Towards the Understanding of Racism - Annotated Bibliography Example

Annotated Bibliography Esposito, Luigi, and Victor Romano. "Benevolent Racism: Upholding Racial Inequality In The Of Black Empowerment." Western Journal of Black Studies 38.2 (2014): 69-83. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. – In this journal, the authors are concerned with the various forms of racism and how the issue is evaded when programs of black empowerment are taken up. The authors say that hiding under this cocoon does not solve the problem. It just covers an even greater problem. This form of racism according to the authors is called benevolent racism. It acknowledges that there is racism and condemns it whenever possible. The way it does this, however, further reinforces and legitimizes racist practices, policies and attitudes. It is in the face of it seen to empower and defend the black community. The authors discuss the issue of affirmative action and how it is a form a benevolent racism. The authors’ show how this type of racism emerged in the United States of America and how it has developed to the level it is today. They show the hypocrisy in which the programs for black empowerment have been dealt with. They then go ahead and give insight into what can be done to clear this menace, and what the activists of racial equality can do to ensure that benevolent racism does not thrive. The authors then give examples of programs that are carried to show this kind of racism. They state that there is a lot of prejudice in the way things are carried out in the name of black empowerment. The black people are expected to take up the chances to their advantage. For example, if policies that require that those people who are likely to face racial prejudice get access to certain services are done away with, the end result will be that fewer of those people get those services. It is telling such people to beat the status quo and succeed in doing so without giving them the means to do so. This journal is important to my research paper as it seeks to show the other side of programs meant for the empowerment of black people and how indeed they affect the issue of race. Hoyt, Carlos, Jr. "The Pedagogy of the Meaning of Racism: Reconciling a Discordant Discourse." Journal of National Association of Social Work 3 (2012): 225. Academic OneFile. Web. 15 Oct. 2014. Carlos in this journal mainly dwells on the definition of racism. He explains what different people hold as racism and its origin. He states what he perceives to be racism as he analyzes the works of other people who have dealt with this issue. He gives a clear, useful and consistent understanding of the term racism. It is the concern of Carlos in his work that the term racism does not have a similar definition to all people. He explores the different definitions that are there. The reason he does this is because he feels that for there to be a comprehensive definition of the term racism, then all ideologies and the different views on this term should be taken into account. To give the definition of the term racism, Carlos looks at its characteristics and what different people think are the features of racism. He looks at aspects like the formula of racism and whether the terms prejudice plus power would amount to racism. Carlos further analyzes the issue of black racism and whether indeed black people can be racists too. In his opinion, even black people can be racists if they perceive white people to be superior to them. He seeks to show that racism is more than an individual’s beliefs and attitudes. This is especially so when the aspect of power comes in. The work of Carlos will be important to my study as it gives a deep insight into what really racism is and its features. It will help in dispensing any confusion when it comes to the analysis of the word racism. Pearson, Adam R., John F. Dovidio, and Samuel L. Gaertner. “The Nature of Contemporary Prejudice: Insights from Aversive Racism.” Social and Personality Psychology Compass 3.3 (2009): 314-338. Print. – Pearson, Adam and Samuel discuss racism and how it comes about. They bring out a new form of racism: aversive racism that they discuss in depth. They discuss what aversive racism is, how it comes about, how to identify it as well as the consequences it has on those to whom it is directed. The authors state that there has been a decline in the open manifestation of racism, but there are still disparities between the white people and the black people in America. To an observer, the menace is buried, but if a careful analysis is done, the situation is no different from what there was in the past. According to the authors, aversive racism is the one widely practiced, and because it is not easy to tell, it can go on for long periods. The consequences of this form of racism are dire. According to the authors, being a subtle form of racism, it is seen as cool but the results are the same as those experienced if another person openly showed racial prejudice. To a researcher, this article is important as it brings out the aspect of aversive racism. In my research, I shall use it to explore the solutions that will bring under control the issue of racism if not put an end to this menace. Feagin, Joe R.. Systematic racism: a theory of oppression. New york: Routledge, 2006. Print. – The focus of this author is on the systematic form of racism. Feagin uses this theory to show that the society is highly racialist that has affected the way the society develops. This form of racism affects persons in the institutions due to the policies and practices that an organization adapts. Because it happens in institutions, dealing with it is not easy. The focus of the author in this book is on the oppression of the black people by the white people. The author goes back to the times of the slave trade and then develops his work to the times of legal segregation. The author then looks at the situation today: that of African- Americans. Feagin states that the issue of systematic racism was created intentionally by the white people to oppress and push away the black community. This book is important in my research study when it comes to analyzing the different types of racism with a focus on the systematic racism. This form of racism in evident in institutions that make it even harder to deal with, a fact that Feagin agrees with. Silva, Eduardo. “Racism without racists’ color-blind racism and the racial inequality in contemporary America” Western Journal of Black Studies. 37.1 (2013): 218-234. Print. The author looks at the justifications that are used when people are accused of being racist. The author discusses color-blind racism that he calls the new form of racism. The author states that this form of racism is used as a cover up for those involved to get away with the accusation that they are racists. He also looks at the situation in America after the election of Barrack Obama. It is the view of the author that despite the election of a black America to the highest office in the land, the situation is not different. Most people expect that the trend would have changed, but it is just not done openly. This article starts off with the notion that America is free off racism. It analyses the arguments, phrases and stories given by Americans to justify their actions as well as deny that there is any form of racism. He explores the issues of race and ethnicity in greater depth to give a clear analysis of these two aspects. In my opinion, the issue of racism has not come to an end. It is just the tactics of playing the game that has changed, a fact that is also manifested in this article. For a study on racism, this article is important because it gives the reader and researcher an in-depth analysis of the issue of racism in its entirety. The researcher gets a deeper understanding of the conflicts, misunderstandings as well as the bigger picture when it comes to color-blind racism in America. Nadel, Mark. "Retargeting Affirmative Action: A Program To Serve Those Most Harmed By Past Racism And Avoid Intractable Problems Triggered By Per Se Racial Preferences." St. Johns Law Review 80.1 (2006): 323-388. Business Source Complete. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. The authors in this article state that affirmative action is necessary for the empowerment of black students. However, it is the concern of Mark Nadel that when used to admit black students that are less qualified to top law schools affects the performance of those students. He says that the students should be admitted to schools where they were more likely to do well other than admitting them to top law schools where they end up performing poorly. The author chooses to classify this situation under class-based category other than race- based category. The problem with this kind of analysis is that instead of wiping out racism, it encourages it to bud among the youth. If this view is taken, it will mean that the minority students are not as intelligent as the white students. I do not contest that affirmative action is necessary for the empowerment of the minority groups, but my problem is when the program seeks to empower them in the middle schools. This action can be categorized under the benevolent racism. This is like seeing the minority groups as undeserving of admittance to the top schools. The minority students will seem inferior if this cause is taken up. Read More