authors are given low expectations and have no power over their futures, which shows how systemic racism sets up a self-fulfilling prophecy of underachievement.
The idea of racism has evolved and has become less prevalent throughout the last century. Schools and public areas are unsegregated, voting rights, racial slurs being considered as unacceptable behavior etc. American sociologist and race theorist, Howard Winant states that’s “The ensuing approaches increased recognition of racial injustice and inequality, but did not overcome the discriminatory processes” (Winant,2000)Although the United states has come a long way to try to end racism, one cannot ignore the fact that it still exists. It is something that may seem invisible in society, but everybody knows that it still thrives and that it’s racial attitudes affect the way our society functions. One of these invisible forms of racism is called microagression. Microagression is the theory that certain interactions between different races can be interpreted as small acts of verbal aggression. Racial micro aggression has caused many behavior and identity problems between races in today’s society. In the article, "Microagressions in everyday life", Dr. Derald Wing Sue states that “Microaggressions are similar to carbon monoxide - “invisible, but potentially lethal” - continuous exposure to these type of interactions “can be a sort of death by a thousand cuts to the victim” It is a common experience that many people of different racial groups deal within their every day lives. They are harmful to society, creating a hostile environment, dividing people apart, creating inequalities, and decreasing productivity in the work and school environment.
Racism has always been a heated topic, and it is well-known that many students of colour still face racism in the form of bullying. However, Derald Wing Sue argues that there is a type of minute racism present in our daily lives. This implicit racism lies in everyday interactions called microaggressions. He defines the concept of microaggressions as “brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of colour because they belong to a racial minority group” (1). They are everyday messages that are subtle and often unintentional. I will discuss these acts of microaggression with an emphasis on students in a post-secondary White-based environment. That is, a university or college that is predominantly biased towards a White culture.
The students in the school are shied away and even denied opportunities for higher education by the teachers, “Many have been discouraged or prevented from pursuing academic or work goals” (Kivel 44). From not believing in the students to not wanting them to get further ahead in life, the teachers in this low budgeted, racist school are sacrificing the students future in the name of institutionalized racism. This causes the students to remain in the same social class for another generation, once again, starting the cycle of integrated racism in the schools and surrounding
Even though extraordinary changes have been made in the past to achieve racial equality, America is still racist, especially in schools. In the novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” written by Harper Lee, Atticus Finch is criticized for defending a black man accused of raping a white woman. During the 1930s, the time this novel took place, America was a very segregated country. At the time when Harper Lee wrote "To Kill a Mockingbird," America was fighting a civil rights movement. The events of racism in “To Kill a Mockingbird” reflect the time period.
Microaggression refers to “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults toward people of color” (Sue et al., 2007). Microaggression has appeared in three forms: microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation. Microassault is characterized by verbal and nonverbal attacks meant to hurt the victim. An example of this is when a white teacher fails to acknowledge a student of color in a classroom or ignore eye contact. Microinvalidations excludes the feelings and thoughts of a person of color. These hidden insults have been a part of academic discourse for some time, however, the murder of Mike Brown became an example of the racialization. The portrayal in the media due to this event highlights the daily encounters of microaggression people face that is not reached by the mass consciousness. Today, these insults continue to degrade anyone who does not fit into the dominant culture since racism is embedded in the fabrication of society. This includes asking an Asian American “where are you from”, “where were you born?” and “You speak good English,” even though they were born and raised in the United States. This invalidates their American heritage and portrays the idea that they are foreigners. Ironically, the daily common experience of racial aggression may have “significantly more influence on racial anger, frustration, and self-esteem than traditional overt forms of racism.” (SoIorzano, Ceja, & Yosso, 2000). In addition, these forms of microaggressions and racism create disparities in education, employment, and health
Critical Race Theory in education recognizes that Race and racism are prevalent and significant in the American school system. This particular theory has been used to understand the oppressive aspects of society based on race, culture and language in order to generate transformation in schools as well as in society (Sólorzano & Yosso, 2001).
Institutionalized racism has been a major factor in how the United States operate huge corporations today. This type of racism is found in many places which include schools, court of laws, job places and governmental organizations. Institutionalized racism affects many factors in the lives of African Americans, including the way they may interact with white individuals. In the book “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere Stories” ZZ Packer uses her short stories to emphasize the how institutionalized racism plays in the lives of the characters in her stories. Almost all her characters experience the effects of institutionalized racism, and therefore change how they view their lives to adapt. Because institutionalized racism is a factor that affects how
Many people in the United States society believe that people of all cultures, races, and ethnicities are now on an even playing field. People with this belief support their logic with the argument that since equal rights for people of color and women have been required by law for some time now, we are all inherently as equal as claimed in the Declaration of Independence. Many believe that race is no longer an issue, a viewpoint frequently referred to as color-blindness. National polling data indicated that a majority of whites now believe discrimination against racial minorities no longer exists. (Gallagher, 96) Color-blindness allows a white person to define himself or herself as politically and racially tolerant and then proclaim their adherence to a belief system that does not see or judge individuals by the “color of their skin.” (Gallagher, 98) Many Caucasians in particular are of the opinion that because they listen to hip-hop or cheer for their favorite black, professional sports player that they are not racist. Still others believe that because they have a black president, we see black people in the commercial of products we consume, or enjoy television shows with black people that they are actually acknowledging race. In order to examine and dismantle this series of misconceptions, we will turn to the work of various scholars of social justice and privilege, including Peggy McIntosh, Patricia Hinchey and Johnathon Kozol as well as the story of Patricia J Williams. Through a careful examination of these works with the support of some key statistics, it is the goal of this paper to demonstrate the existence of a privileged and unprivileged America, despite the color-blindness many may profess to have integrated into their p...
The Hidden Curriculum, its something not talked about but so ever present in our school systems and society. In the same way, we have whiteness, it is something that is not talked about, but is also all around us. The connection between the two is so great. Whiteness has a great affect of the hidden curriculum in all schools, meaning that Whiteness, in turn, has a great effect in all Black schooling and the only path for students of color’s success is to adopt this culture of whiteness. Why are Black students punished more than white students, why is this true even with Black teachers? Blackness is under attack in Black schools by Black authority. This essay will examine why and how socialization of whiteness is all Black schooling occurs.
‘Zero-tolerance’ policies criminalize minor infractions of school rules, while high-stakes testing programs encourage educators to push out low-performing students to improve their schools’ overall test scores. Students of color are especially vulnerable to push-out trends and the discriminatory application of discipline (Gabbard 2013:33).
Racism and ethnicity continue to affect the sector of education in most parts of the world. More often, it influences adults and children’s experiences in education at all levels and in various ways. These include professional employment, academic performance, parental involvement, social interactions, assessment issues, and curriculum development. Certainly, the terms racism and ethnicity identify as problematic and arise socially. Therefore, many people fail to recognize that racism is a perception about the color of the skin and traditions of a particular group of people. Racism and ethnicity exist in quite blatant and subtle forms. As such, racism and ethnicity usually lead to negative consequences for the group that does not belong to the dominant culture. The contemporary racism originated from various avenues, one of it being the society norms and upbringing. Indeed, as children grow, they exclusively rely on their parents or guardians to learn new things. Moreover, part of the upbringing involves teaching the children things about the society and the
Since the founding of America one of the largest and most controversial issues of social justice has been racism. Racism can best be defined as the belief of superiority that one race has over another. With a perfervid belief in racism a pattern of discriminatory action, socially, economically and ethically follows. Although this pattern of racism can be seen in many examples throughout the course of United States history, it is most vibrantly displayed through the segregation of both primary and secondary institutions of learning. Because segregation is a form of racism it is largely prejudice in nature, with many people forming a specific opinion of a person without knowing or interacting with that said person.