Stand Against Racism
Chris Gebara
Racism in United States has been a prevalent since before the American Revolution.
Throughout history, the United States has been a white dominated country. In our early history,
racism was legal and overtly expressed. Hundreds of years ago, black men and women were
used as slaves for white people. Blacks had no rights and were treated as property. Slaves were
forced to work in cotton and tobacco fields with no pay and with the threat of being beaten or
killed. Racism has changed from these early ages but continued to exist. Even after the slaves
were freed, the black race was held down by a society dominated by whites. Until the Civil
Rights Act of 1964, whites and blacks were separated in nearly all aspects of life including
schools, bathrooms, drinking fountains, and restaurants. Blacks were forced to sit in the back of
the bus and the black facilities were substantially of worse quality. Black people were beaten up
or killed with little or no punishment for the perpetrators. In the past, extremely violent form of
racism was common and was seen as an acceptable way of life.
The dictionary.com definition of racism is “the idea that one's own race is superior and
has the right to rule others”. This is a broad statement and, in today’s world, is not entirely true.
There are laws that prohibit one race from ruling another. These laws made institutional racism
illegal, and significantly improved race relations. However, other forms of racism emerged in
our society. Many people feel that racism is less of a problem now after the enactment of Civil
Rights laws in 1964. Unfortunately, racism still exists but in different forms. The blatant form of
racism of the past has given way to a more subtle form of racism. The manifestation of racism is
evolving as our society is becoming more advanced. One would not see a man being lynched
anymore, but would see and feel the subtle forms of discrimination and prejudice that is still
present all around us. Subtle racism comes in different ways and can be expressed as
stereotyping of minority race, subtle actions toward minorities, and is sometimes being driven
and expressed subconsciously.
Recent studies have shown that a majority of the American people have some racist
feelings that are held subconsciously. It is not acceptable in our society to be openly racist, and
many people express some racist feelings or racist stereotyping without even realizing it. Eben
Harrell recently reported on this form of unconscious racism in Time magazine. He discussed a
recent study that attempted to identify this form of subtle racism. The investigators of the
study asked 120 non-black students from Yale University to participate in an experiment on
team-oriented problem-solving. The students were asked to choose a partner for the
experiment. They brought two actors, one white and one black, who acted as participants of
the experiment, and where the other students would choose one of them. They divided the 120
students into three groups. They placed the members of the first group individually with the
two actors, the second group watched the two actors by video, and the third group read about
them. In this experiment, the black actor slightly bumped the white actor while leaving the
room. The white actor then played one of three scenarios, saying “I hate it when black people
do that”, or “clumsy n word”, or did nothing. Despite the clearly overt racist act of the first two
scenarios, 71% of students chose the white actor as a partner. This percentage did not change
between the group that did not witness a racist act and the other groups that did. Jack Dovidio,
a co-author of the study said, “I think this helps explain the big discrepancy in culture between
what people say and think about racism and the actual persistence of racism in our society”
(Harrell 1). This study clearly shows that people subconsciously side with their own race even if
they are not openly racist, or do not consider themselves racist.
The racist actions in today’s society are vastly different from the racist actions of the
past. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the overt racist actions have decreased.
Although radical racist groups like the KKK, the Aryan Brotherhood, the National Alliance, and
“skinheads” still exist across America, the majority of the population does not support them.
Nowadays, it is uncommon to find people openly committing race crimes or verbally abusing
other races, but many may still commit subtle racist acts. One needs to look no further than the
internet to find endless amounts of racist comments, jokes, and pictures. Steven Lacey, a
reporter of the Charleston City newspaper, wrote “There are literally hundreds of websites
dedicated to how much other races suck” (Lacey 2). The internet gives people the opportunity
to act out their racism from the safety of their own homes. They are able to hide behind the
screen of a computer and let it all out. Many times, people participating in forums that are
addressing other issues will turn the discussion into a big race argument. I found one such
website, Break.com, while searching the internet. Literally on every video blog, there are
random racist comments that are followed by other racist comments either attacking the
writers of the initial comments or supporting them. These people are able to say whatever they
want because nobody knows who they are, and therefore they feel safe hiding behind a
computer screen without fear of any consequences.
Stereotyping of racial groups is another form of racism today. According to the Conflict
Research Consortium at the University of Colorado, the definition of stereotyping is described
as “Stereotypes are generalizations, or assumptions, that people make about the characteristics
of all members of a group, based on an image (often wrong) about what people in that group
are like” (Conflict research Consortium 3). Assuming things about people because of their race
is simply racism. In the Time article, Study: Racist Attitudes are still Ingrained, Eben Harrell
states, “Harvard psychologist Mahzarin Banaji has found that Americans recognize negative
words such as angry, criminal and poor more quickly after being exposed to a black face (often
blacks do too), suggesting unconscious racist associations with black people” (Harrell 1). Some
people still associate other racial groups with negative thoughts, and feelings. This kind of
stereotyping greatly affects how people act in the work place and at social events. The idea of
“Judging a book by its cover” is still quite prevalent and is still holding back our society by giving
wrong impressions of people from other races.
Unfortunately, racism is still everywhere. The old definition of racism, where one
race rules over other races, is not accurate anymore. Racism should be defined as any form of
discrimination whether it is physical, verbal, written, or assumed that is targeted towards a race
as a whole. We still have a long way to eradicate this subtle form of racism, prejudice,
stereotyping and discrimination from our society. The enactment of laws against racism help,
but we need more education and discussion among the races to make our society better, and
to fulfill Martin Luther King’s dream where people “will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character”. Racism need to be put to a halt. In order to achieve this,
a proposal needs to be put into action.
Racism continues to be a prevalent problem in United States. It is everywhere around
us. It is seen and felt in our daily routine, at the grocery store, in health clubs, in blog sites on
the internet, and even at schools. Just about everybody will face racism in one form or another.
Although racism exists among minorities towards other races in America, the biggest problem is
primarily white racism towards black people. Racism is a learned behavior and can shape
people’s beliefs and morals even at a very young age. According to Richard Beswick, an 8-yearold black girl told Ted Koppel on Nightline, "White people are better than black people. Whites
know more, have more, and get more. I wish I was white but I am not" (Beswick 1). If racism has
gotten to a point where our children believe that their race is inferior, then we have a
significant problem on our hands. The children of America are continually being exposed to
words, jokes, actions and behaviors that promote racism. Children are essentially being
brainwashed in believing terrible things about other races, and not enough is being done to
stop this brainwashing. If nobody takes a stand now then the children will grow up with the
same racist beliefs, and the never ending cycle of racism will continue. Racism is simply wrong
and causes severe emotional distress that may lead to bigger problems. People can only take so
much racial abuse before they snap. Retaliation against others because of racism is a never
ending problem in America. Hate crimes including murder and even terrorism exist in America
today. According to the Federal Bureau of investigation, there were 4000 race related crimes in
the United States in 2006. This number is on the rise and the trend needs to be reversed.
Although it is impossible to eliminate racism completely, I believe that racial tension can be
reversed by making racial harmony a priority of our educational system and our community
programs. While it is important to enforce our civil right laws, it is more important to create a
culture that makes racial stereotyping an unacceptable behavior. This can be achieved with
intense education about racial harmony that needs to start in our elementary schools, and
needs to continue in high schools and in the work place.
High school kids across the country are faced with racism on a daily basis. According to
Richard Beswick, “In the progressively liberal, mostly white community of Eugene, Oregon, a
study found that racism exists and may be on the increase. The report stressed the frequency of
racial jokes and slurs, derogatory racial stereotyping, and (less often) violent acts left
unpunished by school authorities” (Beswick 1). The racial tension felt in high school is fresh on
my mind, having just graduated from Troy High School last year. As Beswick stated the majority
of racism is expressed through jokes. Many students told racial jokes to their friends and even
to students of the race that are the target of the jokes. The more and more these jokes are
made, the more likely people telling and hearing these jokes start to believe them as facts.
Students try to laugh the racial jokes off but it is clear that they are hurting inside. According to
the principal at Troy High School Mark Dziatczak, the proportion of black students increased by
8% from the time I was a freshman until I was a senior at Troy High. I felt the tension rise as
more black students moved in. A section of the commons area was actually used only by black
students and white students did not go there. The area was called “Africa” by white students
and the name now lives on. Students showed hate towards each other because of race, and
fights often broke out because of this. It is not only my school, Troy High, but other high schools
across the country face similar problems. According to Matt Zeitlin, the high school in
Montgomery County, Georgia does not sponsor or host a prom. Instead, the parents of black
and white students host two different proms, held at the same venue on consecutive nights
(Zeitlin 1). These students do not even attend the same prom because of their race. I thought
that segregation was outlawed by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, these students and
parents are choosing to stay segregated despite these laws. By not hosting a prom for all
students, the school is encouraging segregation by allowing students to have two different
proms based on race. These students are learning to stay away from each other. In order to
have a fully functional society, this needs to be stopped. Steps need to be taken now in all high
schools to decrease this racial tension. Schools need to deem themselves racism-free zones and
schools need to have zero-tolerance policies dealing with racism. Students who disobey these
policies should be punished in proportion to the severity of their action. According to Richard
Beswick this zero-tolerance policy is working at a high school in Lane County, Oregon. Beswick
states, “White students acquire a feeling of ownership for this zone of protection, and minority
students report a feeling of security and pride” (Beswick 1). This technique is working, and
needs to be applied across the nation. Racial problems between students are best solved by
peer mediation whenever possible. Peer mediation was used in my high school and it is a great
way to get the two parties to express their feelings. The peer mediators listen to the disputers
and help them understand their differences. Teachers need to be good role models to the
students and show equal respect to all students. The students will pick up on this and follow
suit because most behaviors are learned.
High Schools across the country need to partner with organizations that promote racial
harmony. One of these organizations is Project Reach. According to the New York website,
“Project Reach is a youth and adult-run, multi-racial, multi-gender, grassroots, antidiscrimination, youth organizing center with a clear mission and commitment to challenging the
destruction among, of, and between New York City’s disparate youth communities” (Reach 1).
Students in project reach will get an opportunity to research their own heritage as well as
others. By working with other races and understanding their backgrounds, students get a better
understanding of each other and ultimately reduce racial tensions in high schools.
If racism is tackled as early as elementary schools, then it may be possible to have less
racial tensions in middle and high schools. Children this young have yet to feel hatred towards
other races, although they understand that they look different from other students and that
they have different backgrounds. Equality among races needs to be ingrained in them as early
as possible. Since racism is a learned behavior, it is important to teach young children about
racism because children are like an unwritten book, and they are open to whatever they are
taught. Equality needs to be taught right alongside reading and writing. Teachers need to set up
the seating charts to be as diverse as possible. Students of different ethnicities should be
seated next to each other so they can understand that there are no bad races. An organization
called Reading to End Racism is already making strives at the elementary school level. Teachers
can go here to find tips and activities to combat racism as early as possible. The organization
wants teachers to directly address different races. Some questions to ask are, “What do you
know about different skin colors? Where do we get our skin colors? Accept all answers. You can
list their answers on the board” (Reading to End Racism 1). This organization has lots of good
ideas and I highly recommend this program.
Racism in the work place cannot be tolerated. According to Remedios Lucio, a Los
Angeles racial discrimination attorney, racism is all too prevalent in the United States, he writes
“Sadly, in America racial discrimination is one of the major problems citizens experience in their
daily lives” (Lucio 1). It is truly sad to see grown and supposedly mature adults act and show
open racism. It is ridiculous that open racism exist among grown adults. In an ABC “What Would
You Do” experiment, an actor plays the role of a clerk in a sandwich deli. When the minority
actors walk in and barely speak English, the clerk yells extremely racist remarks at them to see
what the bystanders would do. To my surprise some customers encouraged the racism
displayed. One man who was black yelled at the Hispanic man, “If you want me to make you
leave, I'll make you leave, so leave. That's all I gotta say” (Hanan 1). This display of
discrimination is absurd. In fact, nine people who came into the store sided with the racist
clerk. This should not be tolerated and all companies need to have strict policies that deal with
racism in the workplace that include firing employees who make racist remarks. New
employees need to be notified of this policy upon being hired. Grown adults should not need to
be told twice that racial remarks and racial intimidation are not tolerated. People who display
acts of racism should be prosecuted, sentenced to community service and sent to racism
seminars.
Combating racism should start very early. Teaching our children that racism is wrong is a
good start but is not enough. We have to create an environment that encourages children of
different races to mix, play and learn together to improve racial harmony. We need to create a
culture in our society that makes racial jokes and racial stereotyping not acceptable. We also
need to enforce our Civil Rights laws that make racial acts are punishable with real
consequences. We need to reverse racial tensions in schools and the workplace now. Racism
can tear apart a nation and separate its people. Our future is bright and the possibilities are
endless, and we have to continue to work hard toward a society that is free of racial bias and
racial inequality.
References:
"Activities for Elementary School." Reading to End Racism. N.p., Aug. 2005. Web. 11 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.readingtoendracism.org/Final%20Site/Elem__Activities%208-25-05.pdf>.
Harrell, Eben. "Study: Racist Attitudes are Still Ingrained." Time. Ed. Eben Harrell. CNN, Jan. 2009. Web.
11 Mar. 2010.
Zeitlin, Matt. "There's No Racism in America." WhipperSnapper. Word Press, 26 May 2009. Web. 11 Apr.
2010. <http://whippersnapper.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/theres-no-racism-in-america/>.
Project Reach. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://projectreachnyc.org/AboutReach.html>.
Lucio, Remedios V. "Racism in the Workplace: What can Racial Discrimnation Attorneys Do." Article
Snatch. N.p., 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2010. <http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Racism-In-TheWorkplace--What-Can-Racial-Discrimination-Attorneys-Do/784344>.
Beswick, Richard. "Racism in America's Schools." Eric digest. N.p., 1990. Web. 11 Apr. 2010.
<http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/racism.htm>.
Lacey, Steven. "H(a)T(e)ML: It's hard to be scared of an overwhelmingly dim-witted and idiotic enemy."
Charleston City Paper. Ed. Steven Lacey. Charleston city paper, 3 Oct. 2007. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.
Breslin, William. Conflict Research Consortium. Charleston city paper, 1998. Web. 11 Mar. 2010.