Essay Example on Racism of Yesterday and Today

Racism is a situation that occurs when people are denied equal privileges because they belong to a certain group that is seen inferior from other groups in the society (Frymer, 2005). The other groups is perceived to be superior in their way of life. The beliefs and attitude of the society towards the affected minority are misconceptions based on racial lines. The lines are founded on differences in religion, values, customs, physical appearance and lifestyles. Racism also includes actions that exclude or exploit people of a certain group from important aspects of the society.

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Racism attitudes are shown through various ways such as common expression, stereotyped assumptions and in extreme cases through xenophobia. The prevailing attitude towards a certain group of people reinforces the belief of the people who are perceived as different. The practiced beliefs and attitudes manifest expression of racist in action, policies, beliefs, attitudes and stereotyped assumptions. The behavior that result from racist will eventually result in racist abuse, property damage, racist propaganda, ridicule, property damage and physical assault.

Racism can take many forms such as individual racism, interpersonal racism, institutional racism or structural racism. Individual racism occurs within individuals when one has negative ideas or feelings about their culture. For instance, when a person has xenophobic feelings. Interpersonal racism is the case where racism exists among individuals. In this case, a person has a negative attitude to another depending on the way he/she perceives a certain group or their culture. Institutional racism is a situation where the groups are not individuals, and privileges go to the powerful groups. This form of racism is persuasive, cumulative, and durable.

This study will precisely target to discuss the racist behavior in a family set up where the father and the mother come from a different ethnic group and are living in a society where racism is practiced. The family unit belongs to a group perceived to be inferior in the society. For this reason, they are denied certain privileges by the superior groups.

Racism in my family

My father came from Virginia, and my mother came from Maryland. The family lives in Texas where they experience racism and discrimination. This is because they are perceived as inferiors by the whites, the larger volume of citizens in the nation. My father has a good background in education while my mother has a low-level education that qualifies her to work in any institution. They were both casual laborers in a manufacturing factory and lived in the slums because they could not afford better houses. We could hardly afford the necessities, and we suffered most of the times. They experienced much racism and discrimination in the society due to ethnic and value differences.

Racism in my family has been evident in the past. It has resulted in denial of many privileges in the workplace, government departments, and the society. Much of this was done openly by others because of ethnic differences. The practice has been destructive as it lowers our identity, destroy unity in the community, and promotes division. To end racism in families, it is essential to understand the form of racisms in the families, which has similar set up as my family. My family has been experiencing racism. Racism has been experienced by my family members inform of discrimination, immigration, migration, emigration and social mobility. It has also been seen in form of racism, prejudice, and ageism.

Discrimination

My parents have often been discriminated by others in accessing certain privileges in the workplace. For instance, they were denied the right to provide certain services such as supervisory role. Although my father has admirable qualifications in education, he is not given a chance to serve in any senior position. He has never been promoted in any capacity that matches his qualification. This is also the same to my mother who has served as an unskilled worker for twenty years. Due to discrimination, she has never attained any appraisal whatsoever.

They are not offered the chances to participate in the companys sporting clubs. The participants of such events are selectively chosen, sidelining my parents because of their ethnicity. In addition, they have never been given a chance to participate in the government activities such as officiating electoral process. In another instance, they were denied justice in the court, during a case in which my mother had suffered severe injuries while working for the company. When growing up, my parents experienced discrimination in education. This was often when they were looking for assistance in their classroom work.

Immigration

It describes the movement of persons from one region to the other with intentions of settling permanently or temporary. When moving to a new place, especially where ethnic racism is evident, it might be challenging for a family to settle. After their migration, my parents had a tough time fitting into the new society. The locals viewed my parents as foreigners who did not deserve to settle in that region. To curb this effect, my family had to make friends with locals to learn their expectations and traditions.

Emigration

It characterizes the movement of persons from their nations to a foreign nation with a plan to settle. My parents travel documents were delayed for a long time after the application. Normally, it takes less than a week to attain the documents. However, it took my parents almost a month to acquire the documents. This was as a result of racism in the emigration department. The locals were offered special treatment in attaining similar travel documents.

Social Mobility

My family has often faced discrimination from the residents of Texas since they arrived in the US. After their arrival, they could hardly make new friends in the society. This situation strained the family social mobility. In most cases, we found our family alienated from other families, which was a great impediment to fast adaptability in the new region. The family could not participate in social and economic groups in the society. Those found to be friendly with us were ridiculed and alienated by others in the society.

Racism

My family hails from an African American culture. After moving in to Texas, most locals in the region perceived our family as inferior, and they were always quick to deny us most important privileges in the society. The family was not treated fairly because the locals had misconceptions about us. Such misconceptions were based on customs, value, religion and the way of life. For instance, my family was never invited to attend important the neighborhood social events

Effects of Racism

According to Henderson (2001), racism is destructive, and it has to be understood by the groups involved for it to be combated successfully. It has a significant effect on the families experiencing it, as well as the wider community at large. It has negative effects on the health status of the family members, their social mobility, migration, life expectancy and productivity. Past research has also portrayed that these effects are all linked to poor mental and physical health. Racism creates barriers to a family in having an ideal economic and social participation. For this reason, it has to be eradicated entirely from the society as it is an impediment to economic development in a nation.

References

Frymer, P. (2005). Racism revised: Courts, labor law, and the institutional construction of racial animus. The American Political Science Review, 99(3), 373-387. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/214418445?accountid=45049

Henderson, A. D. (2001). An Afrocentric Analysis of the impact of racism on work performance: A culturally grounded interpretive paradigm for effectiveness (Order No. 3036882). Available from ABI/INFORM Complete. (304774322). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/304774322?accountid=45049