Racism means what makes one see another with suspicion or even attribute the negative characteristics to a whole group of people. It manifests itself in individual thought and the workings of the society. Unaddressed systemic racism happens in America and has been so before the founding of the nation. Slavery was the original sin of America, and the framers of America’s constitution did not resolve this vice. It has also never been solved by horrendous conflicts of the American Civil war. Slavery changed its evil form and has a continuation of generational enslavement of a particular group of America’s society today.
The most hateful remnants of slavery persist in America today in the form of systemic racism that is baked in almost every aspect of society. The historical reality of this systemic racism has been displayed in the current times from the awful murder of George Floyd and that of Ahmaud Arbery and many countless acts of discrimination happening daily in America. Our response to the current issues will define who we are in the 21st century and the future. Every person has full responsibility for providing a solution to this problem.
Moreover, the elites control the power channels in America, and they control and coordinate the production and distribution of resources. They decide what to produce and who to produce and where to distribute. There have been disparities in the manner of resource distributions, which mainly is due to power relations. Laws are the fundamental instrumental mechanisms to legitimize the functions of the system. Elites power play high roles in the establishment of rules, and for a long time, there has been biasness in the manner of establishment of the laws. So, a clear understanding about how the laws contribute to systematic racism is needed so as to define what should it be done to eradicate it.
Central Question
- How does slavery and social class connect to systematic racism today? And can we have control over systematic racism?
Sub questions and Keywords
- What is systematic racism?
- How do laws contribute to deepening inequality in America?
- What are the measures that should be taken to reduce systematic racism?
Keywords; slavery, racism, discrimination, power relations, and inequality
López-Narbona, Ana María. “Systemic racism as power relations. The United States of America.” División Operativa de Criminalística, DOCRIM 1 (2019): 1-31.
It is research from researchgate.net, which has been significant in many research works in several fields. The research source highlights on how power relations in America contributes to racism hence has become systemic racism. Racism in the U.S lies in the power relations that are derived from the power patterns in the social system. The more concentration of power, the more there is an unequal distribution of resources hence more systemic racism. The main question that I was left after reading this source is that, can the distribution of power amongst several groups in the U.S play a role in ending unequal distribution of resources?
The source will be significant in my project as it has comprehensive research on the systemic racism and how to tackle it by the use of conceptual power model. Moreover, it will examine how the deepening inequality is guaranteed by laws and give a breakdown of the unequal distribution of resources that has advanced systemic racism in various minority communities. Meaningful quotes from the source include; “laws have the potential capacity to influence the society.” “Distribution of resources has to happen with a focus on the minorities,” “one way to reining wealth inequality is by addressing its roots.”
Allen, John. “Systemic Racism And America Today”. Brookings, 2020, https://www.brookings.edu/blog/how-we-rise/2020/06/11/systemic-racism-and-america-today/. Accessed 29 July 2020.
The Brooking institution is a public policy organization with a mission to conducting comprehensive research to gain new ideas to solve problems that face the society at the local and global levels. Brookings is a trusted institution that has taken a strong stand on issues concerning racism, civil rights, and equality. The resource examines the unaddressed systemic racism and its connection to the historical slavery in America. It examines how slavery continues in a different form, even in the current days, with particular American societies facing discrimination.
The source will be significant in the project as it will examine the longstanding of systematic racism, which dates back to centuries in America. It highlights how it has impacted the public policy and laws and the interactions amongst the various communities in the country. From this source, I have been left with the question of how best can we reform the police?
Essential quotes from this source include “we will not solve the systematic racism and inequality over-night.” “We as Americans cannot stay silent on injustice,” “inaction is intolerable, we have to stand up and speak out.” “We must take the role of reform from the bottom up with a focus at the ballot.”
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Hey Jacob! Great topic to write about, especially during times like this where protests are raging across the country for this specific topic. Your second subquestion is actually very important in finding the root of systematic racism and inequality. Once you know the root of a problem, then you can take the steps to fixing the problem.
Hey Jacob,
The questions you got from both resources are really central to figuring out how to end the endless nightmare of systemic racism. Your explanation left me with a clear idea of what I’d expect from a full paper on this topic since you explained your point and your goal really well. I think one of the most important quotes you mentioned is that this issue won’t be solved overnight, it takes constant effort on every American to ensure this isn’t allowed to to continue festering in our daily lives. Attention spans suck in our generations, so I’m hoping people atleast stay consistent in their stand against inequality and not back down.
Hi Jacob!
It’s frustrating to see that racism is still prevalent.
The deaths of George Floyd, Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor (she still hasn’t received justice) and sadly countless Black people is the undeniable proof of systemic racism, but some people still want to scream “all lives matter”. Well, to each their own.
I’m so glad that you are bringing awareness to this subject. I like the quote about staying silent is intolerable because at this point “silence is betrayal” (M.L King). Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that people need to scream BLM day and night, but showing compassion and empathy are basic human traits.
Hey Jacob, thanks for sharing. As a student that just finish my anthropology class, I find your topic familiar. In my anthropology, I learned that both race and gender are socially constructed terms. We define both race and gender base on one’s characteristics instead of biological traits. Racism creates a barrier that denies access to resources to certain groups of people. It is pathetic to see how this issue hasn’t been resolve after years.