What is Race? What is Racism?

Race:
Race is a classification system of human beings on the basis of
culturally-defined biologically-transmitted group characteristics.
Typically, but not invariably, these are connected to visible
attributes (skin color, physical characteristics, etc.).
Racism:
Racism is a set of beliefs and social practices in which culturallydefined racial classifications intersect forms of social oppression.
Racism always involves linking evaluative judgments to these
classifications superior/inferior, worthy/unworthy,
dangerous/not dangerous, and honest/dishonest.
Racism is a form of Oppression: it imposes real harms on people
and communities

In the original US Constitution, Indians, blacks and

other nonwhites were counted as less than full persons.

Slaves were denied virtually all legal protections.

Full citizenship for blacks was not enacted until 1964,

less than half a century ago.

Discrimination

A form of racism in which persons are

accorded full citizenship rights, but in various ways they
face systematic private discrimination in various
contexts.

This may be officially illegal, but widely

tolerated in practice.

1.

Historic Achievement:

Dismantling of the machinery of legal racial segregation

and oppression and erosion of cultural supports for racism.
Progress is real:

Native Americans have been massively displaced from

their original lands, subjected to murderous repression
and marginalization.
All of this is not just ancient history; it is an on-going
reality today

Genocide:

A system for including non-citizens in a labor

market without giving them the rights and protections of
citizenship.
In the 19th century this was true for Chinese
labor (Coolie labor). In the 21st century this is the case
for illegal aliens

African-Americans in ads and on TV

Acceptability of inter-racial marriage

Emergence of a vibrant black middle class

Positive images are common

Political visibility: Colin Powell, Condoleezza

Rice, Barak Obama

Continuing realities of significant economic

disadvantage for racial minorities

A systematic policy to exterminate a particular

category of persons, because of their race, religion,
ethnicity or some other characteristic.
In US history the treatment of Native
Americans was often genocidal.

Slavery:
A system of social relations in which one person is the
private property of another and can be bought and sold on a
market.

Household Poverty

Poverty wages

Unemployment

Lack of wealth

Petty harassment: taxis, surveillance in stores,

etc.

Children could be taken from parents and sold

Housing

Slaves could be tortured and killed with almost

no restraint

Employment: the problem of statistical

discrimination

Rape of slaves was never a crime

Criminal justice system: prison sentencing

Lending

Education: Central city schools

Second Class Citizenship

Stagnation of advances

Continuing realities of active discrimination

US slavery was an extreme form of this:

A system of giving different categories of

people different citizenship rights on the basis of some
attribute.
In the U.S., Jim Crow Laws in the South
after the Civil War officially gave blacks and whites
different rights. In the North, different treatment
unofficially conferred different rights

Semi-free labor

Race

traditionally, a biological concept used to distinguish

humankind into categories related to skin color & other
physical features

Ethnicity

concept used to distinguish people according to their

cultural characteristics--language, religion, & group
traditions

Ethnicity can be used to further distinguish not

only among white individuals, but among
African Americans, as well.

It can also be used to even further subdivide

Hispanics.

disparity

the inequality of treatment of one group (compared to

the treatment accorded other groups) by the criminal
justice system

disparity may be based on legal (e.g., criminal

record) or illegal, or improper, (e.g., race)
grounds

discrimination

differential treatment of groups without reference to an

individuals behavior or qualifications

discrimination

differential treatment of groups without reference to an

individuals behavior or qualifications

Statistical discrimination:

A situation in which an employer makes a

hiring decision about an individual on the basis of
beliefs about the average characteristics of a social
category rather than the characteristics of the specific
individual. Why? Because it is less costly to do so, not
because of a dislike of people in that category.

Example:

Employers believe that on average a young

black man will be a less reliable employee than a young
white man with the same formal qualifications, and
since it is difficult to get reliable information about
individual reliability, the employer will rely on
presumed group traits to make the choice.

Racial discrimination has been deeply rooted in US, permeating

into every aspects of society Human Rights Record of the
United States

convince the man to press charges and even recommended taking

him in or calling IRS because he was an alien.
The officer was severely discriminating the Hispanic
because of his race, and when the other driver had told him to
just make a report the officer then told the Hispanic to lock the
keys in the car and walk away.

Two main arguments: the police intentions and the

consequences in creating inequality for certain groups due to
racial profiling. Arguable those victims of racial profiling
will begin to lose faith in the police

The problem is if the profiling is personal or influenced

by an organization, and hard to distinguish the
improper and proper use of race by police

Three mechanisms that can lead to racial conflicts in

police treatment: prejudice, cognitive bias, and
stereotyping race based deployment

Police that work more on the street level over time will
begin to develop stereotypical opinions of certain
groups

Many police state police culture when justifying their

actions, this police culture is affected by the
environment, political and government factors.

Studies show that to reduce racial profiling, officers

should be educated on the impact of racial profiling and
an establishment of an external monitor to improve
quality policing

// Part II //

Social and economic gaps between whites and blacks persist in

the United States
Blacks remain twice as likely to be unemployed, three times
more likely to live in poverty and more than six times as likely to
be imprisoned compared with whites (CNN US)
Discrimination- Discriminatory or abusive behavior towards
members of another race; the practice of treating somebody or a
particular group in society less fairly than others
The short story is about a Hispanic driver who rear ended another
driver and did not have any form of ID or a license. The driver
who was hit recommended contacting the police only for the
intention of making a report so that his boss knew that it wasnt
his fault because he was driving a company
car.
When the officer, who was a Chicano, arrived he
seemed to be making things worse for the Hispanic driver. He
stereotyped, Thats the way these Mexicans are. And tried to

Ironically, the white man was not at all racist to

the main character and was respectful that he just
wanted a police report, the patrolman shared the same
ethnicity but was extremely disrespectful and racist.

1. African-Americans comprise 13% of the U.S.

population and 14% of the monthly drug users, but 37%
of the people arrested for drug-related offenses in
America.
2. Studies show that police are more likely to pull over
and frisk blacks or Latinos than whites. In New York
City, 80% of the stops made were blacks and Latinos,
and 85% of those people were frisked, compared to a
mere 8% of the white people stopped. Host a poetry
slam to educate others on racism and reduce prejudice in
your community.
3. After being arrested, African-Americans are 33%
more likely than whites to be detained while facing a
felony trial in New York.
4. In 2010, the U.S. Sentencing Commission reported
that African Americans receive 10% longer sentences
than whites through the federal system for the same
crimes.
5. In 2009 African-Americans are 21% more likely than
whites to receive mandatory minimum sentences and
20% more likely to be sentenced to prison than white
drug defendants.
6. In a 2009 report, 2/3 of the criminals receiving life
sentences were non-whites. In New York, it is 83%.

7. African Americans make up 57% of the people in

state prisons for drug offenses.

asking respondents what they thought the most serious

8. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that

an African American male born in 2001 had a 32%
chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino
male has a 17% chance, and a white male only 6%.

problem regarding the role of religion in American

society. Three in 10 said Religion is being removed
from public places. Another 25% said its

9. In 2012, 51% of Americans expressed anti-black

sentiments in a poll; a 3% increase from 2008.

that government is interfering with the ability of people

10. A survey in 2011 revealed that 52% of non-Hispanic

whites expressed anti-Hispanic attitudes.

are trying to pass laws to force their beliefs on others.

to freely practice. And 24% picked Religious groups

Another 9% picked the rights of smaller religious

11. Reports show that nearly 50% of Americans under

18 are minorities. The trend projects a reversal in the
population where by 2030, the majority of people under
18 will be of color, and by 2042 non-whites will be the
majority of the U.S. population.

groups are not being protected as their number one

concern.

One in 10 Americans believe small business owners

should be free to refuse to serve or do business with
African-Americans on religious grounds, according to a
new poll.

advocate their viewpoint before the civil rights

movement of the 1960s. Language similar to that often

A survey released this week by the Public Religion

used by marriage equality opponents was regularly used

by those opposing interracial marriage and others who

Americans reject the idea that businesses should be

sometimes argued different racial groups had been

legally allowed to refuse to serve either African-

placed on separate continents by God and that served as

American, Jewish, gays and lesbians, or atheists, but a

proof they should not mix.

small portion of the country still believes you should be

able to.

The issue ended up before the Supreme Court when

religious school Bob Jones University argued that its

Among the four groups, the survey found the least

First Amendment protections should allow it to prohibit

support for refusing service to African-Americans, but

interracial dating without losing tax benefits. The

the most for discriminating against gay or lesbian

Supreme Court ultimately ruled that Government has a

individuals.

While less common today, supporters of racial

segregationists often used religious arguments to

Research Institute finds that strong majorities of

The survey found a relatively even three-way split when

fundamental, overriding interest in eradicating racial

discrimination in education which substantially

Asked if it should be legal to refuse to do business with

outweighs whatever burden denial of tax benefits places

members of the LGBT community on religious grounds,

on petitioners exercise of their religious beliefs.

16% said yes and 80% said no. Similarly, 15% said it
should be legal to refuse service to atheists, with 81%
saying it shouldnt be. The polling found slightly less
support for religious beliefs being sufficient to allow a
small business owner to refuse to business with Jewish
people, 12% said yes and 85% said no. And when it
came to African-Americans, 10% said they supported
the legal right to refuse service and 87% said they did
not. PRRI conducted the survey of more than 1,000

// Part II //
Three conclusions
1.

Considerable progress in many ways

2.

Continuing, harmful discrimination

3.

Racialized poverty remains an acute problem

What should be done?

adults via telephone, including cell phone users, and

1.

Serious antipoverty & job creation programs

results have a margin of error of 3.1%.

2.

Change in criminal justice system from repression to

treatment, training and reintegration

The poll also found that a slight majority of Americans,

3.

But what about discrimination?

crime, race & ethnicity

by the numbers

54%, believe the right of religious liberty is

being threatened while 41% say it is not.

fact: men of color, especially, young men, are

disproportionately locked up in U.S. prisons & jails, or
otherwise under control of the criminal justice system in
America:

1/2 U.S. prison population is black

black men are 7 times more likely than whites

to have been incarcerated at some time in
prison

1 in 3 black men in their 20s is under

correctional supervision in U.S.

Racial discrimination[edit]

56% of young black men in Baltimore

50% of black men 18-35 in D.C.

In the 1800s the slaves were freed by President Abraham

Lincoln. After this starting in about the 1870s Jim Crow
laws were introduced. These laws promoted the idea "separate
but equal", meaning that the races although having to be in
different areas and not allowed to intermingle were equal. The
mixing of races was illegal in most places public schools, public
transportation and eating establishments.[2] These laws increased
discrimination, while the idea was separate but equal the black
schools were not as advanced and didnt have good supplies.
Overall the areas where African Americans were designated to do
daily activities were always of poorer quality than that of their
white counterparts. Discrimination was blatantly done; one
example of this is in the case of Rosa Parks. In her area of the
country it was customary to move to the back of the bus or give
up your seat for a white person. Laws like these existed all
over America. The court case Brown v. Board of Education of
Topeka made people realize that there was no such thing as
separate but equal. By separating races and saying that it was
wrong for them to interact showed that they thought something
was wrong with one of the races. TheSupreme Court of the
United States decided that "separate but equal" was no longer
necessary in 1954. Racial discrimination was not only used by
adults but children as well thought that races should not interact
with one another. An example of this is the experiences Ruby
Bridges had when she was one of the first black children to be
"integrated" into an all-white school.

The Reality: Almost one in ten (9.3%) of all African

American children had a father in prison or jail, and this
compares with 3.5% of Hispanic children and 1.2% of
white children.

evidence of broader racism

crack cocaine (used in greater proportion by inner-city

people of color) is punished 100 times more severely
(by federal sentencing guidelines) than its virtually
identical white-powder equivalent (used in greater
proportion by white offenders)

stronger association between unemployment rates &

imprisonment rates than between crime rates &
imprisonment rates

relationship between racism & criminal justice system

may be reciprocal, perpetuating minority status &
criminality

social significance of race and punishment

opportunity costs for minority individuals

Discrimination, according to Merriam Websters dictionary, is the

process by which two stimuli differing in some aspect are
responded to differently.[1] This term is used to highlight the
difference of treatment between members of different groups
when one group is intentionally singled out and treated worse, or
not given the same opportunities. As attitudes towards minorities
started to change the term discrimination came to be used to talk
about the issue. Over the years many forms of discrimination
have come to be recognized including racial, gender, and sexual
orientation.

cannot be earning a living

cannot be attending school

cannot be parenting

cannot be voting and partaking of free

society

opportunity costs for minority communities

alienation of entire generation of young adults

from involvement & commitment to larger
society

social disruption, due to absence of major

segment of its adult population

generalized suspicion of criminal justice

system by major portion of society

Fighting back[edit]
During this hard time where race became a problem performing
even minor daily tasks several people took it upon themselves to
fix the system that was holding them down. Figures such
as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Rosa Parks[3] are just
a few to fight back against the race based discrimination of their
era. Rosa Parks took a minor stand it seemed like at the time. She
decided not to get up and move to the back of the bus when a
white person asked her for her seat. This one incident sparked a
huge movement called theMontgomery Bus Boycott. This one
act against discrimination eventually leads to the laws on
discrimination buses to be changed. Martin Luther King Jr., a
peaceful activist lead many protests such as these, proving to the
white society that was discriminating against them that they were
a valuable part of society as well. King organized many protests
that not only blacks but whites also attended. Eventually as was
seen with the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka the courts
decided that it was a time to end racial discrimination. While
King[4] organized peaceful protests Malcolm X went a different
route. He and his main supporters The Nation of Islam wanted
nothing to do with white people. They can be considered
examples of reverse discrimination in this case because they
discriminated against whites, the same way whites discriminated
against blacks. Even though Malcolm Xs actions were radical he
is still considered one of the pioneers in fighting back against
racial discrimination. Ruby Bridges is an example of a child who
dealt with discrimination. She dealt with parents as well as
students constantly verbally abusing her. Most parents took their
child out of the class because they didn't want their children near

her. But rather than switching back to her old school she
persevered and stayed. Eventually the parents sent their children
back, accepting the fact that she wasn't leaving. Ruby Bridges
showed that people will not accept inequality and they will
actively fight back against discrimination no matter what age.[5]
Racism and ethnic discrimination in the United States has been a
major issue since thecolonial era and the slave era. Legally
sanctioned racism sanctioned privileges and rights for White
Americans not granted toNative Americans, African
Americans, Asian Americans, and Latin Americans. European
Americans (particularly Anglo Americans) were privileged by
law in matters of education,immigration, voting
rights, citizenship, land acquisition, and criminal procedure over
periods of time extending from the 17th century to the 1960s. At
the time, many non-Protestant groups immigrating from Europe particularly Jews, Irish people, Poles andItalians - suffered
xenophobic exclusion and other forms of ethnicity-based
discrimination in the American society.

Major racially and ethnically structured institutions

included slavery, Indian Wars,Native American
reservations, segregation,residential schools for Native
Americans, andinternment camps.[1] Formal racial discrimination
was largely banned in the mid-20th century, and came to be
perceived as socially unacceptable and/or morally repugnant as
well.
Racial politics remains a major phenomenon. Racism continues
to be reflected in socioeconomic inequality,[2] and has taken on
more modern, indirect forms of expression, most
prevalently symbolic racism.[3] Racial stratification continues to
occur in employment, housing, education, lending, and
government.
In the view of the U.S. Human Rights Network, a network of
scores of US civil rights and human rights organizations,
"Discrimination permeates all aspects of life in the United States,
and extends to all communities of color".[4]