Category: Racism

Exploring Individual and Institutional Racism in ‘Homegoing’ by Yaa Gyasi

Racism: Overt and Covert Dimensions

As defined by Stokely Carmichael, “Racism is both overt and covert,” It takes two closely related forms individual whites acting against individual blacks and acts by the total white community against the black community. We call these individual racism and institutional racism. The first consists of overt acts by individuals.

“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi: A Tale of Racial Legacy

Homegoing, by author Yaa Gyasi, is about the descendants of an African village woman named Maame. She births a daughter while enslaved in a village and another daughter after escaping back to her home village; the repercussion of her choices, her daughters never meet. Effia, Maame’s first daughter, is married to a white man who came to Africa as part of the slave trade, while her sister Esi, Maame’s youngest daughter, is sold into United States slavery.

Effia’s Journey: Individual Racism and Opportunism

Effia, who was born in Ghana outside of her village within her story and lineage, dealt with individual racism and opportunism. The book starts with her story as a young developing girl in a small village that speaks their own language; as a blossomed teen, Effia’s family wants her to seek a husband so he can support the family. One of the opportunists in the story is her stepmother Baaba who is jealous of Effia’s looks and notes that she could care less about her because she isn’t her child. Woo Effie’s father, to see all the benefits of her future marriage with a colonist, single-handedly arranges Effie’s marriage to the British soldier, even against her husband’s wishes. James Collins is a part of the individual racism; he met Effia during a meeting with the chief of Fanteland.

In a short time, he comes back as a governor to ask Baaba for Effia’s hand. Baaba convinces everyone that Effia should marry James because He offers thirty pounds and twenty-five shillings a month. He practices individual racism tactics because he is using the same strategies that he has acquired as a slave capturer, like “bribery” to get himself a wife. During Effia and James’ wedding ceremony, he requested her to say things she didn’t understand due to her traditional environment; this was like, in many ways, how white men felt like they were sanctified to force slave ships because of Christianity. Now her traditions are erased because of her white spouses’ white membership that he needed to keep.

Esi’s Struggle: Institutional Racism and Acceptance

Esi is the forgotten sister who didn’t have the opportunity to be delivered to a rich white colonist because she had a deadbeat father. Esi dealt with the worst formality of racist antics; through the American slavery environment, she was subjected to exile, racism by population, and xenophobia. Esi had a situation in the Cape Coast Castle dungeon, an enviable ring of brutality that both she and her descendants experienced because of the slave trade. With a hard enough life, she had to also deal with a man’s self-dubious masculinity with a character named Big Man. He is abusive, but in many stereotypical ways, Esi is always defending him, like when she watched Abronoma sleep. Tries to comfort her by saying that if Big Man had not beaten Abronoma, everyone would have thought he was weak. Making his actions acceptable.
Due to racism, both women accepted terrifying things.

References:

1. Carmichael, S. (1967). Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America. Vintage.
2. Gyasi, Y. (2016). Homegoing. Vintage.
3. Beaulieu, E. (2012). The opportunistic tendencies of people. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 42(6), 1059-1060.
4. Segal, L. (2003). Opportunism as a Social Identity. In Blackwell Handbook of Social Psychology: Group Processes (Eds. M. A. Hogg & R. S. Tindale). Blackwell Publishing.

Modern Racism: Insights from W.E.B. Du Bois and Institutional Realities

The Pervasiveness of Racism in Society

Racism has been around for generations, and we still face it in today’s society. This is due to social conditions that perpetuate and intensify racism. Racism can be a part of societal institutions today and is not only intentional or overt, but it can also be unintentional and a part of the normal operations of society. Scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois has addressed the issue of racism towards African Americans in the past.

In modern society, we can apply W.E.B. Du Bois’s concepts of the color line, double consciousness, and the veil to demonstrate that individuals of color are not seen as “true Americans. In addition, people change their persona in order to be accepted and not criticized by the dominant group, more specifically, white people. Furthermore, racism still exists today because most individuals’ perceptions are blurred, and they cannot see that it is a problem in modern society. In social institutions, the groups that are affected are not only Blacks but also those who are not part of the dominant group, including Hispanics and Latinos.

W.E.B. Du Bois’s Fight Against Racism

Scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois opposed racism and fought for the civil rights of African Americans. Du Bois “emphasized that the unbalanced distribution of wealth in this country is the fundamental obstruction to the expansion of human rights.” Du Bois wanted equal rights for blacks. “In addition, Du Bois highlighted the structural and collectivist dimension of class and race; he also recognized that their institutional and symbolic features were perpetuated and disseminated in everyday interaction at the level of the individual”. Du Bois understood that “the problem of the twentieth century was the problem of the color-line.”

In other words, he believed as long as there was a color difference in society, individuals would continue to discriminate and alienate people of color. Furthermore, he said, ‘To be a poor man in a land of dollars is hard, but to be a poor race in a land of dollars is the very bottom of hardships.’ Meaning that in a land where there is opportunity and freedom to gain wealth, somehow, people of color will remain enslaved by contemporary measures. Moreover, it becomes harder for someone of color than someone in poverty to obtain equality. For Du Bois, racism was his main target, and he wanted to eliminate the divide between races.

Exploring Du Bois’s Key Concepts

In addition, Du Bois studied a concept called the color line to see how it took effect on society, including both the marginalized and the privileged. The color line refers to the divide between races and is seen as a boundary between bright and blurred lines, depending on whom you ask. This is where people are blinded by the issue and think their words and actions are not prejudiced. Racism begins to intensify this way and starts becoming a part of everyday interaction.

Another concept Du Bois studied was double consciousness. Double consciousness “is explained as the individual sensation of feeling as though your identity is divided into several parts, making it difficult or impossible to have one unified identity.” In other words, white people did not see Blacks as “true Americans.” They believed you could not be Black and American simultaneously. This is where a person of color did something beyond their character in order to not offend but please the dominant group.

Racism in Modern Institutions

Finally, Du Bois studied another important concept, the veil. The veil was a demonstration of the color line. “It suggested that]the literal darker skin of Blacks was a physical separation of difference from whiteness.” People of color were not seen as who they truly were or what they could do; they were only seen for their darker skin. Du Bois’s concepts painted a picture for society to see the problem of racism. Moreover, racism becomes integrated into social institutions.

‘Racial prejudice and discrimination in the world today arise from historical and social phenomena”. If someone is not part of the “dominant” group, the whites, then they will be treated more poorly in society. “Biological traits such as skin color, facial shape, and hair color and texture could define racial boundaries if people chose to use them for that purpose.”

In other words, society determines who is labeled as a part of the dominant group. The dominant group becomes privileged and starts to be blinded by the issue of racism. They are unable to acknowledge that it is still a problem today. Due to this “blindness,” people that have lighter skin are treated with more privilege than those who have darker skin. For example, in society, we see groups like Blacks and Mexicans getting treated unfairly compared to white people in social institutions. These social institutions have become racialized.

Furthermore, the social conditions that intensify racism are reflected in the inequalities concerning wealth, income, employment, education, political power, and the criminal justice system. These social conditions are all influenced by race and affect individuals who have darker complexions. Additionally, institutional racism is not only intentional and overt but can also be unintentional and part of the normal operations of society. For example, society may stereotype and discriminate against certain groups without even being aware of their actions.

In modern society, we see racism integrated into the criminal justice system. In the criminal justice system, individuals “assign a moral rubric to what is equivalent to Jim Crow arrangements…and racist narratives about black men become integrated into one’s criminal defense with impunity” Furthermore, the authors state, “to resist, defense attorneys use oppositional narratives that diminish the discussion of race and instead, emphasize attributes of their clients’ biography as ‘middle-class’ and ‘respectable’ in standing”. Attorneys ignore the defendant’s race and instead bring up who they are as a person. This is because society discriminates against people of color and often gives them harsher sentences for the same crime a white person has committed. Moreover, “this shows how the criminal justice system (administered by white prosecutors) efficiently categorizes and governs Blacks and Latinos”.

Van and Artorano state, “in an era of mass incarceration and color-blind racism, this study demonstrates how racial frames become hidden in the lines of justice, and how institutional processes hide the reproduction of race”. In this study, Van & Artorano found that if mass incarceration continued for people of color then “an African American male would have a 1 in 3 chance of going to prison during his lifetime, and a Latino would have a 1 in 6 chance, while a Caucasian male would receive a 1 in 17 chance of going to prison”. This shows that Blacks and Latinos would be more likely to go to jail even if they committed the same crime as a white person simply because they aren’t white.

The study also found that “although African Americans and Hispanics make up approximately 32% of the U.S. population, 56% of them were incarcerated” Furthermore, “if African Americans and Hispanics were incarcerated at the same rates as whites, then prison and jail populations would decline by almost 40%”.As a result, “the criminal courts become a product of and mechanism for reproducing the marginalization of minorities, reinforcing racial stigma and constructing racial hierarchies”.

In today’s society, we still see racism in incarcerations, especially after the election of President Donald Trump. Mexicans were accused of taking jobs from Americans and abusing the educational system, health care, and welfare state. The dominant group found that “it is easier to politically, legally, and morally rationalize and legitimize the harsh treatment of people who are essentially viewed as ‘outsiders,’ and perceived them as ‘illegal aliens.’”

During Trump’s presidency, we still see that he is incarcerating many Mexicans in the U.S. that are “illegal” and Mexicans that are attempting to cross the border. This results in parents and children being separated from each other and breaking up their families. President Trump has a repulsive feeling against Mexicans and Blacks. Because of his position as President, he uses his power to continue discriminating the minority groups. As a result, racism becomes integrated into everyday life for people of color.

According to scholar and activist W.E.B. Du Bois, as long as the color line existed, minority groups would still have to face discrimination. Racism is still a part of modern society, and it will continue as long as there is a difference in skin color between individuals. As a result, individuals change their character in order to fit in and please the dominant group. There are social conditions and social institutions that intensify racism, and the one that affects people of color the most is incarceration. There is mass incarceration for African Americans and Latinos compared to whites. Within these social institutions, it is important to remember there are multiple groups that face racism, and that includes all people of color or people who are not part of the dominant group in society.

References:

1. Appiah, K. A. (2015). The Lies that Bind: Rethinking Identity. Profile Books.
2. Edles, L. D., & Appelrouth, S. (2015). Sociological theory in the contemporary era: Text and readings. SAGE Publications.
3. Green, N. L., & Smith, W. (1983). From stereotype to archetype in African-American literature. Black American Literature Forum, 17(4), 163-167.
4. Van, M. D., & Artorano, C. G. (2011). Race, Colorblindness, and Morality. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 27(4), 435-452.

Exploring Institutional Racism and Its Far-reaching Effects

Understanding Institutional Racism

Institutional racism is a trend in social structures such as governmental organizations, universities, financial institutions, and judiciary – which try to treat a group solely on the basis of their race negatively. It is characterized by individuals and groups ‘ indirect attitudes or racial bias by the nature of purposeful policies or regulations and doctrines that offer different access to society’s products, facilities, and incentives by race. Racism arises at an ideological level between persons and is encoded in their policies, protocols, and procedures in agencies and institutions. It has recently become prevalent and frequently seen in the media. However, it is also mentioned and given as a savvy elaboration in the lectures of politicians, as British public services strive to meet the needs in order of a culturally diverse society.

The Manifestations and Impacts of Racism

Examples of racism are color differences in a society which can be seen in schools, universities, being in the house, had a job. Identify and explain three effects of institutional racism. Institutional racism has several effects on individuals as well as society. Racism can have adverse effects on the self-conception, physical health and well-being, and life orbits of non-dominant racial-ethnic youth and youth providers. The effects of racism are not always purposeful but originate from a longstanding tradition of maintaining the American hierarchy of races. It can be seen in the behavior of white people toward blank people.

The health impacts of structural racism have culminated with ongoing publicity of the epidemiological and sociological effects of neighborhoods. Compared to women of other races, African American women are actually impacted by numerous sexual and fertility situations. Studies indicate that well-being cultural factors, such as joblessness, underemployment, and low income, are related to inequities in health. Racism is a likely inherent factor in all of these social structures.

Racism, Health, and Social Constructs

Explain the relationship between institutional racism and the social construction of Race Racism is harmful to health – regardless of the targeting reticle used, in terms of actual counterattacks, interpreted discrimination, and the intensity of ethnic minority groups in lower economic classes and unemployment. It has been shown that familial racism and perceived discrimination have autonomous health consequences, which, based solely on their predictability across a range of quite different health metrics, appear to linger beyond any actual physical accident caused by an incident itself.

For too long, the role of racism in the relationship between ethnicity and health has been ignored. Notwithstanding this health impact, it is abhorrent to unfairly reject fair healthcare to people, totally ignore their civil rights, and constrain their ability to live fully conveyed and honorable lives. A lack of conceptual and pragmatic creativity has prevented the key role of racism in designing ethnic overall health injustices from ever being accepted stories earlier.

Institutional Racism vs. Prejudice

Explain how institutional racism is different from prejudice Racism is residing in public or private institutions’ policies, procedures, operations, and culture, strengthening individual prejudices. Institutional racism prevents Black college graduates because of their name from finding employment. Institutional racism creates town and community inequalities. Prejudice is an interpretation that is not based on facts or direct experience.

Prejudice is eventually a real issue in the structure and production of personality. It can be in both ways, either positive or negative.  If we determine that we don’t like Asian people, mostly because we reckon all Asians are incredibly rude (even though only one Asian person has ever befriended you), and you are prejudiced against all Asians. So people talk about prejudice, not racism, when it comes to the idea of reverse racism. Whites are more likely to point to individual personal prejudice than institutional racism as the main issue in today’s current discrimination against all black people.

References:

1. Atkin, K. and Karl, U. (2018). Institutional racism and health inequalities in the European Union: a scoping review. Ethnicity & Health, 25(1), 1-18.
2. Svetaz, V., Sullivan, M., Ehrlich, L. C., & McKay, M. M. (2018). Race and Ethnicity in Public Health Research: Models to Explain Health Disparities. Annual Review of Public Health, 39, 27-47.
3. Armenta, A., & Hunt, M. O. (2017). What’s in a Name? Experiences of Discrimination in Everyday Settings and Mental Health. The Sociological Quarterly, 58(3), 508-528.
4. Prather, C., Fuller, T. R., Jeffries, W. L., Marshall, K. J., & Howell, A. V. (2016). The Impact of Racism on Child and Adolescent Health. Pediatrics, 138(3), e20160621.
5. Clair, M., Lowe Jr, M., & Denis, R. (2015). “We Can’t Breathe”: The Impact of Microaggressions on the Health and Well-Being of Black Men. Qualitative Health Research, 25(12), 1732-1743.
6. Femando, R., & Suman, D. (2018). Prejudice and Discrimination in the Urban Housing Market: The Effects of Explicit Discrimination. City & Community, 17(4), 370-393.