The Faces of Racism - Term Paper Example

? The Faces of Racism TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary: Introduction: Definition: The Turning Point of the 1920's Different Issues of Race in the 1930's How the Face of Racism changed in the 1940's The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's The Changes of Racism from 1960 to 1969 Everyday Racism from the 70's Racism in the 1990s: New Book Which Side are you on? After 2002 The New Face of Racism in 2010 Conclusion Executive Summary Eight generations of racism are used to prove the danger of letting everyday racism develop into group racism. One specific example is taken to show minority groups having been perceived as an inferior race to the white race. One time in history, when the Portuguese discovered the sophisticated African tribes, they were impressed as well as threatened by their complex societies. These same tribe were later transferred to America as slaves. From the civil war to the 1920's there was very little racial uprising. Lynchings were a common practice but the Blacks kept to themselves. In Tulsa Oklahoma, in 1921, the Black responded to a white mob, this was the first riot to be noted in a newspaper. When oil was discovered both whites and blacks became prosperous. As there was much migration from other cities, crime and poverty were rampant. The "poor white" felt that the colored people did not have the right to be wealthy as they were inferior. Individual harassment or everyday racism started well before a young colored man was wrongly accused of having touched a white girl in an elevator, the impetuous for a group of white men to join together with a common idea. Each generation uses the same principal of the use of everyday racism transferred into group racism. Introduction Each decennia has had it's own personal face of racism. It has changed depending on the social, political, historical arena. What is important to note, there is always a weaker group and a dominant group which is determined by prejudice, financial differences or inequalities. The 1920's has been chosen as a starting point of this document as it is a turning point in the political arena of the 20th century in racial discrimination. The first significant riot occurred in the 1920's for the first time since the Civil War. This is a historical analysis of the many different faces of racism in the United States since the 1920's. One example will be taken from each generation to be analyzed and a conclusion will be drawn as to how it has been carried into the next generation. A final conclusion will be made showing by comparing examples of racism in over 100 years, one can conclude that it is as much a phenomena of society as it is a human behavior to want to differentiate from the other and make yourself feel superior. Racism is as individualistic as is group orientated. Definition The initial definition of the word racism implied that each individual group showing a differentiation from the general population was divided into a separate group. The group could be based on geography, ethnic, origin, religion or any other specific criteria. The sociological definition of the word racism is the hatred of one person or group by another or the profound belief that the group you represent has an ethnic superiority over another group.(Ekhart 2007) Any factor can provoke another person or group into racism. The significance of racism in the United States has changed the political arena and helped change the Constitution.(Rubel) The turning points of the 1920's The 1920's newspapers reported that the Tulsa Race Riot was set off by a mob of 100% Americans on a wild rampage. Nothing was reported in the newspaper at the time as to the reasoning or what actually happened. It was only recently that the president of the National Association of Colored Peoples, Walter F White published The Eruption of Tulsa analysis giving the reasons for one of the first riots since the Civil War. The population of Tulsa changed from a sleepy western town to a vibrant rich oil town over night. From 18 000 people ,the population grew to 90 000. As a thriving town, there were both blacks and whites who became millionaires and financially wealthy and owned property and factories. Animosity spread as there was a difference between the Blacks who succeeded and those whites who didn't. In 1921, the Blacks were referred to as colored men. The poor whites, who often came from other states, felt that the Blacks were of an inferior race and had no right to be wealthier than the superior race. There were three reasons provoking the riot.(White) A white employee employed by a colored employer set fire to his printing plant. The negros were being accused of being radicals. They had no right to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." The constitution was considered only for the whites. The 3rd reason was the criminal element in the city. There was no respect for the law This was the environment in which Tulsa found itself before the last spark. A young colored boy had stepped on the foot of a white girl in an elevator on May 3Oth. It was published in the Tulsa Tribune that he assaulted her. That night at the jail house, a riot was started in an attempt of avoiding a lynching of the young colored man. By morning time, Little Africa was attacked by 10 000 white men and 8 airplanes. There are some who say the airplanes were used to bomb the colored section of town. White people told horror stories of "men in uniform carried cans of oil into Little Africa, and after looting the homes, set fire to them"(White) The horror stories continue. It is important to note that these are not the stories that came out in the 20's The blacks fought back as established citizen of the city of Tulsa. They were not a suppressed population and they were respected by many. "Dick Rowland was only an ordinary bootblack with no standing in the community. But when his life was threatened by a mob of whites, every one of the 15,000 Negroes of Tulsa, rich and poor, educated and illiterate, was willing to die to protect Dick Rowland. (Tulsa Riot) © 2001 The Nation Company Tulsa Riot is the starting point in study racial violence. There are five important issues that come out of this first riot. Lynchings: Mobs often used this form of behavior to keep blacks in "their place". The Tulsa Riot began in an effort by the city's black community to prevent a lynching. They finally ended in 1942 in the South. The majority of lynchings were black. (Race Riots) Race riots: continued in the North. Whites stormed into black neighborhoods and burned and looted and killed whomever they found. African Americans sought work in the North and settled in black neighborhoods after World War I. There was a shortage of labor shortage and the jobs paid more but housing was limited. The competition for jobs, territory and housing with the immigrants and whites caused turmoil. One riot in East St. Louis, Illinois. Tulsa was a result of pure racism or what we call hate crime. In St Louis, it was a combination of labor troubles with the hiring of blacks. The employers hired non union members because they couldn't strike. Non-union members were only black. Racial tension spread rumors that blacks were arming themselves. Rumors swept white neighborhoods that blacks were arming themselves. A race riot started and 100-200 African Americans were killed. Another riot occurred in Chicago based on the same elements of racial tension between white working class immigrants and blacks competing for jobs and housing. This time the riot was provoked because a young black boy swam across an imaginary boundary in Lake Michigan. He couldn't swim ashore and he drowned. Blacks were ignored by the police when they charged the whites with murder. Violence quickly escalated. The gang violence is known in the 2011 as hate gang crime. In this instance, the rioters were white sailors and soldiers. Rumors swept the bars serving the military that a black man had raped a navy man's wife and had then been released by the police. There continued to be numerous lynchings after rumors sparking riots all over the country. The Second Ku Klux Klan: rapid growth. There is no evidence the Klan played any role in the Tulsa Riot, but thousands of Tulsans joined the KKK in the two years following. (White) Rise in Anti-Semitism: In 1915, Henry Ford hired African Americans paying them the same wages as whites. In 1921, already an anti-Semite, he published his book, The International Jew, provoking much of the anticipated KKK outcry against the Jews. He dissipated free copies of his book to all his dealerships worldwide. Ford dealerships across the country and internationally distributed free copies of the work. Like Tulsa, Ford helped Detroit in becoming a center of KKK activity in the 1920s.(Race Riots) Eugenics: unfortunately is first mentioned in the 1920's professing racial purity and rationalizing the campaigns of the KKK and Henry Ford's anti-Semitism. There was even the Lifebuoy soap ad campaign to clean bodies that had been in contact with none racially pure bodies. (RaceRiots) Harlem Renaissance: As a contrast to all the racial violence, President Roosevelt had enacted legislation to establish a black culture. Musicians, artists, writers were allowed access to workshops all over Harlem.(White) The majority of this information was taken from the article of the link "account in the site Race riots, lynchings and other forms of racism in the 1920's. Different Issues of Racism in the 1930's Racism was rampant in the Southern states. Black Americans who had migrated to the North following WWI and the Depression suffered from racism and tension. The article and cover of the New Yorker taken from the 1930's illustrates the apprehension "the rich whites" of New York city felt having so many black in what they thought was their city. (Issue of Race) Northern White people became more aware of the black struggle with Roosevelt's various New Deal programs. Harlem was full of artistic potential of musicians, teachers, actors, and writers. For the first time, black history was put to paper chronicling the lives of former slaves and 400 years of history . Inequality in the 30's persisted. Segregation was common place. In New York, the first teachers University was started. The WPA (Works Project Administration) jobs in the South required that eligible employees be paid at the "prevailing wage" and not be refused because of race. African-Americans were often hired for a WPA job because they were paid less than the prevailing wage the South. Such discrimination often extended to Hispanic-Americans . The program was well accepted by the government and by the black community. The 30's were the years where the Black communities became visible to the American population. The Roosevelt administration motivated the southern Black community to vote democratic. The schism between the Northern and Southern Democrats manifested in an ultimatum proving that racism was still part of the American infrastructure. Roosevelt had passed an anti-lynching bill and 10 months later it was withdrawn(The NewYorker) How the Face of Racism changed in the 1940's In the 1940's, "equal protection of the laws for all persons" required equal amenities but separate facilities. Racial segregation and discrimination was common and accepted practice. During WWII, the US Army had segregated units for African Americans and Japanese Americans.(Densho) Those states that had segregation laws required non whites to go to separate schools, jobs and live in segregated parts of the cities The American culture was ingrained with racism and discrimination was accepted. The media helped in perpetuating the government's role in racial discrimination and superiority of the white American.(Densho) The Japanese, Italians and German nationals were considered less than human. The Japanese were incarcerated after Pearl Harbor on the west coast in 1942. The Civil Rights Movement of the 1950's The 1950s, racism in newspapers (Liggett December 2007) Techniques used in Journalism in the 50's would cause racial repercussions today. The main headline " the day following Trooper Brown’s murder, “Lee Patrolman Killed By Unknown Thug” illustrates the racial undertones, but the subheadline, “Dark-skinned driver slays two troopers; search continues” is the attention grabber. I’m amazed there are no words like “suspect” or “allegedly”."(Liggett) The quotes from this articles go on to say that the man who did the crime was dark skinned. It was eventually proven that the murderer was white and he was sentence to life in prison. (Liggett)This was common practice in this decennia to make the assumption that the guilty person was a dark-skin person and to put in to writing. It was common practice to assume and put in writing that crimes were done by dark skinned men. Those who like reading old newspapers can see it repeated constantly. The rise of the civil Rights Movements in the 1950's (site) There were three elements that changes the face of racism in the 50's. 1954 Brown vs Topeka: the Supreme Court ruled that Segregation was illegal. Brown wanted her daughter to go to a white school and when she wasn't allowed, he took the school district to trial. (Rubel 105) The 14th Amendment was amended to include the right to the same education in the facilities for all. (14th Amendment) A Southern Defense of Segregated Education, 1956 (Sass) This is one article in defense of segregated education, 1956. It's a compelling premise based on mixed schools leads to mixed marriages which history has shown to be a mistake. The South will do everything in its power to fight it.(Sass) The Changes of Racism from 1960 to 1969(site) The 60's represent a change in attitudes of the blacks and the whites. A mutual animosity manifested after several events happened. Before the 60's, most racism was based on whites' hatred towards blacks. In the 60's, a combination of government laws and national events changes the outlook. The Freedom Riders were black and white people who rode busses across the south to make sure anti segregation laws were being enforced. As they rode across the south, they were met by angry mobs and police brutality, who would beat them severely, sometimes to death. In 1963, Medgar Evers, the field secretary for the NAACP, was assassinated in his driveway. These events caused black rioting across the nation. Police brutality was often used. In 1965, Voting Rights Act was passed, eliminating the poll tax (24th Amend) giving people more rights. Malcom X was murdered. He was appreciated by both blacks and whites as he spoke out against racial inequality for everyone. In 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated He preached about 'non-violent protest'. These two men have changed the way black Americans perceive themselves in the US and the way whites perceive blacks. Racism is ever present though it is not as visible. Everyday Racism after the 70's This concept of accepted racism had been translated in the 80's as "everyday racism". It is not about the one who is but about the one who does. It has become a common societal behavior that can be analyzed from a social psychology point of view. Society has become so used to accepted behaviors that they are barely perceivable. A small example is a black woman who needs to use the bathroom in the business section of the airplane, the other bathrooms are occupied. She sees that a man is allowed in. When she goes up, the stewardess says she can't. Is it because of the preconception that she is a woman and those who fly business class are predominately men or is it because she is black. The man is perceived as being socially acceptable to be in the business class whereas it is not known even if his social status is acceptable. The fact remaining, five different behaviors are instigated in social psychology of which four are everyday racism. In the 50's this was coined as 'color blind racism'. Though progress has been made at the government level, and there have been successes following the civil rights movement, "color-blind racism" has become part of our infrastructure. Everyday racism can be based on generalizations. Chinese students do well in math. A white teacher surprised that a Black student does well in writing. It is ingrained in institutional practice. Friends of friends are given jobs so that the workplace remains Caucasian. It is seen in schools and the work place when lunch tables in a canteen or cafeteria are informally racially segregated and the white manager “naturally” joins the table with the white workers where only they will benefit from casually shared, relevant information and networking.(Everyday..) Everyday racism is more coded as it affects all individuals who do not fit into the "group". At work,the lack of respect, the sarcastic comments, the blocked opportunities all represent the "glass ceiling" where fitting into the "group" is a determinant factor in getting that position or moving up into the organization. (everyday..) Everyday racism is like playdo. It adapts to the culture, norms, and values of a society. It is like electricity as it runs through the prevalent structures of power in society. The more importance it is given by making prejudice and derogatory comments by government officials, the greater the damage resulting from common sense normal everyday duties, the safety and civil rights of ethnic minorities and refugees are at stake. It is difficult to accuse someone of everyday racism as you become the victim. Subtle behavior, ethnic jokes, rudeness, and power struggles can be interpreted as racism or as a manager worker relation. Racism in the 1990s: New Book (Jones) Our society is still put on the psychological and social mechanisms which fuel prejudice. Racism remains a fact of life in the United States because "people find psychological solace in elevating themselves at the expense of others," In Jones newly released book, Prejudice and Racism, he says racism will always exist, it only changes form. The Washington Post is filled on a daily basis with stories about prejudice and racism. Evidence shows that it is getting worse. Human nature is to treat people, who look as we do, as we want to be treated and those who are different, treat them with a level of contempt. When one judges the differences of someone else or another group without pretext, his thoughts become a "Prejudice", a problem of differences. After extensive research of the psychological mechanisms of prejudice, Dr Jones developed several strategies for reducing prejudice: working with the instigator of the prejudice to educate him towards bringing the differences closer together; and working with the targets of the prejudice in trying to understand what they are doing to antagonize such behavior and see if any remedy can be found. The barriers to reducing racism include the social structure based on individualism and the avoidance of teamwork. "Creating conditions in which individuals cannot reach desirable goals as easily on their own as they can in joint cooperation with others may reduce prejudice," "Similarly, attainment of super ordinate goals requires that groups work together rather than compete." (Jones) After 2002, Which side are you on? Racial profiling since 2001 has caused a rise in racism. "Arab-Americans are three times more likely to have experienced racial profiling than whites, but racial profiling against all nonwhites has been on the rise." (Smith 2004) Amnesty International made an interesting comment " racial profiling meant blacks driving (before 9/11), now the following activities have been added: driving, flying, walking, worshipping, shopping or staying at home as well as the following characteristics: Brown, Red, Yellow, Muslim or of Middle-Eastern" The writer has shortened the quote in a sarcastic manner to illustrate the effectiveness of racial profiling. Racial profiling has contributed to the rise in hate crimes and other forms of harassment. It has once again become part of mainstream politics and the media to make racist assumptions and comments. The New Face of Racism in 2010 A fabulous study was done proving that racism is more prevalent today as ever. (Kayla) There are more diverse races and nationalities who live in the United States than in the 1920's. This study shows that everyday racism exist and is just as important. The direct study has been copied verbatim directly for the importance of each scenario:(Kayla) Situation: 10 adults placed in a room to watch short video clips followed by a group discussion Culture: different races and nationalities, were placed in a room and asked to watch a series of short films. Scenario 1: A white woman with 3 kids walking down the street- “I think that there is a father that has a bank account for them” “I would think that she probably works or is a stay at home mom” “I would say that she has money, she probably isn’t on welfare” Scenario 2: A black woman with 3 kids walking down the street- “I automatically think hood-rat, welfare, the kids probably have different dads” “I would assume that the kids are dirty, probably not very well taken care of” “I would think that she probably doesn't have a job and that there is no father in the kid’s lives” Scenario 3 (no audio, just visual): A Latina woman and a white woman in the work place engaged in a conversation about a report being held by the Latina woman. They were asked who they thought was the boss. All of the white people and 1 Arabic man assumed that the white woman was the boss. Again, there was no audio. Scenario 4: A man wearing a turban and carrying a large cardboard box walking down the street and constantly looks around- “Terrorist” “I would cross the street” ”I worked at the airport for years and I would automatically assume that he was suspicious” “I would call the police”. There were a total of 2 Arabic peoples present in the room, one male and one female Muslim who just so happened to be garbed up. The male was born in Arabia, speaks Arabic, and has a Muslim last name and family. He is completely racist towards his people after 9/11. He was one of the ones who assumed that the man was a terrorist. He went on to say that he never goes out in public with his mother if she is garbed up, he doesn’t show people his ID in fear that they will learn of his nationality, and when people ask him his nationality he tells them that he is Puerto Rican or Italian. The female was completely horrified and hurt to hear him say these things, because even after 9/11 she remains true to her religion and faith. She shared her anger with the  group telling them that she has been spit on, made fun of, and that a man pulled her veil off in public. "Everyday racism is not a singular act in itself, but the accumulation of small inequities. Expressions of racism in one particular situation are related to all other racist practices and can be reduced to three strands of everyday racism, which interlock as a triangle of mutually dependent processes: (1) The marginalization of those identified as racially or ethnically different; (2) the problematization of other cultures and identities; and (3) symbolic or physical repression of (potential) resistance through humiliation or violence. The accumulation and the desire to associate with like minded people turns everyday racism into group racism or gang violence or hate crime". It is to show from the first potential lynching in Oklahoma, the blacks had individually reached a saturation point and grouped together to react. The white mob had been left alone too long in the criminal mind set to go from the taunting stage to the acting out stage. We have two paths to choose: to move forward or to stay in one place. We are motivated to move forward in what we do (US Constitution) as we all have life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The 14th Amendment adds "equality". We are staying in one place through our ignorance, fear, self-interest and mistrust. No progress can be made because of our lack of tolerance and the desire of progress in society. Our diversity comes from different origins, experiences, and goals. Our best possible selves, as a nation and a people, will be determined by the path we choose." (Jones) In conclusion, this study shows racism is a fact of life, a part of human nature which is integrated into our social structure. It is easier to criticize than to work through the issues of perceived prejudices among different group structures. To be alone (individualistic) is easier than to be part of a group. Everyday racism starts with individuals who then become so antagonized they join groups commonly known as gangs or hostile groups out to get revenge. Jones proposed in his study that accomplishments be set so that individuals had to work in groups rather than create an environment where everyday racism could even exist. Everyday racism existed as far back as time. In the 1920's, individuals suffered from segregation, humiliation and inferior care. The dominant group subdominant group exist because of the need to feel superior. In each of the generations, the Blacks did not question White dominance until Martin Luther King went on his walks at the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Since 9/11, the Muslims are the brunt of racial harassment. The last study shows that everyday racism and group racism co-exist. The accumulation of everyday racism as the subdominant; and the desire to associate with people of the same mind set turns everyday racism into group racism or gang violence or hate crime or racism in general. The danger of letting everyday racism developing into group racism has been stated. References Densho, How were racial minorities in general treated during this period of U.S. history? http://www.densho.org/causes/default.asp?path=1racism/ 1racisminthe1940s.asp March 25 2011 Eckert, Susan. (2007) Definition of Racism, Other Terms What is Racism, Prejudice, Discrimination, Bias, and Xenophobia? Web Dec 7 2007 http://www.suite101.com/content/definition-of-racism- other-terms-a37331#ixzz1I9n8dcZ7 March 25 2011 Every Day Racism after the 1970's Web http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/6205/Ever yday-Racism.html#ixzz1IUELtlKy March 24 2011 Issue of Race in the 30's, The New Yorker March 18 1938 Web http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug02/newyorker/race.html March 2011 Jones, J (1997) Racism in the 1990's: a new book, Web May 22 1997 http://www.newswise.com/articles/racism-in- the-1990s-new-book March 27 2011 Jones, J (1997) Prejudice and Racism New York: McGraw Hill Web March 27 2011 Kayla, P. (2010) The New Face of Racism in 2010 Web August 13 2010 http://socyberty.com/issues/the-new-face-of- racism-in-2010/#ixzz1IVwAfe1w March 18 2011 Liggett, B. (2007) The 1950's, racism in newspapers. Web December 3 2007 http://billyliggett.wordpress.com/2007/12/03/the- 1950s-racism-in-newspapers/ March 31 2011 Race Riots, lynchings, and other forms of racism in the 1920's Web http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/raceriots/default.html March 23 2011 Rubel, D. Segregation Never, Integration Now Ref: The United States in the 20th Century, p 105. Web http://www.npatterson.net/adam/1754.html March 28 2011 Sass, H. (1956) A Southern Defense of Segregated Education Atlantic Monthly, edit. Nov. 1956 Web http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/scho.htm March 29 2011 The changes in Racism from 1960 to 1969 (2006) Web September 17 2006 http://www.cyberlearning- world.com/nhhs/project/racism6.htm March 27 2011 The Rise of the Civil Right Movement in the 1950's Web http://www.colorado.edu/AmStudies/lewis/2010/civil.htm March 26 2011 What is Racism Web http://www.adl.org/hate- patrol/racism.asp March 24 2011 White, W.F., (2007) The Eruption of Tulsa, Race riots, lynchings and other forms of racism in the 1920's Web http://www1.assumption.edu/ahc/raceriots/default.html March 27 2011 Smith, S., (2004)Stoking racism after 9/11 Web September 24, 2004 http://socialistworker.org/2004- 2/513/513_04_Scapegoating.shtml March 24 2011 Read More