Prejudice and Racism at Our School
Racism...the belief that a particular race is superior to others; discrimination or prejudice based on race. Racism has been around for a long time and its effects have been seen a lot in the past few centuries: during the 1800s and earlier - in slavery, the Civil War, and slaves being freed; and then recently, during the 1900s - in the Civil Rights Movement. Everyone in the United States is supposed to have equal rights and not be discriminated against because of race, but sadly, that is not always what happens. Racism shouldn’t be around anymore, but it is, even in WCCHS. Sometimes it’s in the form of racist comments or racial slurs, and other times it’s in the form of "who hangs out with whom." Something needs to be done about this. I think that if there were more integration in school-related activities, then students of different races would learn to accept each other the way they are, and racism wouldn’t be an issue at WCCHS.
As was stated, even though there shouldn’t be racism at WCCHS, there is. Although once in a while teachers might be involved if someone says something racist against them, most of the racism is between students. Although I don’t really see a whole lot of it and what I do see isn’t major, it is still there. Generally, Hispanics and non-Hispanics get along okay at WCCHS; a lot of the racism expressed in these two groups is just little things, such as racial slurs or mean comments about someone just because they are or aren’t Hispanic.
To get a broader view on racism at WCCHS and why it occurs, I interviewed Karen Miller, a freshman of Polish and German descent; Gabe Antonio, a freshman of Mexican descent who knows both English and Spanish; and Mr. Sayner, a World Geography/Global Studies teacher of western European descent. Karen, Gabe, and Mr. Sayner all agreed on their definitions of racism. Gabe said that racism means “people saying bad stuff about other races and cultures,” Karen said that it means that someone doesn’t like another person just because of their race - they are prejudiced, and Mr. Sayner said it means “people judging someone else based on physical characteristics like skin color.” In all three definitions you see that people are basing their opinions of others on outward characteristics rather than finding out for themselves what they are like.
As we learned this week, DNA databases are used by various governmental agencies for several different purposes. We all have seen new magazine shows such as, 20/20 or Dateline, that show the collection of DNA samples from suspects in a case that is compared to those collected at the scene of the crime. But what happens when the sample is an incomplete match, compromised, or contaminated? The answer is the wrongful conviction of innocent citizens. The case that I have decided to highlight, is the wrongful conviction of Herman Atkins. In 1986, Atkins was convicted of two counts of forcible rape, two counts of oral copulation, and robbery in the state of California. It was alleged that Herman entered a shoe store, and raped, beat, and robbed a
Racism, a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human racial groups determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one 's own race is superior and has the right to dominate others or that a particular racial group is inferior to the others. Racism was one of John Howard Griffin, the writer of a very well known inequality book of Black Like Me, main topics for his writings. Being born and raised in the city of Dallas, Texas with his siblings and parents he saw much racism as a young child, but he never really noticed it until he left for Europe when he was fifteen. To broaden his education and continue his studies, he moved to France at a young age. Soon after living in France and Europe,
Garcia, M. (2007, Nov 28). Lawsuit filed in wrongful conviction; DNA cleared man in prison 10 years. Chicago Tribune Retrieved from http://ezproxy.uhd.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/420674321?accountid=7109
Rosen, Jeffrey. “The Wrongful Conviction as Way of Life”. 26 May 2011. The New York Times. 12 July 2011. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/books/review/book-review-convicting-the-innocent-where-criminal-prosecutions-go-wrong-by-brandon-l-garrett.html.
Racism is defined by merriam-webster.com as ‘1. A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. 2. Racial prejudice or discrimination.’ Racism exists among all races and ethnicities, but most prominently between whites and blacks. The most basic cause of racism begins with the idea that there is something different between different ethnicities. Though that thought is illogical, it is one that seems inevitable. The amount of hatred one can hold against another because of the difference in their skin pigmentation is uncanny. There are an uncountable amount of sources on racism to be found just by merely looking on the internet. In The Bluest Eye, a novel written by Toni Morrison, alone one can find a series amount of racist comments and “ways of thinking”, but beyond that racism can be found in poems, films, and everyday life.
Gould, Jon B. and Leo, Richard A., One Hundred Years Later: Wrongful Convictions After a Century of Research (2010). Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, Vol. 100, No. 3, 2010; Univ. of San Francisco Law Research Paper No. 2010-28.
Since DNA technology has been used there has been a high number of individuals convicted, linked or found innocent of a crimes. This technology has helped law enforcement catch suspects that may have never been found without the use of this technology. However, the research reflected that there is a need for clearer interpretations of the DNA results, better equality provided for all regardless of race or class and that errors should be reduced to prevent having cases that need to be exonerated.
"Know the Cases." Innocence Project. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, n.d. Web. 1 Mar 2011. .
"Using DNA to Solve Crimes." U.S. Department of Justice: National Institute of Justice. (September 9, 2014). Web. 29 May 2015.
Racial discrimination is still a big part in today's society. This problem has many causes, and many things that perpetuate it. Though progress is being made in many ways, there are also many ways were racism is getting worse. Race relations have changed dramatically, and can now be so different as to be opposite of their original state. Racism is taking place against all groups of people, though it is not always recognized as racism. Media plays a big role, but ultimately it
Racism can be defined as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.” (Merriam-webster, 2015). Racism can evolve when individuals of one race feel targeted by individuals of another race. Racism affects not only adults but children and teenagers as well. Children and teenagers who are apart of the school systems are exposed to racism both inside and outside of the classroom. There have been many cases, even in these past few years, of kids in classrooms being mistreated in school. There are many forms of racism that can affect not only students but the teachers and faculty who are in schools on a day to day basis. There is no
Racism is defined as the belief that one race posses something better or more superior than another race. Racism and Racial Discrimination has been around for 2 Centuries. It started off in medieval times. Often rulers would be Prejudice or would have Racial Assumptions point toward a peasant because of his/her appearance or wealth. From there slavery took over. During MOST of the 19th century, and all of the 20th century, slavery ruled. If you were “colored” a termed used for African American, you were thought of as less than trash. African Americans faced 4 of the 7 most common types of Racial Discrimination. They faced Prejudice, Racial Assumptions, Harassment and Systematic Racism.
...r pure philosophy. It is anecdote - it is a memento of someone. In that sense perhaps every Transfiguration performance here is a form of self-portrait, but Sagazan complicates this dynamic by also transforming himself into the subject. He impersonates the primitive in his work, and therefore becomes Bacon’s subject as well as his own. He is the subject, object, and history of portrait painting all in one.
Singer, Julie A. "The Impact Of Dna And Other Technology On The Criminal Justice System: Improvements And Complications."Albany Law Journal Of Science & Technology 17.(2007): 87. LexisNexis Academic: Law Reviews. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.
Racism has historically been defined as the belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently according to their racial designation. Sometimes racism means beliefs, practices, and institutions that discriminate against people based on their perceived or ascribed race. While the sin of racism is an age-old phenomenon based on ignorance, fear, estrangement, and false pride, some of its ugliest manifestations have taken place in our time. Racism and irrational prejudices operate in a vicious circle. Racism is among the worst of ingrained prejudices that characterize sinful human beings.