The Effects of Racism in Schools

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Imagine that you are walking down the street and you see an Islamic person walking the opposite direction towards you. Do you think that you are going to be killed within the next minute that it takes your two paths to cross? Do you think about 9/11 or do you think about how tragic it is that the whole Islamic race is now stereotyped and discriminated against by Americans? I find it ironic that all of the Islamic race is looked down upon just because nineteen men, who were affiliated with al-Qaeda (Staff 1), decided to harm and massacre thousands of Americans on 9/11. Now, when Americans board a plane, their eyebrows are more likely to raise if they see an Islamic person on the aircraft. Today, if you ask a teenager if they remember 9/11 in clear detail, his or her answer would most likely be no. Twelve years ago, the oldest teenager would have been seven. Kids that were alive on 9/11 may be racist towards the Islamic race even though we do not remember it clearly. Young children, like Scout, are colorblind in a sense (Alvarez 1). She is too young to recognize racial distinctions (Alvarez 1). Little children on 9/11 learned to be racist towards Islams because of America’s generalization of their race. Throughout the story, Scout has learned from the example Atticus has set forth. Atticus has taught his children to respect people regardless of what race, class, or gender they are. Atticus wants his children to do what is morally right of them and not conform to society’s prejudice ways. We are not born believing in racism. We are taught it by our surroundings. “Racism affects the learning environment” (Barski 1) as much as it affects the social environment. Cliques and social groupings play a major role in... ... middle of paper ... ...edia, 07 July 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Magazine Presentation. “Analysis of Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream Speech.” Analysis of Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream Speech. Presentation Magazine, 6 May 2010. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. “Race in America: Key Data Points.” Pew Research Center RSS. Pew Research Center RSS, 27 Aug. 2013. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. “Jim Crow Laws.” Jim Crow Laws. United States History, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014. Moore, Wendy and Jennifer Pierce. “Still Killing Mockingbirds; Popular Culture Constructions Of Race In Post-Civil Rights America.” Conference Papers – American Sociological Association (2004): 1-20. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Lee, Harper. To Kill a Mockingbird. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1960. Print. King Jr., Martin Luther, Dr. “I Have a Dream.” Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. 27 Apr. 2014. Speech.

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