Racism In America

Within the United States there's this myth floating around that Americans are living a in a post-racial society, that we as a nation have transcended race and racism. And that is simply untrue. We are a country built on racist principles, and keep in mind it has only been about 50 years since the civil rights movement. A racist society cannot be dismantled within 50 years. Racism is still at work within America though it may not appear so to a white person who doesn't have to experience it. But to be able to recognize what racism looks like one must know the definition and the forms it takes, such as racial prejudice, discrimination, and micro aggressions, and recognize that racism creates a system of advantage and disadvantage.
We live in …show more content…
Prejudice refers to preconceived judgements based on limited information, and we are all socialized by society to be prejudice. Discrimination is acting on those prejudice thoughts and contributing to the oppression of a social group. Racial prejudice and acts of discrimination contribute to racism because it benefits white people when people of color experience the negative effects of these actions. (Sue 7). Racism is based on a system of power and for that reason, "People of color are not racist because they do not systematically benefit from racism." (Tatum 90). A person of color can be prejudice and discriminatory towards other races, but that's not racism because those actions do not give the person of color power over the white dominant group. For this same reason, white people cannot be victims of racism, "Despite the current rhetoric about "reverse racism," every social indicator, from salary to life expectancy, reveals the advantages of being White." (Tatum 88). White people are in power and receive many advantages in life because of it, whether they realize it or not, and the few hurtful actions of people of color does not negate the inherent power that comes with being white. Another form that racism takes is in micro aggressions which are, "-the everyday slights, insults, indignities, and invalidations delivered toward people of color because of …show more content…
This is because, "Racial prejudice combined with social power- access to social, cultural, and economic resources and decision-making- leads to the institutionalization of racist policies and practices." (Tatum 87). White people control everything, from the school systems, to the prisons, even which laws and policies are put into place nationwide because for centuries white people have been given access to and restricted the access of social, cultural, and economic resources. It's nearly impossible to rise up against a system with centuries of racist power behind it, yet it affects people of color's daily lives in such integral and intricate ways that for me, as a white person, it's impossible to understand just how deep racism reaches. As an example, I'm white and for that reason I will never have to question if whether or not I didn't get a specific job was because of the color of my skin. I receive this advantage and countless others because I am a part of the dominant group, and people of color are greatly disadvantaged because they are

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