Racism And Ethnic Discrimination

Race, often defined as groups of people who share similar and different biological traits, is commonly tied in with ethnicity. Ethnicity is the cultural traits that are shared amongst a group of people. This two social construct is the basis of mankind yet there is still a growing problem with race and ethnicity in today’s society. This can be seen through racism and ethnic discrimination. Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another. It has plagued mankind for as long as humans have existed. From devastating wars to everyday crimes, the idea of “otherness” has led individuals to terrible acts against other races. Racism starts when individuals or collective group restrict opportunities or privileges to one group.

This can be seen when certain sub-ethnic groups discriminate another. An example of this would be when white Latinos discriminate against Afro-Latinos. White Latinos do this because they disagree on the fact that Afro-Latino consider themselves to be “Black” instead of “Black and Latino.” To add on, this could also happen when ethnic discrimination is “passed on” from family

Discrimination is not just a growing problem in the United States rather it is a global problem. However, throughout the years, there have been many laws that have been passed to give everyone their “separate but equal” rights—originally granted by the constitution of the United States. Examples of this include the Brown v. Board of Education case, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (to list a few). Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case that ended legal segregation in school systems. The success of this case was due largely in part to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. This ruling not only paved the way for the integration of different race but also a victory for the Civil Rights Movement. On the other hand, the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a key piece of the civil rights legislation in the sense that it, “established the legal standard barring employers from excluding anyone from employment on the basis of race or ethnicity” (Sweet and Meiksins 184). Another example would be affirmative action. Affirmative action is a policy favoring those who have suffered from discrimination. One noticeable group is the minorities of the United States consisting of Asians, African Americans, Hispanic or Latino, and much more. Even though affirmative action allows