ktmeng/mec huggingface dataset:
Topic: racism

I appreciated how One Race, One Blood makes a point that Adam and Eve were not black nor white, “…as most children’s book paint them to be” (Ham, 98). It can be so easy to get caught up in their physical appearance without giving thought to their spiritual appearance. Our culture today seems to have ingrained in us to judge people by their outward appearances rather than their inner selves. “We have been programmed to look at the exterior rather than the interior of a person, and to make broad judgments based on what we see” (Ham, 116). Ham and Ware make a point that though there might be multiple skin colors, there are really only two races – those who are a part of God’s Kingdom and those who are not. Again, solidifying that your soul matters more than your skin coloring, and attempting to flee the superficial outward appearance thoughts that creep into our sinful minds and “…begin to see as God sees” (Ham, 120).
Topic: racism

One thing that I disagreed with in this book was the way Ham and Ware wrote about Darwin and his thoughts pertaining to race, it almost seemed like they were making Darwin out to be a sort of culprit of all racist ideas, like that without Darwin’s books we wouldn’t be racist or as racist. I am not saying that Darwin was not a big component of racism, but racism has been around since before Jesus’ time Darwin was not born until eighteen-thousand years after Christ and did not publish his book The Descent of Man until near the end of his life. In Darwin’s book, The Descent of Man, he “applied evolutionary philosophy to mankind [and] popularized the idea of different races of people” (Ham, 91). I agree with Ham and Ware that Darwin’s ideas were detrimental in feeding ideas about how the white man is the superior race, but I don’t believe Darwin is the one solely responsible for the state of our country and other countries. If you glance back on the foundations of our country with Christopher Columbus in 1492, he was racist and drove people who were not like him out of the land, and this was three hundred years before Darwin was born. I believe the true guilty party at hand is, of course, Satan. Since the Fall he has been trying to separate us from God and from each other into isolation. He is the one who feeds these ideas of racism into our brains and programs us to believe that a “superior race” even exists. Yes, we are responsible for our own actions and choosing to believe these lies or not and acting on them or not, but if the world was not fallen then these thoughts would not even begin to creep into our minds.
Topic: racism

In the epilogue, or appendix A, Ware dicusses homosexuality and how we, as Christians, should evaluate what the Bible says about homosexuality versus what society is telling us and the similarities between the gay and civil rights movements. Ware says, “Homosexual activists…are strategically drawing parallels between the African American civil rights movement and their own agenda to promote gay rights” (Ware, 167). In some aspects they are right, as gays have been treated with animosity right alongside African Americans but, I do not believe that those two should be compared – one is the color of your skin and the other some would say is a choice. I believe we need to turn towards Scripture and seek the truth about homosexuality rather than sugar-coating it to fit the societal wants, and I think Ware did a good job of highlighting this. God intended for marriage to be between one male and one female and it really does not make sense any other way, especially in terms of reproduction. However, though God did not intend for a male-male relationship or a female-female relationship, I believe we are called to love them and express God and the gospel to them in a non-threatening and non-judgmental way. I enjoyed reading One Race, One Blood overall and it gave me a lot of insight to what racism looked like before and even now, and how to begin to change our thoughts and minds to focus on those who will be in the Kingdom with us one day.
Topic: racism

Fear causes police officers as well as civilians to act over their position that creates a pattern of unarmed blacks being shot because, they were “fearing for their lives”, in these cases it’s rarely been blacks purposely trying to provoke or harrass it’s always the other way around.“ Trayvon Martin is a prime example and victim of racial profiling who died at the hands of George Zimmerman. “After discovering that Zimmerman, a stranger was staring at him Martin, a guest in the gated community told his friend Rachel Jeantel that a strange man was following him and kept looking at him”(willing).
Topic: racism

The pattern of racial bias in America shows that African Americans are disportionately more likely to be killed by police than white Americans. In 2018 blacks made up 12.7% of the U.S population yet blacks made up 26.7% of people killed by the police. White Americans made up 61.3% of the population and 50% of those killed by police. This means blacks are three times more likely to be killed by police than their white counterparts.
Topic: racism

Many of the black Americans killed by police officers and/or other Americans are rarely convicted of these crimes due to flawed laws which takes it back to the Trayvon Martin Case. “Despite being instructed by the 911 operator to remain in his vehicle, Zimmerman, who was carrying his gun, failed to follow the operator’s directives, continued to follow Martin, and ultimately confronted the teenager. By choosing to follow Martin, Zimmerman was also ignoring the instructions of Wendy Dorival, the Volunteer Program Coordinator for the Sanford Police, who previously told neighborhood watch volunteers at the Retreat at Twin Lakes not to “confront someone suspicious” because “[o]ur officers are the ones who are paid and trained to go out and deal with it.
Topic: racism

”(Willing). Although Zimmerman didn’t follow directions he was able to play victim when he had the “confrontation” according to him the only remaining survivor. When in court he was able to use the stand your ground defense. Many felt that Zimmerman was attacked by Trayvon after he tried to question him about him being in the neighborhood. According to the stand your ground law Zimmerman was found to be not guilty of murder. The stand your ground law allows individuals to stand their ground rather than retreat if there are reasonable grounds to believe that such action can prevent bodily harm or death. This law is flawed, how can you prove the person that they killed was being threatening? How can we be sure that Trayvon Martin wasn’t standing his ground the night he was followed by a stranger and killed. Many of the black people that have tried to use this defense couldn’t, even when they were not facing murder charges.
Topic: racism

How was Zimmerman able to use this defense with all the evidence that proves his story was inaccurate from the beginning? Many of the jurors felt that Zimmerman was guilty, but due to the way the law was written and his charges Zimmerman was unjustly acquitted of murder.“A surveillance video of Zimmerman at the police station on the night of the shooting later showed he had no visible injuries or blood on his clothing, further casting doubt on Zimmerman’s claim he had been attacked by Martin”(”Self-Defense’). The injuries that he sustained only showed that Trayvon was fighting for his life from a stranger who was attacking him instead of Zimmerman’s claims of being attacked. Unfortunately, Trayvon was not armed that night as well or even in death offered the defense of using the stand your ground law. Instead Zimmerman’s account of what happened was readily accepted. This is why he was not initially charged until the public outcry forced the police and prosecutors to look into the case further.“Sanford police did not charge Zimmerman, accepting his claims of self-defense and saying he was protected under Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground Law,’ which allowed people to use deadly force in public places if they believed that they or others were in grave danger.” (”Self-Defense’).
Topic: racism

Why are white people offered protection under stand your ground while blacks who try to use the law not protected. For instance, Marissa Alexander an African American in Florida who had just given birth to her abusive husband’s child spent six years either locked up in prison or confined to house arrest after being convicted of aggravated assault in 2012. Alexander was originally sentenced to 20 years for firing a warning shot in the air with no one being injured. A woman with a history of abuse was denied the protection of stand your ground while Zimmerman walked away from a murder charge. With Zimmerman’s acquittal and other cases like his, it seems that white comfort is more important than black people’s especially black males’ safety. “ Specifically, it explicates how White people have increasingly turned to protecting “the white space” as a means of maintaining white authority and advantage during the post-Civil Rights era.” (Willing,.)
Topic: racism

In the last fifty or sixty years not much has changed with the judicial system concerning people of color. Who would have thought in 1955 with the high profile case of Emmett Till, a fifteen year old boy tortured and killed by a group of white men who would eventually walk away from murdering him that in 2019 minorities are STILL dealing with unfair treatment under the law. In 1955 minorities were murdered for simply looking at a white person in what is perceived as a disrespectful way while today minorities are being killed for what they wear which is perceived as being threatening or criminal like.“Many of the demonstrators wore hooded sweatshirts to show solidarity with Martin’s family and in response to widely criticized remarks by television host Geraldo Rivera, who had suggested that the hooded sweatshirt Martin was wearing when he was killed was partly responsible for his death because it made him look threatening.”(”Self-Defense’).
Topic: racism

Many people of varying races wear hoodies, baggy clothes, and other clothing that are considered urban gear. Yet, these other groups aren’t criminalized for doing so. If police and white America could be honest about their fears, mistrust, and biases concerning people of color maybe conversations can help dispel these misconceptions. It is up to all Americans to work together to break down the walls of discrimination. “Two months ago I had a nice apartment in Chicago. I had a good job. I had a son. When something happened to the Negroes in the South I said, `That’s their business, not mine.’ Now I know how wrong. I was. The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all.”According to Emmett Till’s mom Mamie, the horrors blacks faced in the South was not her concern because, it didn’t directly affect her or her family. This type of thinking still exists today. Many people lack empathy for others’ issues until they have to face similar situations and want support from family, friends, or the community. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much money you have, or how famous you are you will come across some type of racial profiling/discrimination as a witness or as a victim. As was stated previously the only way discrimination can end if the community works together. Everyone should have compassion and empathy for others because you would want someone there for you if you are being treated unfairly.
Topic: racism

However, Grant is depicted as an ex-con, drug dealing young man who has cheated on his girlfriend and is lying about his job he’s not exactly a saint. To show the humanity of Oscar Grant is the point of the film. It’s easy to depict young black men as thugs. However, the film shows a complex three-dimensional person with relationship troubles, job and financial problems. The film shows a man trying to make up for being an absentee father by doting on his daughter.
Topic: racism

In one episode of the show Brooklyn Nine Nine called “Moo Moo”, it illustrates the recurring problem of discrimination and racial profiling in our society. A police officer must be fully aware of the legislative provisions that requires them to treat all citizens equally. However, in many cases police officers do not follow these laws which results in racial profiling. Racial profiling can be defined as individuals being targeted or suspected of having committed a crime based on their race or ethnicity (Griffiths, page 112).
Topic: racism

According to the Montreal police Department, there is a widespread of racial profiling among police officers and they have initiated training programs to alter the police culture. However, between 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the number of complaints filed with the Quebec Human Rights Commission increased by a total of 52 percent (Griffiths, page 112). This episode shows that racial profiling is a recurring issue in society and that visible minorities are constantly being seen a suspicious or a threat by police even in their own neighborhoods or probable cause.
Topic: racism

In another episode of the show Brooklyn Nine Nine called “The Big House part 1”, it illustrates the inmate subculture in prisons as well as the severity of inmate gangs. The inmate subculture can be defined as the certain forms of relationships and interactions that occur between the inmates in prison (Griffiths, page 248). While serving their sentences, inmates are forced to become socialized with the values and norms and culture of the prison, one of which might be joining an inmate gang (Griffiths, page 248). In this episode, one of the detectives has been placed in a prison to serve his sentence and seeks protection from the other inmates by attempting to join a gang. In order for Jake to be part of the gang, he has to get a guard that the gang leader dislikes fired. Jake decides the best way to get the guard fired is by filming him getting physically assaulted by the guard and showing it to the warden.
Topic: racism

It is said that inmate gangs have become an increasing challenge for prison administrators and according to studies, one in six federal convicts is associated with a gang (Griffiths, page 248). Gangs in correctional institutions usually participate in a number of criminal activities such as smuggling contraband and selling drugs to inmates, and blackmail (Griffiths, page248). Another activity gangs participate in is physical assault of other inmates and correctional officers and in some extreme cases cause riots in the prison. This episode demonstrates the dangers in correctional institutions and the severe methods inmates have to take to survive in prison.
Topic: racism

Lastly, in the episode of the show Brooklyn Nine Nine called “Christmas”, it demonstrates that although being a police officer is satisfying, it has its challenges and can be very stressful. Police officers that work in high-demand environments where back-up is not always available, experience the highest levels of stress (Griffiths, page 88). In this episode, Sergeant Terry Jeffords has to receive a psych evaluation from a therapist to determine whether or not he is ready to go back into the field. He was placed on desk duty for a few months after he had a breakdown during a routine shooting exercise and was deemed unfit for the field.
Topic: racism

Does racial profiling still exist? Yes, racial profiling is a common scenario around us. However, racial profiling is wrong for our society because some innocent people are unreasonably searched or followed by others. People are often racially profiled when they are out for shopping, hanging out, or for eating at restaurant. Thus, they are constantly observed by others, followed, and restaurant owners denied serving them. This is a difficult and painful issue of humanity. This is because any person of any race could experience profiling, and racial profiling discriminates and victimizes people who may not necessarily be carrying out an illegal thing.
Topic: racism

Imagine going to the retail store in fear of people. For those who are affected by racial profiling, this is a common scenario. The essay “Just Walk on By”, by Brent staples is a perfect example. Staples showed a personal experience in his essay, which is that the one day he had to do a local news assignment and he went for an interview. Before the interview, he had some free time, so he went to a jewelry store to spend the time.
Topic: racism

However, the proprietor was scared of him and she excused herself. She brought a Doberman Pinscher dog as a guard. She did that because she felt that way because she felt that he steals from her store or will commit a crime. Brent Staples said, “She stood, the dog extended toward me, silent to my questions, her eyes bulging nearly out of her head” (Staples 385). Though he was a polite man who was a journalist, she felt that way because of his skin color. It is clearly seen that Staples was racially profiled.
Topic: racism

Racial profiling has been well documented and widely criticized. Incident such as the 1999 police killing of Amadou Diallo, an unarmed West African immigrant in New York city. On March 1 of this year, U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft asked Congress to conduct a national study on racist behavior by police (Adam and O’Shaughnessy). But the convict of racial profiling is not always police officers. And the victims are not always men. Like Hampton who went to Dillard’s department store for holiday shopping with her family but without any reason she got harassed. The store guy complained about her as she hides something from the store. She said I was humiliated in front of my kids and everyone else who was watching. Though that violent lead Hampton’s seven-year-old daughter begin to have nightmares (Shopping while Black). Not only Hampton, many black women and men are largely profiling in stores. In 1999, shoplifters cost the retail industry $ 8.5 billion. And the retailers claim that mistakes, such as following an innocent person, are inevitable. Statistics show that store employees steal much more than shoplifters (Shopping While Black). However, color coded security practices can cost a company big-time nothing is beneficial. And yet, the victim of retail racism the emotional toll can be highly regardless of the outcome. It is part of tragedy of racism and it is so painful.
Topic: racism

Similarly, People are not only racially profile in retail store also it happened in restaurant too. As a research, a young boy went to a restaurant tentatively meet with friends suddenly the store manager threw a chair at the young boy. This is because the store manager brought issues that black people always doing dangerous things such as they steal, made violent etc. Although The store manager tried to prove that he was not trying to be racist. Moments later the boy suffered injuries. However, the store manager fired after that and the company apologized to the boy and said, “No one should be treated the way he was”. Moreover, the manager claimed of things about black men that not confirmed. There was no evidence that any attacks happened before that store by black men. It proved that the 18-year-old boy was racially profiled because of his skin color. Afterward, as an investigation the boy was innocent victim. “Racial profiling is wrong and should not be happening to anyone,” the spokesperson said. “People should be treated with compassion and kindness.” Likewise, when a black group went to a restaurant for celebrate a friend’s birthday named Wickham, and the waitress asked for prepay for their meals. When asked for reason waitress said it regular policy but other patrons were surprised. They said the didn’t had to prepay for their meals. The restaurant brings an issue that due to its location in the city attracts a transit crowd customer who “dine and dash” instead paying their bill. The restaurant claimed that it adopted a prepay policy several years ago. After that Wickham to file a human rights complaint one year later. Tribunal vice chair Codjoe wrote that, “At its racial profiling is a form of short hand that enables the perpetrator of the behavior to assume certain facts and ignore others”. The tribunal rejected all restaurant claimed because there was no evidence that, the policy even exists, and Wickham and his friend was not advised any night policy incident. In addition, tribunal order to restaurant fined $10,000 for racial profiling. However, they were educated and did not, but they were treated differently because of their skin color. At that moment, Wickham felt that “being black hurt”. According to Wickham no matter how black people are well dressed or educated or spoken they always stereotyped by others based on their skin color.
Topic: racism

However, despite the varying views about the existence of racial profiling. It has been proven by many resource and statistic data that racial profiling is very much alive and present in our society. According to these articles all client was innocent victim but they racially profiled based on their skin color. Also, they were treated differently. People should not treat each other differently. Thus, racial profiling bring inequality between humanity. If people went for shopping they are being humiliated or harassed or maybe just ignored, this is because they are black. In fact, retail racism is everywhere not only retail and restaurant. Racial profiling is major problem for our society. Thus, it makes our society more dangerous. People of all generation need to be become more involved in the movement for equality for every race and ethnicity. Injustice for one in justice for all.
Topic: racism

The United States of America, a melting pot of different cultures, religions, races and ethnicities. Despite being called “United” discrimination in America goes back to the beginning of the foundation of this country. America was built by the labor of African American slaves. After emancipation, African Americans were segregated based on the 1896 Supreme Court’s case “Plessy vs Ferguson” which made segregation constitutional as long as there were “Separate but equal” areas in facilities. This wasn’t the case as there were little to no accommodations to African Americans in established business’ and not nearly as the same quality of treatment as whites would get.
Topic: racism

Racial slurs and name calling were and more discreetly in today’s age a common practice throughout Americas timeline of discrimination. Henry Louis Gates Jr., Professor of African American literature at Alphonse Fletcher University and director of the W.E.B. Dubois Center at Harvard University was born in the 1950s and grew up during the first stirrings of the civil rights movement. In the essay “What’s in a Name?” Gates writes about his first encounter with racism.
Topic: racism

A young and innocent Gates rapidly stops what he was doing and said to his father “Doesn’t he know your name, Daddy? Why don’t you tell him your name? your name isn’t George…” (Kirszner and Mandell 3). Upon finding out that the name George was a racial slur or how his mother puts it as “one of those things” five-year-old Gates responded by standing up to the racism in his own unique way by never looking at Mr. Wilson in the eyes again. An article similar to the premise of Gates’ essay, “Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power To Alter Public Space” by Brent Staples he reflects on his experiences with racial profiling towards him when he was a graduate student.
Topic: racism

In Staples’ article, he explains instances throughout his life that just by his presence and physical attributes he has faced discrimination. He examines how him being a tall, black man affects his daily life especially working as a journalist in a predominately white field. Staples describes his first experience in which he was discriminated against by a women as “My first victim” where he found himself close to her “late one evening on a deserted street in Hyde Park, a relatively affluent neighborhood” (Kirszner and Mandell 233) in Chicago and as he got onto the avenue behind her there appeared to a “uninflammatory” distance between them. Few glimpses later she was running and disappeared into a cross street.
Topic: racism

Although frustrated for so often being taken for a criminal, Staples understands that “Women are particularly vulnerable to street violence” (Kirszner and Mandell 235) and “that the danger they perceive is not a hallucination.” (Kirszner and Mandell 235). For this same reason Staples began to take precautions to make himself look less threatening. From taking the subway when he has exchanged business clothes for jeans and whistling classical melodies whenever he goes on a walk. Staples wants to be perceived for who he really is. The act of assuming something of someone before truly knowing them can also be seen in Judith Ortiz Cofer’s essay “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”. Both minorities Cofer explains stereotypes she’s faced of Latin and Hispanic descent.
Topic: racism

Alienation is a very important issue in 21st C society that has the potential to affect anybody. Alienation is present in school, work, and other settings in life, and it is experienced by many people around the world. Alienation also means choosing not to be with anyone because of the feeling that you do not fit in. It is defined as the state of being an outsider or the feeling of being isolated from society. This condition may be caused for various reasons such as hatred from society, and rejection from others because of one’s unique personality.
Topic: racism

While alienating oneself may seem like a solution to the problems of dealing with people, it will prove harmful in the long run, leading to feelings of confusion, desolation and hopelessness. Characters in short essays illustrate different examples of alienation as well as the causes for the estrangement. Gloria Anzaldua in “How to Tame a Wild Tongue,” Judith Cofer in “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I just Met a Girl Named Maria”, Brent Staples in “ Just walk on By: Black Men and Public Space,” and Zora Hurston in “How it Feels to
Topic: racism

Anzaldua considers her accent as an essential feature that identifies her. She explains that the Chicano Spanish that she speaks developed naturally as a border language. In her essay, for instance, she explains “I remember being caught speaking Spanish at recess–that was good for three licks on the knuckles with a sharp ruler. I remember being sent to the corner of the classroom for [‘talking back’] to the Anglo teacher when all I was trying to do was tell her how to pronounce my name” (Anzaldua 28). She explains the problems she feels because she is not accepted as a native speaker by both English speakers and Spanish speakers. Therefore, this causes a strong feeling of isolation because Gloria does not identify herself socially with either of these groups, so her language is not accepted by some of the very people who speak it. Anzaldua experiences negativity in school when she tries to use her first language in informal situations. The attitude from her teacher and classmate obviously affected her and made her feel alienated. Anzaldua talks about her childhood being difficult in America, how she was not accepted by her Spanish friends because she was Chicano Spanish. In both instances, the school did not encourage her to speak her language but rather discouraged her, and whenever she spoke her native tongue, she was reprimanded. Likewise, Judith Cofer had to learn to speak the language to avoid and deal with the alienation she faced. One instance was in a hotel when she was forced to listen to a white man clearly stereotyping Latin women through his offensive singing. In fact, the man must have assumed that she did not speak English. Cofer expressed, “because of my education and my proficiency with the English language, I have acquired many mechanisms for dealing with the anger I experience” (Ortiz 107). She uses her skills in English to not feel alienated. Both authors, Anzaldua and Cofer show how language influences the way you feel in society.
Topic: racism

The second cause of alienation is due racial prejudice within society. In Hurston’s essay he explains the difficult experiences she faced. Raised in the all-black community of Eatonville, Florida, at age thirteen Hurston is sent to school in Jacksonville where she is no longer Zora, but a little “colored girl.” Hurston notices that for the first time, she is a “little colored girl” instead of simply being herself. She remembers: “Someone is always at my elbow reminding me that I am the granddaughter of slaves” (Hurston 190). Hurston experiences alienation because she was a different race from other people in Jacksonville. She felt rejected in her new home town. Another aspect of racism shown in Staples’ essay where he describes the stereotypes, and criticisms he faces as a black man living in white neighborhoods. For instance, Staples demonstrates an example of this when he writes “I often see women who fear the worst of me. They seem to have the faces on neutral, and with their purse straps strung across their chest bandolier-style, they forge ahead as though bracing themselves against being tackled. I understood, of course, that the danger they perceive is not hallucination” (Staples 340). Staples clearly explains one of his many experiences he had to face due to his color. He says that women automatically assume that the he is a criminal because of her experiences labeling innocent black men as criminals. The author skillfully highlights the subconscious racism by describing this experience. Staples recalls an incident where a young white woman runs away from him because of his appearance. The two authors explained how race plays a big role in making them feel excluded from society.
Topic: racism

Sometimes alienation is self-imposed because there are circumstances where a person will feel like they do not fit in. The state of self-alienation— that of not being one’s real self — is so predominant that its symptoms are not conspicuous. You miss noticing them because they are so general that you assume them to be “normal.” For instance, Anzaldua feels this way when she says “I remember the singing-type “westerns” of Jorge Negrete and Miquel Aceves Mejia. When watching Mexican movies, I felt a sense of homecoming as well as alienation. People who were to amount to something didn’t go to Mexican movies or bailes, or tune their radios to bolero, rancherita, and corrido music” (Anzaldua 35). In other words, her feelings were ambivalent because she feels good, she feels like home but also at the same time she feels bad when watching Mexican movies. She feels this way because her new environment is different and lacks the aspects of her culture that she is used to. In addition, Cofer stated, “I often felt humiliated when I appeared at an American friend’s party wearing a dress more suitable to a semiformal than to a playroom birthday celebration” (Cofer 104). She feels angry at herself and self-estrangement when she should not feel this way because she is an outsider. Both authors show a different cause of alienation which is self-estrangement in relation to society.
Topic: racism

Overall, the frequent use of alienation as a centering theme is due to the fact that it is common to all humans. Alienation is a feeling of not belonging. This feeling can be because of differences in language, color, and culture, and often it tends to be a combination of more than one of these types. Alienation is a driving force that pushes the human conscience to extremes. States of alienation come to exist as the result of many situations. Anzaldua, Cofer, Hurston, and Staples experience the damaging effects of alienation as a result of their differences in language and race. Alienation results in numerous negative effects such as loneliness and depression, leading to self-estrangement. It is said that happiness can only be real when shared; lives are not meant to be lived alone on an island, but shared with others.
Topic: racism

Brent Staples essay, “Just Walk on by: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” published in 1986 that intended for educated white women for the stereotyping of black man. Staples written this essay to give you the experiences of his journey as a black man facing racist experiences while living in Chicago and New York City coming from a small town of Chester Pa. His frustration made him aware that people would look at you differently as he becomes familiar with the language of fear with the intention to change the way he dresses, look and his speech to fit in.
Topic: racism

Staples notices that people on the streets were afraid of him, and so he began observing different behaviors demonstrated by people he encountered while walking. For example, Staples notices that people avoid making eye contact with him or people cross the street to avoid encountering him. Staples would not often notice the “hunch posture” where women will hold their purses tight, bodies in defense mode (hunch over like a linebacker for a football team) with no expression on their face. No eye contacts making sure that they will not become their nest victim Staples encounter in which he or another black man while trying to do an article or report were mistakenly thought to be a criminal or thug just because of the way the look. He describes his first victim was a white woman, well dressed, probably in her early twenties in a mean part of Chicago as she grew scared of him and her walking grew faster so she can get away. Staples mention the two essayist Norman Podhoretz literature “My Negro Problem-And Ours” black men that he encounters made him nervous on certain streets and Edward Hoagland extols a New York where once “Negro bitterness bore down mainly on other Negros” stated black men will hate on their own race.
Topic: racism

I do agree Staples encounters were referring to as growing up I have heard stories that my family had to endure the pleasure of being a stereotype, especially my brother who is 6’4 just like Brent Staples. enter to businesses where he was followed around if he was going to take something or rob them. Staples encounter was with a Doberman pincher when he enter the jewelry store and that store owner thought he was a burglar. That is known fact u have witness just by association Staples first encounter was with a white women that ran way away from him in which I understand completely being a woman myself mother a lot of racism in the 70’s not getting a job Norman Podhoretz literature “My Negro Problem-And Ours” black men that he encounters made him nervous on certain streets and Edward Hoagland extols a New York where once “Negro bitterness bore down mainly on other Negros” stated black men will hate on their own race.
Topic: racism

The movie CRASH is filled with racial stereotyping, prejudice and multiculturalism. Not only does this movie display examples of the racism among black and white people, but also the racism among Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, the rich and poor, and so many more. So racism is an important factor in this movie directed by Paul Haggis. Racism is the prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior.
Topic: racism

Within the United States and other postcolonial the current reality of discrimination and racism towards minority populations bridges these two fields together through a joint critique of neocolonialism. For example, prominent black feminist bell hooks states, “I believe that black experience has been and continues to be one of internal colonialism” (148). A need to decolonize the mindset of contemporary America fuels current efforts in reclaiming and recovering minority history and literature. New sociological and literary approaches to history (Hazel Carby’s Reconstructing Womanhood: The Emergence of the Afro-American Woman Novelist, for example) become useful methods for reclaiming the past and forging culturally sensitive paradigms for the future.
Topic: racism

biologically and genetically distinct groups. The notion of race assumes, firstly, that humanity is divided into unchanging natural types, recognizable by physical features that are transmitted ‘through the blood’ and permit distinctions to be made between ‘pure’ and ‘mixed’ races. Furthermore, the term implies that the mental and moral behaviour of human beings, as well as individual personality, ideas and capacities, can be related to racial origin, and that knowledge of that origin provides a satisfactory account of the behaviour. The race is particularly pertinent to the rise of colonialism because the division of human society in this way is inextricable from the need of colonialist powers to establish dominance over subject peoples and hence justify the imperial enterprise.Race thinking and colonialism are imbued with the same impetus to draw a binary distinction between ‘civilized’and ‘primitive’ and the same necessity for the hierarchization of human types. By translating the fact of colonial oppression into a justifying theory, however spurious, European race thinking initiated a hierarchy of human variation that has been difficult to dislodge. Although race is not specifically an invention of imperialism, it quickly became one of imperialism’s most supportive ideas, because the idea of superiority that generated the emergence of race as a concept adapted easily to both impulses of the imperial mission: dominance and enlightenment.
Topic: racism

What happens when people are forced to survive on their own while also seeing others live in wealth? Ernest J. Gaines wrote the novel “A Lesson Before Dying” in 1930 with the goal of showing the general population the subtleties of residual racism in the nineteenth century. His main outlet for showing how America has not been kind to the African American population was Jefferson, a man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time and was falsely accused solely because of his skin color.
Topic: racism

He stole to survive. This was no of no fault of his own because he says “Ain’t never had enough ice cream. Never had more than a nickel cone.”(Gaines 170) One nickel in 1940, the time period this book was set in, would be worth 92 cents today. By using context clues in the passage, it is easy to tell that Jefferson could hardly make ends meet most of the time. Jefferson didn’t even have any money during the robbery. This was no fault of Jefferson’s, it was a fault of the system he was born into during the 1940s.
Topic: racism

Despite slavery having ended almost 90 years prior, there was still lots of hatred towards African Americans in the south. They may have gotten the right to vote in 1870, but there were restrictions on who could vote by tests and other rules that only got outlawed in 1965. Grant thinks to himself, “There was always news coming back to the quarter about someone who had been killed or sent to prison for killing someone else.”(Gaines 62) Society wants them to stay on plantations, working from the day they can to the day they die. Even if they try to leave the plantation they end up worse than they were there. Without new laws or new lines of thinking from the “superior” class, they will never leave, not even in death.
Topic: racism

Much like Jefferson, many choices I have made are influenced by my environment. One choice I made in the past that affected my environment (and in doing so would affect my choices going forward) was joining the cross country team. By joining the cross country team I gained a new friend group which expanded my viewpoints on life and introduced me to new interests that I never knew I had. One specific example is my music choice being affected by some of my friends. Many times I have been sent music that my friends have enjoyed and vice versa. While Jefferson was unable to choose the environment he was born into, he was influenced by it much like I am by my friend group and their interests. My environment will never lead me to do anything as drastic as Jefferson’s choice, but it is easy to see how one’s environment can easily influence one’s entire character and how they act. I see some of my prior friends change as they join other friend groups and how they are changed by the people they associate with and how they can change for the worse. People being changed by their environment can be for better or for worse; it really depends on what that person decides will define them.
Topic: racism

The way that the United States has treated minorities in the past has lead to the environments they live in to be some of the worst in the country. Many Americans are lucky to not be a minority or to live in a community like Jefferson lived in, but that doesn’t mean that the racism we see in the novel is restricted to it. Unfortunately many of the issues Jefferson faces in the novel can be seen today, which is why this book matters to today’s current socio-economic climate in inner cities and slums of the nation. This novel is one of the few looks we get into the lives of African Americans during the time after the American Civil War and how their treatment is now manifested in their culture. By seeing this point of view we can further break down race barriers and people’s perception of race stereotypes, bringing everyone to understand each other. Although the novel is fictional, the story told could not be more true and is a harrowing ode to the state of society not only in the 1800s but also to the state of society today.
Topic: racism

The year 1968, sparked an uprise within the Black community, specifically as a result of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and of US Presidential Candidate Robert Kennedy, riots were formed as a consequence of the death of these two prominent leaders (Williams, 2008). Within these riots, Black consciousness began to arise. This Black consciousness recognizes the need to up rise for Black power, Black success, Black pride, Black determination, and Black resilience (Williams, 2008). The formation of the Association of Black Psychology (APB) was formed on September 2, 1968 during the need for Black uprise, which was a domino effect from the confusion of racial disparities within the United States of America (Williams, 2008).
Topic: racism

Therefore, within that recognition it establishes that their experience differs from those of the majority culture, or individuals who fit the norm characteristics of the psychologist from American Psychological Association (Williams, 2008). The Association of Black Psychologist recognized American Psychological Association ability to disregard the Black experience (Williams, 2008). The Association of Black Psychologist sought to address in the future concerns for Black students and professionals in field of psychology. Additionally, there will be a focus within this association will bring about improving training and competency for people of color (Williams, 2008).
Topic: racism

These presented concerns were followed by a purposed solution, which could have been implemented by the American Psychological Association (Williams, 2008). The proposed solution entailed seven positive provisions (Williams, 2008). First, to endorse the Kerner Commission’s report on Civil disorders, which emphasized understanding injustices, inequality within the United States (Williams, 2008). Second, the American Psychological Association formulate an internal organizational structure to provide representation for the Black community (Williams, 2008). The recommended American Psychological Association develop policies to support the Black community and Black psychologists. Third, that the American Psychological Association provides resources to find solutions to racism and poverty (Williams, 2008). Fourth, that the American Psychological Association created a committee to observe the usage of standardized psychological instruments amongst Black youth, specifically understanding the effectiveness of instruments on diverse samples (Williams, 2008).
Topic: racism

Fifth, that the American Psychological Association reviews the effectiveness of training within clinical and counseling psychology for social concerns such as poverty (Williams, 2008). Sixth, they sought for American Psychological Association to take steps to increase Black students within undergraduate and graduate programs that were psychologically focused (Williams, 2008). Finally, the seventh solution was to implement and evaluate the progress of the proposed solutions for the American Psychological Association (Williams, 2008). Overall the concerns addressed three major areas, (1) low number of a Black professional In the field of psychology, (2) lack of scientific energy towards social concerns such as poverty and racism, and (3) lack of representation of Black psychologist with the American Psychologist Association(Williams, 2008).
Topic: racism

The response of the American Psychological Association was considered by Williams as noncommittal. It appears the American Psychological Association was unprepared for these concerns did not feel equipped to tackle these concerns proposed by the Association of Black Psychologists. Therefore, during the remaining time of Leaders Thomas and Green, was spent on denouncing racism and the American Psychological Association uplifting Black pride through their organization (Williams, 2008). Upon the newly elected chairman Henry Tom, he formulated the Black Student Psychological Association with the leader and chairman Dr. Robert Williams. Within Williams leadership established various new endeavors. First, the establishment of Black graduate student affairs, second establishment a minimum of 20% of entering graduate students in psychology each year (Williams, 2008). Third, the establishment of university programs of Black student’s concerns, fourth Black applicants for graduate training in psychology is screened for Black Graduate Student Affairs (Williams, 2008). Fifth through tenth overall observed Black applicants process and providing recourses for them (Williams, 2008). These recommendations were only implemented within 35 programs within the United States, which revealed there is much work to be done.
Topic: racism

Black Psychological Association eventually introduce a woman leader in 1976, Dr. King was the first female president-elect for this organization (Holiday, 2009). Next, in 1970 the first article was written in the area of Black psychology, of which was the first broadly circulated publications. Furthermore, in 1974 the Journal of Black Psychology was established by the Black Psychological Associations (Holiday, 2009). The journal’s aim was to continue the publication of scholarly psychological works that understand the experience of Black populations. Eventually, Black Psychological Association organized its first international meetings in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.
Topic: racism

The Black Psychological Association became a role model for future organizations, specifically ethnic minorities (Black Psychology, 2017). First, with the creation of the Association of Psychologist Por La Raza in 1970 by Dr. Edward Casavantes a Mexican American psychologist. By the end of the 1970s, this organization reformulated and created the National Hispanic Psychological Association, which was renamed the National Latino Psychological Association (Black Psychology, 2017). The Asian American Psychological Association and Society of Indian Psychologists followed suit (Black Psychology, 2017).
Topic: racism

Currently, the Association of Black Psychologists is committed to their same mission and vision. Recently, they have highlighted new initiatives within their organization (APA, 2019). First, the pen and pencil program of which highlights delivering a culturally based community and school group mentoring program (APA, 2019). Next, the Emotional Emancipation Circle is emphasized by the Association of Black Psychologists. This program emphasizes self-focused groups focused on emotional emancipation, healing, and wellness of Black people. There were a focus on the War on Drugs, culturally grounded mental health solutions (APA, 2019). Finally, they continue to grow, evolve, and maintain the Journal of Black Psychology. Learning this history was intriguing and interesting, I am happy I took the time to understand this association especially due to being a member of it.