An exercise, including stereotypes of black people and stereotypes of white people, will visually demonstrate common racial ideologies of black people and how they differ from those of white people. Complete this exercise without thought; simply record what comes to mind. It will show you what racial stereotypes you hold, which helps you reflect and work towards changing those impulses of thinking. Take a moment now to try to define race. It may not be as easy as you first thought, for the definition is continually disputed by scholars.
Injustice for Black Americans
Systemic racism is a prevalent issue in today's society. Researchers continuously search for answers to epistemological questions about race; often, researchers find answers to these questions that they cannot concur with other researchers-- the facts are not always readily displayed. Examples of some leading questions include, Where does the idea of the races even originate? And what is the cause of racism? Despite the inability to concretely and accurately answer these questions, people, including U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens, recognize the hate crime of racial injustice and are aware of police brutality specifically towards black individuals.
The epistemology of race is found in the 1600s. Razza, a word in the first Spanish dictionary in 1611, was used to define the human race. It does not describe characteristics or biology, but rather the culture and language(s) shared in a particular group. Linnaeus invented racism, he who developed the taxonomical system, classifying animals and people in categories. Between 1739-1759 Linnaeus published a classification of the races.
The U.S. is and always will be, the first place to delegate people's entire future and their limitations and possibilities based solely on their characteristics and race. There was a time before Jim Crow in the South when the one-drop rule did not exist. (The one-drop rule was invented to test one drop of blood, and if it was black blood, you were black. This was created to subjugate those who could pass as white that was actually black). Laws were changed to be able to hate based on race. In fact, the United States had to give diplomat's a unique map so that if met on the road by law enforcers, they would not be put in prison for being black-- this includes kings and queens.
What makes us "us" and them "them"? Is it race, ethnicity, beliefs, experiences, or biological composition? The list could stretch on, but WE should fight against this gap-- it further divides a nation that should be unified.
Some further readings to inform yourself of racial injustice include:
- The Racial Contract by Charles Mills
- The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
- Race in North America by Audrey Smedley
