Attitudes of White Americans toward Africans and African Americans - Essay Example

?Running head: ATTITUDES OF WHITE AMERICANS TOWARD AFRICANS AND AFRICAN – AMERICANS Attitudes of white Americans toward Africans and African – Americans Insert Name Insert Grade Course Insert Tutor’s Name 25 March 2011 Attitudes of white Americans toward Africans and African – Americans Introduction Since time in memorial, the place of African American in the American community has been controversial. Although much progress has been noted over the past half century, there is still a long way to go. The blacks in one way or the other continue to be relatively disadvantage as compared to their whites counter parts as the racial gap has not diminished. The government’s role is crucial, as its policies have addressed racial issues over the past decades especially in 1960s. Majority of the American citizens overwhelmingly agree on formal racial equality. However, there is a sharp division between the whites and the blacks on racial policies as the whites themselves are divided on these issues (Sears 2). In 1965, there were high hopes of equal rights that would end the existing racial inequalities. It was from this year that more and more improvement has been noted. Although the racial gap has been reduced over the decades that followed, the blacks in the American community are considered substantially disadvantaged while considering the various social and standard indicators. While considering the socioeconomic indicators, the unemployment rate of blacks in America is higher than that of whites. The difference in terms of unemployment has not changed much since the mid 1970s. In good times and bad times, the unemployment rate in blacks is twice that of the whites (Sears 3). According to Sobel, the symbolism that white represented pure and holy while black represented evil may have played a significant part in establishing whites’ perception of the blacks (Sobel 115). Education sector In the educational sector, the level of education among the blacks has tremendously improved as more and more African Americans are attaining education even to the higher learning institutions in America. According to the statistics attained in 1940, 49 percent of African Americans had not more than five years of school education. This contrary to the figures attained in 1990 that indicated that over 90 percent of blacks were school graduates a percentage that was relatively similar to that of the whites. College enrollment of blacks increased drastically in 1970s as the gap created by race was relatively eliminated by 1980. Hover in recent times it has been noted that the racial gap has widened in college enrollment as the African Americans rate of graduation in the colleges is diminishing (Sears 3 & 4). According to Sidlow & Henschen, the education gap that exists between the African Americans and the whites continues to persist despite the numerous efforts incorporated by both the educators and the government. There was even the introduction of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was to be used to reduce the existing educational gap. In the recent studies conducted, the perception was that, on the average basis, an African American high school student has the ability to do math and read at the same average level as the whites in junior high school. However, the gap in black adults in comparison to white adults has been narrowed down especially in terms of attaining college degrees despite the widening gap in regards to college degrees. The schools in the poorer neighborhoods tend to have few educational resources thus reflecting on the low levels of achievements in the educational sector. Educational experts suggest that the whole situation revolves around money. Majority of the parents in black community are daily pushing for more integration as well as additional funds for their children schooling. This has even lead to lawsuits initiated against the state governments as parents demand for more resources to be allocated for poorer districts. The parents are indicated to advocate for more resources as they are tired of chasing and following the whites. The president of NAAP’s Legal defense Ted Shaw, tend to agreed with this perception as he suggest that the attitude may have arisen from the long years of cynicism and weariness in the fight to obtain integrated schools of all races. In any case, it is unison agreement across the political divide that educational disparity between the blacks and the whites remain to be the biggest problem facing the educational sector in America (Sidlow & Henschen 106). Political and social scenario In the political scene, to get a black leader elected in a white majority constituency has been regarded to as exception. This however does not deter the rising numbers of black leaders in the political scene. The democratic right of the blacks dates back in 1965 when the voting rights act was passed. A prominent black candidate in the political scenario tends to split the voters along racial boundaries. These candidates tend to receive the biggest percentage of the black votes, while the white votes are casted dividedly in terms of racial attitudes, ideology, and party affiliation. This hence explains why there is 11 percent voting age of African American and less than 2 percent of black leaders (Sears 4). Resentment measures have arisen among the whites from the black progression especially in regards to policies that targeted racial policies. A white and black pattern had emerged over the years that held different opinion on the economic and social barriers within the system. The whites blamed deficits that arose from individuals, as the blacks blamed the barriers within the social system. Among the whites, there is a conservative perception that indicates that the blacks do not generally share the American values within the main stream. These American values include self-reliance and hard work as individualism is said to be the major factor that contribute to modern racism. Race- target policies have also received opposition from stereotypes of cultural pathology, which indicates that the blacks lack mainstream values and at the same time they possess ghetto-preferences as well as self-defeating attitudes. The perception held by majority of the Americans perceives stereotypically that individual deficits are not the core of the restrictions bared by African Americans but rather the restrictions are brought about by the inferior culture they possess. The inferior culture in question is characterized by incorporation of violence, welfare preference, and lifestyle of poverty that is self-perpetuated. Leaders that are conservative have spread the notion that the African Americans not only undergo self-segregation but also they do not take full pleasure of the opportunities of relocating to better neighborhood (Smith et al 108). In addition to this the perception is that African Americans are involved in violence instead of adhering to the rule of law, irresponsible to family issues, involved in drug usage and sexual indulgence. All in all these are some of the perceptions that are held by the conservative leaders who believe that they lead to disintegration of nuclear families as well as ignorance on the ever-expanding opportunities. It is this kind of cultural pathology stereotypes that have combined with the resentment of progress within the African American to divert attention from barriers within the system (Smith et al 108). Income status and poverty Inequality and discrimination was not exempted even in the workplace. The blacks’ position in the workplace was at the unskilled level. In addition to this the African Americans were denied access to unions. The whites had a perception that if the African American were employed as skilled laborers, they could lose their status in the society. This led to the stereotype that indicated that African Americans were not entitled to skilled work (Lawson 7). The black men are twice unlikely to attain managerial posts as compared to their white male counterparts. This is even worse when considering black women who are three times unlikely to attain managerial positions as compared to the white men. In terms of income, a study that was conducted in 2001 indicated that the average financial income in African American homes was 12 percent of the average income of all whites’ homes. In 2003, a study was conducted by Pager, a Northwestern University sociologist that was based on the likelihood of an applicant being called for an interview despite of his or her criminal record. The study revealed that only 14 percent of the African American without criminal record could be called back as compared to 17 percent of whites that processed a criminal record. These facts only approve the negative misconception the whites have in regards to the blacks in the work areas and indicate the numerous challenges the African Americans have to encounter on their way to success. Disparities in wages between the whites and the blacks in workplace have dwindled down in the past decades. In conclusion, the poor indicator of economic status attributed to African American trace its roots from the racial gap that existed. A lot of the economic disadvantage experienced by African Americans has resulted from high rates of unemployment. Racial disparities have also been identified in work areas (Johnson 15 & 16). The ban imposed in the work place that separated black workers had peripheral effects. This was facilitated by the passage of laws brought about by Jim Crow that sought to distinguish as well as segregate whites from blacks both physically and economically. These were some of the social gaps of race that helped to establish the self-identity of a worker and others perceptions towards him or her. In the workplace the perception was that the dirty, dangerous and difficult work belonged to African American as it was both undesirable and humiliating. The African American were perceived as working machines by the whites and it is the exclusion of the humiliating and undesirable jobs that helped to establish the high social status of whites (Eskew and Fink 20). The white’s inferiority perception of the blacks is stated to have originated from social activities like gambling, smoking, dancing and even drinking at the dance halls that were identified with the blacks. This perception was in a world where respect as well as success was measured through the status of a family as well as the community’s responsibility and self-sufficiency. Early in the twentieth century African Americans underwent crucial changes all in the hope of changing the existing perception of the whites towards them (Chirhart 50). Despite the fact that majority of the African American in the recent times do not face open segregation in comparison to the past decades, they continue to fight tooth and nail for educational as well as income parity with the whites who are majority of the population. According to the recent data attained from the census conducted, incomes in the African American homes are two thirds lower than that in the whites’ homes. Poverty levels on the other hand are three times higher for the African Americans as compared to the whites (Sidlow & Henschen 106). Conclusion Although the position of the position of African American has not gained its rightful place in the society, no one can deny the crucial developments that have taken place to change this situation. Since the times of slavery numerous attempts, some of which have succeeded have been undertaken with the sole reason of changing the perception held by the whites in America towards the African Americans. Acts have been legislated as sensitizations have been carried out throughout the nation to change the perceptions held on the African Americans. However, disparities have cropped up in the various sectors of the society, which include the educational sector, political sector and the job sector. Majority of the Americans overwhelmingly endorse racial equality, although disagreements between whites and blacks remain in racial policies as the whites are said to be more divided on this issue. All in all the perception the low perception held by the whites in regards to African American has significantly changed. Works Cited Chirhart Short Ann. Torches of light: Georgia teachers & the coming of the modern South. GA, University of Georgia Press. 2005. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=njTl0Sk8pfAC&pg=PA50&dq=the+modern+whites+perception+of+blacks&hl=en&ei=ReCMTebJAdDirAfIprTQDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CF4Q6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=the%20modern%20whites%20perception%20of%20blacks&f=false Eskew T. Glenn and Fink M. Gary. Labor in the modern South. GA, University of Georgia Press. 2001. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=j45pZn2wbDsC&pg=PA21&dq=the+modern+whites+perception+of+blacks&hl=en&ei=ReCMTebJAdDirAfIprTQDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBA#v=onepage&q&f=false Johnson T. Michelle. Black Out: The Black Person's Guide to Redefining a Career Path Outside of Corporate America. AZ, Amber group. 2006. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=yywlXHHG-kIC&pg=PA15&dq=whites+perception+of+blacks+in+america&hl=en&ei=eMaMTYPcEI-HrAfB8o3bDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCsQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false Lawson M. Russell and Lawson A. Benjamin. Poverty in America: an encyclopedia. CT, Greenwood Press. 2008. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=_TtOuhlKov8C&pg=PA5&dq=The+whites+and+the+blacks+in+america&hl=en&ei=XMKMTczlFd6N4gblvNWfCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=The%20whites%20and%20the%20blacks%20in%20america&f=false Sears O. David, et al. Racialized politics: the debate about racism in America. London, University of Chicago Press. 2000. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=zoHbVRqlRiIC&printsec=frontcover&dq=racism+in+america&hl=en&ei=98CMTbWzKdPu4gbxjZCoCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false Sidlow Edward and Henschen Beth. America at Odds. CA, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. 2009. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=EP8nsdd0IRgC&pg=PA106&dq=comparison+between+whites+and+blacks+in+america&hl=en&ei=szyNTbefHc6_4gaIgOHXCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CGEQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q&f=false Smith A. William, et al. The racial crisis in American higher education: continuing challenges for the Twenty-first Century. NY, State University of New York Press. 2002. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=34pzPgFq7-sC&pg=PA106&dq=modern+racism+between+whites+and+blacks&hl=en&ei=zzqNTejCO92V4gaFjInJCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&ved=0CFkQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=modern%20racism%20between%20whites%20and%20blacks&f=false Sobel, Mechal. Trabelin' on: the slave journey to an Afro-Baptist faith. NJ, Princeton University Press. 1988. 25 March 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=M_nPDsNDSTQC&pg=PA115&dq=whites+perception+of+blacks&hl=en&ei=Y8WMTbv5M4fRrQfSua3ZDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=whites%20perception%20of%20blacks&f=false Read More