Epiphany

This post will pose a solution to the many questions that readers have been asking me and questions that I have been asking myself. My original question was, “Does racism exist in the year 2007?” People then said “yes” racism exists, or “no”, racism does not exist. However this creates a binary which means there are two opposing sides. In order to really understand this question, we must first take a look at what is meant by ‘racism’. So this leads me to my next question, “What, if any, is the causal relationship between ‘race’ and inequality?” Yet again, the issue is still with ‘race’, so I must define what is meant by race and show the relevant implications. Well the implication of ‘race’ is that it separates individuals. So I ask myself a new problematized question, one that looks at the bigger picture of the issue. “What aspect of mankind causes human beings to feel the need to separate individuals into groups?” This is the larger problem of the issue, “Why do human beings separate themselves at all?” To research this question, we must look at corporal and philosophical aspects of the situation. We now no longer have a question about ‘race.’ If we look at the bigger picture, then the idea of ‘race’ no longer exists.

My English teacher said something in class along the lines of to truly solve a problem could take a lifetime and to pick a topic that you are passionate enough about to research in the future. Well I am passionate about this topic and I do feel as though I will continue to research the problem in the future. People always ask what their purpose in life is, and this could possibly be mine. My work could someday end the term of ‘race’ and human beings will look upon each other as being truly equals.

As children, we enter this world with a since of innocence. Psychologists believe that the mind of a child is blank; there is no encrypted understanding of morals, ethics, or ‘race.’ Children view this world as being ‘colorblind.’ Everyone looks the same to kids, and they do not believe that people are any different from each other. Is it possible that America will one day be able to obtain this innocence? Can America ever become ‘colorblind’?

Reflection

My reflection on this blog project, leads me back to where I started from. I started this blog as a student not yet knowing what I was getting myself into. The topic that I chose was something deeply troubling to me in the depth of my soul. The subject of racism and racial issues as a whole is a controversial issue, but an issue that we should acknowledge and never look upon with a blind eye. The key to the problem with racial relations, is the key to the very thing that I tried to eliminate in this blog; personal ‘bias.’ The problem with ‘bias’ is that it causes individuals to have tunnel vision; to only be able to look at an issue through one’s own perspective. So in order to eliminate my own bias on this issue, I first acknowledged the fact that I was bias, that I was trapped inside the issue, rather than looking from outside the problem hoping to find an answer. I let readers see the background story of my life in hopes that they could understand my logic. For I know now that my logic is flawed and that I only knew the world from my own perspective. Although I searched for the answer to my problem, you cannot find an answer without first admitting that you have a problem. I realize now that the purpose of my writing was not really to persuade anybody else to think like me. The purpose of my writing was to alter my very own capacity to think. I needed to find out what is the causal relationship between humans inability to create equality amongst each other and my life. In hopes of doing so I researched my topic and realized that maybe I was asking the wrong questions. I realized that I needed to understand the essence of the problem and define what it is that people are really fighting about. So I challenged the very idea of race and came to the conclusion that there really isn’t tangible evidence that separates human beings into different races. So why do human beings separate each other? Does this separation lead to conflict? My research is not yet complete and my questions are not yet answered. However, I will continue to search for an answer in hopes of bettering this world.

In the year 2007, we must all ask ourselves these questions. Is the idea of race still relevant in today’s society? Is the fact that human beings characterize thereby separating one another, the root of the problem? Does this create tension among groups of people? Is there a way to really take ‘race’ outside the equation? Have we evolved so much as a nation that there is no longer a need to classify ‘races’?

Religious and Scientific Research

Religion governs this world of morally conscious individuals. That is the way that people decide what is right or wrong. I am not here to debate which religion is right or wrong; in my opinion the ‘major’ religions of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism are all similar because they all recognize a single God. My point is that most religions have a creation story. In the bible, the book of Genesis tells of God creating the earth and the first human beings; Adam and Eve. God created all men in His image, therefore all men are equal. Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, which was a place of paradise. The story of Genesis relates the geographical location of the Garden of Eden to four major rivers; Tigris, Euphrates, Gihon, and Pishon. Scientifical inferences place the location Eden between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers or in Mesopotamia, Africa. According to the International Herold Tribune scientists recently found fossil evidence in South Africa that dates back to 36,000 years ago. This helped to reinforce the theory that man originated in Africa. This means that all men are one and the same. These are some websites that you can check out if you would like to learn more about this topic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/11/news/skull.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden_of_Eden

In this scientific world, mankind accepts theories as truth, only when tangible evidence exists. One of the greatest scientific minds that ever existed was Charles Darwin. Darwin’s theory of human evolution, suggests that men are derived from apes. In his book Origin of Species, he gives full details of this theory as well as other theories. This theory is controversial and raised many debates over the years. However, if his theory is correct, then we all come from apes and therefore are not that much different from each other.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Descent_of_Man

This background research has helped to reinforce my theory that all men are equal and therefore should treat each other as equals. The real eureka moment for me about this topic came from English class. We were discussion the topic of race, when my English teacher asked me is race real. Does race EXIST? We came to the conclusion that race is just an idea. There is no causal relationship between genetics and race. People are all the same. With this background knowledge, I find it interesting how individuals can feel so different. The separation of individuals is more about cultural relations. I feel that the differences in cultures and knowledge of one another’s cultures cause people to feel different. I plan to continue my research on this topic.

Airport security

In times of war and when there is a threat to our nation, your rights can be restricted. The freedom of speech can be ‘quieted’ if you have plans to tell the general public something that might evoke chaos. The government restricts the rights of individuals to protect the greater good. In recent years since the terrible events on 9/11, people view this period as desperate times. Of course nobody wants to see another horrible situation like that, so the government has taken certain measures. The security at airports will use racial profiling in hopes of stopping a terrorist. If a passenger looks of Middle Eastern ethnicity, then they will most likely have a difficult time boarding a plane because they might ‘look’ like a terrorist. They will have the most possibility of having to go through a ‘random’ luggage check. At time these baggage checks can be somewhat humiliating and degrading. However, the general public might view this new precaution as needed change. It is alright to use racial profiling if it means saving thousands of lives. However, some of these Middle Eastern looking people are as much American as you and I. If you are born in America, then that’s makes you American and qualifies you full citizenship. Should these individuals be treated differently? I understand that stricter security is a necessity, but does that mean that a group of people should be classified as the ‘highest threat’ and then treated as such. How would you feel if you were the object of this ridicule? Maybe this form of racial profiling is needed to keep us safe. Or is America just being a little racist?

Institutional racism

In a just society, the legal system practices fair and impartial treatment for all citizens. In consequence, any actions in opposition to this practice can be deemed as injustice. The incident in Jenna can be extrapolated to represent injustice in the legal system in America. This may be a wake up call that prejudice is apparent and leads to mistreatment. In a way minorities are settling for the way that they are being treated. My generation has been considered lazy and unappreciative. People wonder what happened to the great civil rights generation. Maybe the fact of the matter really was that my generation hasn’t yet faced the crossroad metaphorically to either accept unjust treatment, or stand up as a unit and fight for the cause. There are no longer bold acts of racism such as lynching or beatings. However our government may be implementing institutional racism. This social caste system is what is left of slavery and segregation. The government no longer exhibits “Jim Crow” laws, but there are ways around the issue to continue to hold a group of people down. For example, racial profiling is a big problem in America. Statistics show that police are more likely to stop a minority on the road. There is no causal relationship between “race” and the probability that you are more likely to commit a crime. So why are the chances that a black man will get pulled over so much higher than a white man getting pulled over? Another example of the existence of institutional racism is the fact that less public school funding seems to trickle down to schools in urban areas. The case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka was ruled over fifty years ago. This court case found that “separate but equal” was not constitutional. So why are some schools still considerably better than others? What, if any, is the causal relationship between institutional racism and racism in America?

In a civil society, our justice system is the instrument used to establish order. Although it may not be perfect, it is the best tool that we have. A change in our legal system no matter how minute, will amount to macro discrepancies. Our legal system serves justice to criminals.

In a democratic world, individuals have the right of equity and thereby should be treated as such. This equal treatment means that everyone deserves “due process of the law”. This fundamental principle of justice says that everyone will receive fair treatment. As such, individuals charged for similar crimes, under similar circumstances, will receive similar punishment. However, this was not true for the case of the “Jena Six.” The “Jena Six” are six black teenagers from Jena, Louisiana; charged with attempted murder for beating a white classmate in December. This violence stemmed from racial tension through numerous events, the first of which was when a black student sat under a “white only” tree and the next day there were nooses hanged under the same tree that the black student had sat under. This brought about angry feelings from the blacks because they viewed this action as a threat. The principal just dismissed the incident as a “prank.” There were other inciting incidents after this that led to the climax when a fight broke out between black students and a white student. The white student received injuries, however none where life threatening. The black students are charged with attempted murder and could spend up to twenty years in prison. Does the punishment fit the crime? The unequal fact about this case is that one of the “Jenna Six” was in a fight prior to the incident at school. In this incident, he was the victim and a white kid busted a glass bottle over his head. This case even involved a weapon so should it have been handled with the same seriousness? However, there were no criminal charges brought against the white kid.

In this world of hypocrisy, individuals are allowed to compete on the same football team, but not allowed to go to the same churches. In the 21^st century, does there need to be a separation between people, and if so, why is there a need for division? The city of Jena has been divided for years. Some people have even said that the civil rights movement didn’t reach Jena; that this town has always been separated. What is the causal relationship between the mentality of individuals in this town, and the mentality of the majority of citizens in America?

Research this topic

Here are some links that you can go to for further research on my topic.

Civil Rights

http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/about_king/

I found this site to be very effective in explaining Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his passive teaching of nonviolent resistance. It tells that this nonviolent style of social change was predicated from Mahatma Gandhi. It talks about how he founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and about some of the boycotts he participated in Alabama. This website also gives links to various helpful websites so readers can further research information on this topic.

http://www.teachersagainstprejudice.org/

This is the Teachers against prejudice website, a grass-roots organization created for and by students and teachers. The purpose of this site is to establish better social relations.

http://www.schr.org/

The Southern Center for Human Rights talks about human rights such as life, which Frederick Douglass states is the “most precious and comprehensive of all human rights.” This site also have links for the death penalty and different prisons.

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/raceequalopportunity/g/inst_racism.htm

This site talks about what institutional racism is and how it is implemented in the United States. The term refers to the social caste system that resulted from slavery. This system is basically saying how school systems are separate and there is disproportionate funding for schools in different areas. In a sense certain schools seem to have better education than others.

http://afroamhistory.about.com/cs/martinlutherking/a/bio_mlk.htm

This site gives background information about the Reverend Marin Luther King Jr. It talks about his occupation like how he was a civil rights leader and a reverend. It talks about his leadership and his motto of nonviolent resistance.

Human Rights

http://www.hrweb.org/

This website is about human rights and the promotion of human rights. It talks about human rights issues, debates, and discussions. Also, it focuses on legal and political documents.

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/hr/

The U.S. Department of State protects fundamental rights for all citizens. The U.S. has a foreign policy called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Race Relations

http://racerelations.about.com/

I found this website very interesting and it even evaluated various incidents of racial discrimination that have occurred recently. This articles mentions the situation that occurred with Don Imus and how he made a comment that was offensive to women and blacks. This article also mentions the Jenna six and talks about the District Attorney who is prosecuting them.

http://www.irr.org.uk/

This is the institute of race relations. It gives examples of different people who have improved racial relations.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/equality-diversity/race-relations/

The purpose of this site is to celebrate strength in diversity among races. They say that they have a vision of a racially integrated society. They strive to create a better community by individuals understanding each other.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/police/about/race-relations/

The site says that the police should build a more positive relationship between them and minorities, so that they can build a safer and more stable community.

http://www.duke.edu/web/racerelations/

This website is by the Center for Race Relations at Duke University. It is a student-run organization dedicated to bettering race relations. The Center is a new approach to human relations at Duke.

Racism

http://www.globalissues.org/HumanRights/Racism.asp#RacisminNorthAmerica

The focus of this site is racism, which exists in different forms, all over the world. It talks about racial profiling in the US to racial issues in Europe.

http://www.adl.org/hate-patrol/racism.asp

This site defines racism and talks about why racism sometimes occurs in society. It talks about racism between Asians, Africans, and other groups of people.

http://www.apa.org/pi/oema/racism/homepage.html

This site talks about the psychological aspects of racism. Such as why we stereotype and dislike other groups who we know little about.

http://academic.udayton.edu/race/

This site suggests that race and racism can sometimes have influence on the law. The site gives examples of cases where race might have played a role. It has different sections on justice, basic needs, and citizenship rights.

http://www.un.org/WCAR/

The World Conference against Racism talks about racial discrimination. It tries to protect the rights of minorities.

Jena Six

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-09-18-Jena_N.htm

This is an article in the USA Today about the events that occurred in Jena Louisiana. It talks about the racial tension and Jena and about the fight that broke out between whites and blacks. It also talks about the protest in Jenna.

http://www.facinghistory.org/campus/reslib.nsf/cmvideos/Eyes+on+the+Prize:+America's+Civil+Rights+Movement?OpenDocument

The “Awakening” is about how the new generation might wake-up and take on the next civil rights battle.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/national/usstatesterritoriesandpossessions/louisiana/jena/index.html?excamp=GGGNjena6&WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=GN-S-E-GG-SEM-KP-1055493008-S-NA-jena_6

This is an article in the New York Times that gives information about the Jena Six case. It also talks about the protests for equal treatment in Jena.

Does racism exist in the year 2007?

What, if any, is the causal relationship between race and inequality? What, if any, is the causal relationship between the “Jenna 6” and racism? What, if any, is the causal relationship between media portrayal of blacks and America’s beliefs about black male teenagers? What if any is the causal relationship between race and social beliefs?

I am the author of this blog and although I may try to detach myself from bias, due to my personal experiences that may not be completely possible. I am a black male teenager living in America. I attended a diverse but predominantly black high school. Now I attend a diverse but predominantly white university. In all my years i have heard about, and even experienced instances of racial discrimination. My goal is figure out why "races" discriminate against each other.

The purpose of my blog is for me to go on an intellectual journey, to somehow understand why there is still so much racial tension in America when we are living in the year 2007. This is America; we are supposed to be one of the most democratic nations in the world and the land of equal opportunity. Yet there seems to be tension among citizens of different “races.” I don’t just mean “white” on “black” tension. I admit there are other forms of racial discrimination; however this is the topic that I choose to highlight in my blog. I feel like America has come a long way in fair treatment among “races” Although I feel like there is still a long way to go. I believe that a lack of understanding of cultural differences is the cause of racial tension in America. If people would just take the time to understand each other’s differences and go against social beliefs, then people would be more willing to accept one another.

For those of you who don’t know what the “Jenna 6 “is, it is the name given to an incident in Jenna, Louisiana involving “6” black male teenagers. Race relations in Jenna were already unstable, and a couple of inciting incidents kept building up until racial tension reached a climax. The first incident involved a black student who asked the principal of his high school if he could sit under a tree that normally only white people sat under. The principal didn’t object, so the boy and a couple of his friends sat under the tree. The next day there were three nooses hanging from the same tree in the school colors. This brought about angry feelings from the blacks because they viewed this action as a threat. The principal just dismissed the incident as a “prank.” There were other inciting incidents after this that led to the climax when a fight broke out between black students and a white student. The white student received injuries, however none where life threatening. The black students faced attempted murder charges and could spend up to twenty years in prison. The ironic thing is that one of the black kids of the “Jenna 6” was involved in a fight prior to this incident where he was the victim and a white kid busted a glass bottle over the black kids head. However, there were no criminal charges brought against the white kid. The District Attorney in Jenna seems to be administering two different forms of justice; one for the blacks and one for the whites. Is the democratic government of America going to allow this to happen? Is it fair in any circumstance to have a double standard? What, if any, is the causal relationship between race and equal treatment of the law?