Assessment 11: How Do You Think Differently About Existence

Assailment 11 How Do You Think Differently About The Existence Of Ra

How do you think differently about the existence of racism in America? How is racism commonly defined? Identify and explain how the benefits of being white are directly related to the costs of being non-white. How does racism continue to affect African American lives? Why are race neutral policies not necessarily race neutral?

Paper For Above instruction

Racism remains a pervasive and deeply rooted issue within American society, necessitating a nuanced understanding of its existence and implications. Traditionally, racism is defined as prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against individuals or groups based on their race or ethnicity (Feagin & Feagin, 2011). This definition underscores the systemic and individual biases that perpetuate inequality. Recognizing the existence of racism requires moving beyond individual acts of bias to understand structural and institutional forms that sustain racial disparities. It is essential to reflect on how societal structures, policies, and cultural norms collectively uphold racial hierarchies.

The benefits of being white in America are historically and sociologically tied to systemic advantages that often remain invisible to those who enjoy them. These benefits, commonly referred to as white privilege, include easier access to education, employment opportunities, and fair treatment within the justice system (McIntosh, 1988). Conversely, non-white populations, particularly African Americans, face inherent barriers and systemic costs, such as higher incarceration rates, disparities in healthcare, and limited economic mobility. These costs are a direct consequence of historical and ongoing racial discrimination, which devalues non-white lives and isolates them within marginalized spaces (Luttrell, 2020). The interplay between privilege and disadvantage sustains racial inequality across generations.

Racism continues to profoundly impact African American lives in multifaceted ways. Social determinants such as housing, employment, education, and healthcare are all influenced by enduring racial biases. For example, African Americans are disproportionately affected by poverty and unemployment, which are both linked to historical segregationist policies such as redlining (Rothstein, 2017). Healthcare disparities are evident in higher mortality rates and limited access to quality medical services (Williams & Mohammed, 2009). Additionally, the criminal justice system exhibits persistent racial bias, with African Americans facing higher arrest and incarceration rates for comparable offenses (Alexander, 2010). These ongoing inequities diminish life chances and reinforce cycles of disadvantage.

Race-neutral policies—those that claim to be impartial regardless of race—are often insufficient in addressing racial disparities because they ignore the historical and structural contexts that produce unequal outcomes. For instance, a policy designed without considering how past discrimination influences present circumstances may inadvertently perpetuate existing inequalities. Affirmative action is an example illustrating this point; although ostensibly race-neutral, it aims to counteract racial disparities rooted in systemic bias (Kahlenberg, 2010). Therefore, policies must be intentionally designed to recognize and mitigate the unequal impacts of race, rather than assuming neutrality will produce fairness across all racial groups.

References

• Alexander, M. (2010). The new Jim Crow: Mass incarceration in the age of colorblindness. The New Press.
• Feagin, J., & Feagin, C. (2011). Racial Oppression in the Twenty-First Century. Routledge.
• Kahlenberg, R. D. (2010). All together now: Creating middle-class schools through public-private partnerships. The Century Foundation.
• Luttrell, W. (2020). The Cost of Whiteness: Racism and Discrimination in America. Routledge.
• McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege and male privilege: A personal account of coming to see correspondences through work in women’s studies. Wellesley College.
• Rothstein, R. (2017). The color of law: A forgotten history of how our government segregated America. Liveright Publishing.
• Williams, D. R., & Mohammed, S. A. (2009). Discrimination and racial disparities in health: Evidence and needed research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 32(1), 20-47.