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Racism Effects On Education
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The effects of racial stereotypes
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Blaire Butler Professor BJ Smothers ENG 102: Assignment 2- Tatum vs. McIntosh 24 March 2016 What Does Gender or Race Have to Do With it? It seems like every time that I log on to any one of my social media accounts, I get stopped during my leisurely scroll by one or two of my friends posts that has clearly been typed out furiously from the heart. These posts are typically created by my friends of color, both male and female. They are speaking about how racism is still very present today because they have each personally been affected by it. It is absolutely mind blowing that we are in the year 2016 and we are still witnessing people of our same species being discriminated against because of their race and/or gender. Beverly Tatum believes that “our educational institutions should do what they can to encourage this development rather than impede it” (Tatum 370). In Tatum’s article “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”, she never once bashed or accused any caucasian person of being actively racist. She does, however, state that people of color can be racist and …show more content…
The whole system of racism is beneficial to white people in ways that Peggy McIntosh proposes in her article “White Privilege: The Invisible Knapsack”, whether it was done unintentionally or intentionally. In this article she states “I think whites are carefully taught not to recognize white privilege, as males are taught not to recognize male privilege” (McIntosh 351). Dr. Tatum does understand though that blacks cannot be racists for they are in a oppressed state and are just caught up in the historical and standardized ideals of racial prejudice. She states “They know how to be black. They have absorbed the stereotypical images of black youth in the popular culture and are reflecting those images in their self-presentation” (Tatum
1) Why does she seem like a racist herself?: She always is talking about how white people benefit so much from things they don't even realize they benefit from. Well how about all the special groups and organizations that are set up just for black people. I think she should take another look at our society before she says that white benefit so trememdously. I am not saying whites do not benefit more but she really, really drills this opinion and I disagree.
“I was taught to see racism only in individual acts of meanness, not in invisible systems conferring dominance on my group,” Peggy McIntosh wrote in her article White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. Too often this country lets ignorance be a substitute for racism. Many believe that if it is not blatant racism, then what they are doing is okay. Both the video and the article show that by reversing the terms, there is proof that racism is still very existent in this world. By looking into A Class Divided and White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack along with their ability to broaden the cultural competence, once can see how race is still very prominent in our culture.
Tatum examines what “Blackness,” means in a predominately white society and explores reasons why black adolescents begin to believe that they are inferior or in other words “not normal” in society, especially in academics where some black adolescents claim that “doing well in school is often identified as being White” (para. 30) which leads them to not give their education their maximum effort in the fear of being labeled as “too white” or simply just “not black”. She uses her son’s personal experiences as well as typical stories of how blacks are misunderstood in order to educate the reader as to how black people eventually develop a self-identity based on the implications of society and the situations that surround them. This can be seen when she says, “The stereotypes, omissions, and distortions that reinforce notions of White superiority are breathed in by Black children as well as white” (para. 10). In this quote Tatum further examines what “Whiteness” means in the same context and explains that since American society associates White people to be the normality, they are not able to create a well-balanced self-identity without it being based off of racial
...at it means to be Black. Does that not still divide the lines of humanity based on the color of a person’s skin? I thank statements like, “race-conscious” parents teaching their children to be Black is forming prejudice. I teach my children to be kind to others not what means to be White. In interracial relationships if they have a child what should the child be taught? How to be black or white because I thank it is true, children are taught racial differences by their parents and other adults. Personally, I find most mixed racial children are the perfect skin color we all try to achieve. I am not sure I would recommend Tatum’s book to read to discourage racism even though she raises some valid points.
Dinesh D’Souza‘s assertion that racial discrimination against African Americans has diminish due to culture rather than racism is contradicted by Derrick Bell argument that “black people will never gain full equality in this country”. Derrick firmly feels that a meticulous examination of African American and Caucasian associations supports that racism is a permanent feature of American society. Both Derrick and Dinesh made valid points and used examples throughout history to get their point across. Although both made valid points, I agree, and maintain that racism still exist in modern society. Growing up I have witnessed racism with my own eyes and have personally went through it. With everything taking into account, I personally feel that racism still exist in today’s society because, white people see African Americans as an inferior race. Their actions show it as they continue to patrol our communities like we are uncivilized animals. Furthermore, African Americans that are making progress such as being successful in the corporate business still have to deal with “the plight of our less fortunate brethren who struggle for existence in what some social scientist call the underclass”. The African American culture in this case study is perceived as being the reason why blacks have not progress from racial discrimination, according to Dinesh D’Souza. There’s a
On a personal note, the reason I have selected the topic of racism in the classroom is two-fold. First, I am employed in a suburban school district where I occasionally witness social inequalities for students of color that play out and dramatically impact learning. Secondly, I was brought up in a family which espoused racist beliefs and principles. This self-examination serves as a critical means for me to come face to face with aspects of my own distorted misconceptions, and perhaps begin to undue a familial legacy of injurious thinking and
Racism and prejudice. These two topics are different and alike in many ways, but not many people tend to talk about them because of their well known controversial nature. But "Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race” by Beverly Daniel Tatum, the entire subject of the book is just that, racism and prejudice. Tatum starts the book off with a life example, something from her personal life to draw the reader in. It is from her early days in her career when a student had asked her about the course she would be teaching next semester. The reaction from her student when she replied is what makes this memory a simple memory with a lot of meaning. The student did not think racism existed anymore, which stated by Tatum, is not true at all.
No matter how much people try to stop discrimination of other peoples it will still always be there. A couple of weeks ago in Bowling Green an example of this behavior showed us that it is currently still a very real problem. The incident was that students that attended Bowling Green State University sent out some very discriminatory tweets about African American students who also attended the college. After these hateful tweets were posted in the Twitterverse a flood of responses followed the posts. There were many students who saw these tweets and were either appalled that anyone would say something ...
The article “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” by Beverly D. Tatum discusses, analyzes, and explains the several misconceptions and stigmatizations faced by African American youth and of the journey discovering their racial identity. She goes on to write that other races will have a hard time grasping the dilemmas and oppression that black youth face. Throughout the article, Tatum asks several rhetorical questions relating to racial identity and discrimination. She discusses and analyzes societal and personal perceptions of what it means to be black, how being a certain race becomes a bigger issue as the youth gets older, and how preexisting stereotypes formed negative beliefs relating to black youth’s academic
The statement “The message was clear, you are a black Male, your racial group membership matters, plan accordingly” (Tatum 216) describes how blacks are treated differently, which helps them develop the way one sees their self. Another part of identity development is how Blacks think academic achievement can only be for Whites. Black students and children grow up only exposed to successful white people, so they think it's uncommon or wrong to be successful and effective in the real world. In order for black children to feel equal and powerful, they need to be treated the same as Whites or otherwise, they will isolate themselves and “sit at their own separate table”.
In 1995, the Carnegie Corporation commissioned a number of papers to summarize research that could be used to improve race relations in schools and youth organizations. One way to fight against racism is to “start teaching the importance of and strategies for positive intergroup relations when children are young”(Teaching Tolerance,). Bias is learned at an early age, often at home, so schools should offer lessons of tolerance and
I must admit that before I began taking this class I took for granted how much racism still exists in this country. I have started to put more thought in to the way the world really is, the topics discussed in class have started to catch my interest. When I first started reading the Tatum book I was mad when I read her version of the word “racism”. I thought to my self “I personally have never held down the black race, what does she mean?” As I progressed in the book I was starting to understand what she meant about the system of advantages that white people are given. I also understood this better when I read Elizabeth Munich’s list of examples of how there are advantages to being white. I couldn’t help agreeing with her argument based on what I have seen in my life so far. I have seen blacks harassed in stores and denied housing. At the time I simply felt it was too bad and forgot about it. According to Tatum I was practicing “passive racism” and I agree with her on that. I have never done anything to try and change the system and I do reap the advantages of being white whether or not I like it. I believe that reading this book has opened my eyes to how much racism still exists in this country that claims to uphold equal rights. Another argument that Tatum discusses is how everybody is prejudiced in one way or another. I also believe this is true, almost everyone I know has made a racist joke or laughed at one at least. I believe that this is because of th...
We have a long history of racism in America that has been structured to favor White people. Structural racism can be defined as, “a system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity. It identifies the dimensions of our history and culture that have allowed privileges associated with “whiteness” and disadvantages associated with “color” to endure and adapt over time”(Structural Racism, 2004,p. 11). Overt racism became illegal during The Civil Rights Movement that took place between 1954-1968 (Tuck, 2015). Although society seemed to be heading toward a more socially acceptable society, the movement enabled white people to blame the struggles black face as a character flaw. White people will believe that black people have a lot of problems because their culture is bad or they have bad values. The message they are reinforcing is that being black is inferior, and this is an example of structural racism operates. Structural racism is a system of forces that keeps people of color in a permanent second-class status, and it is the foundation of racism in our society. Society is structured in a way where the hierarchy of white people oppresses Blacks, Latinos, Native Americans, etc and has
It surprises me that people can say they think racism is only something of the past. I think some people assume racism is not present in society today because it was much more active in the past. Today’s world is full of a more passive type of racism. The difference between active and passive racism is important and significant. Active racism correlates directly to the white nationalists that marched in Charlottesville. Passive racism can be something as subtle as laughing at a racist joke. Not all whites are actively racist but many are passively racist. I have many friends and know many people at UVA today who are passively racist under this definition but most would never admit this. I like how Tatum wrote about the reactions students had
I read the Stem Diversity Awareness article as well as watched the Ted Talk where Jedidah Isler spoke about how students of color face racism as well as challenges that could impact their futures. I thought and agreed with everything Isler spoke about. I think it’s absolutely true that our society still excludes and distinguishes people of color. Isler mentioned how a man at their lunch table pushed all the dishes towards her and told her to basically make herself useful. It’s truly unfortunate that our society thinks things like this are appropriate and okay.