How Racelessness Can Lead to the Success of African Americans

Table of Contents

Introduction
Research Question. In the heat of the night
Research Question. Hidden Figures
Research Question. The Help
Personal Interest
Challenges
Specific theory
Conclusion
Works Cited

Introduction

I am 19 years old. As a native Egyptian, I was born in Egypt and represented Egyptian nationality. Like other Egyptians, I am frequently helpful and courteous, especially to travelers, as my homeland is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world. This nation has so many distinct aspects that it is simple to see why so many people are in love with it. My main hobbies are billiards and speed car racing.

All my life, I studied at an international school of the American standard, which gave me the opportunity to get acquainted with different cultures and their lifestyles. An international school is a place that seeks to promote academic qualification in an international setting, either by trying to follow a core curriculum that differs from that of the nation in which the property is located or by adopting a core curriculum that differs from that of the nation in which the school is situated. In the end, I received an American diploma.

Due to the fact that I spent my whole life in an international school, my level of English, in my opinion, is at a high level, and maybe even fluent. I calmly interact with foreigners and can always understand how to help. The only limitation I noticed was my accent. I was not born into an English-speaking family, and although I have spent most of my life in a multicultural society, I still have an accent.

After receiving my diploma, I came to the conclusion that I want to get higher specialized education in the field of electronics. Thus, I got to the AUC and began my studies as a future specialist in the field of declared electric & communication engineering. I decided I should try working at a BMW factory in the computer system in the cars industry.

In my opinion, this specialty is the most suitable for me as a person who is fond of electronics and machines. As I said, one of my hobbies is billiards. I still continue my training, but my goal is to visit world competitions and win medals. At the moment, I am a member of the Yamaha raptors group. This is a group of ATV enthusiasts from the Yamaha brand.

Community-Based Learning (CBL) programs are courses that include community interaction in their work. Community-Based Learning (CBL) is an educational method used in the curriculum that encourages learners to connect with partner agencies as part of academic coursework in a specific curriculum portion (do Amaral). Faculty may request to have their course sections formally established CBL on the Banner system, enabling class portions to be distinguished at enrollment as well as on student records.

When I signed up for this course, I was aware of what I would need to do on it. Throughout my life, I have also thought about becoming the first in something or carving a niche, and starting my own company. It seems to me that I can teach many people the tricks of my specialty, namely electronics. I would like to start my channel on the YouTube platform, but at the moment, I do not have enough time and equipment for this. There I would like to broadcast not only for other students but also for all people about the field of electronics because, in my opinion, this is an up-and-coming and exciting field.

Research Question. In the heat of the night

INTEREST AREA: racial tensions in the Southern States after the approval of the Civil Rights Act; overcoming racism in the United States in the 1960s.
How did negative perceptions of Black people that remained prominent after the enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 were detrimental to society, as shown in In the Heat of the Night?
CONTEXT: Despite his well-earned position in the police, Virgil Tibbs is met with aggression and false accusations when he arrives in a small town in a southern state. As the movie’s plot progressed, this confrontation has escalated into a life-threatening danger for Tibbs, who remained set on resolving the case no matter what. It is apparent that racism was a widely accepted behavior at that time, making cooperation with Black people nearly impossible regardless of circumstances. This tension was preventing communities from moving forward and integrating Black people into society.
PROBLEMATIC: What representations of racism were apparent in the 1960s in American South after the Civil Rights Act, and how did they lead to further segregation of society and increases in hostility.
ANALYSIS: The paper will discuss how rampant racism was preventing U.S. society in the 1960s from progressing forward as a nation.
THEORY: As shown in In the Heat of the Night, racism was socially acceptable behavior at that time. This movie can be seen as a reflection of the reality in which Black people lived in the twentieth century. People in southern communities at that time had no experience in working with Black folks as equals, which made encounters with Tibbs highly explosive in nature. Discussions of this fact were not widespread, as racism was seen as an adequate worldview. The challenging topic that was raised by this screenplay is the detrimental impact of racial stereotypes. Discrimination puts other aspects of humans’ lives at a disadvantage by pulling attention away from relevant topics. Moreover, such behavior causes degradation of social bonds by disallowing any progress towards common goals.

The film was produced during a time of great changes regarding equality, which are reflected by the main character’s appearance, posture, and behavior. Virgil Tibbs is a skillful detective, and his help was crucial in the resolution of the case from the movie. He has great expertise, much to a surprise and disdain from southern folk of the town. His actions were professional, tactful, and respectful, even when presented with hostility. In a town full of racists, his journey with the local sheriff is marked with obstacles made by ignorant people. However, the role of Black people was solidified in the minds of locals as servants with no voice.

From the movie, it is possible to see the primary barriers to cooperation. Tibbs, with his high salary, was seen as an extraordinary man solely for the fact that he did manage to achieve it as a Black man in the United States. This view was not shared by the majority of townsfolk, who proceeded to consider him as a threat, an insult to one’s worldview, and a second-class citizen. Moreover, crimes were easily pushed upon Black suspects without much deliberation or due process. Unable to be met with reason, Tibbs can only continue to convince local citizens of his competence silently. It is only possible to imagine how many opportunities were trampled by racism, as people like Tibbs were not considered to be worthy of any education or social privileges.

Research Question. Hidden Figures

INTEREST AREA: overcoming racial injustice and gender inequality in America in the 1960s; the attitude of white people to African Americans in the workplace.
CONTEXT: The plot centers on three intellectually gifted African-American women who work for NASA in the space race of the 20th century. Katherine Johnson, being the first African-American woman accepted into the engineering and space task force, is subjected to stereotypes and faces racial prejudice. Possessing outstanding arithmetic abilities, the main characters challenge society and prove their importance in academic, work, and home environments.
PROBLEMATIC: How leading American organizations promoted the observance of racist and sexist norms in the conditions of the 1960s.
ANALYSIS: The paper will discuss how an entire nation has lost its competitive advantage by refusing to hire blacks in the NASA program.
THEORY: Hidden Figures reveals racism as an acceptable norm in the 1960s, which hindered the development of black people in science. Even if the characters strive for higher positions, prejudice and injustice prevent them from advancing in the service. Even though Johnson makes a critical contribution to the work of the Research Center, she continues to experience racism from her white colleagues regularly. The main theme of the script is the restrictions that race imposed on the work of African Americans in the 1960s and their impact on other aspects of life.

The lived experience of black people at work is demonstrably worse even than that of other people of color (Roberts and Mayo). Racial discrimination is reflected in the film not just as a barrier preventing the characters from advancing in the service but as a system that harms them permanently. Johnson manages to stand out in the eyes of her white supervisor Mitchell and achieve recognition of talent in the form of a transfer to a more significant position. Nevertheless, such a big promotion for the first African-American woman in the research center is significantly overshadowed by everyday racism. For example, colleagues categorically refuse to make coffee from the same coffee maker as a black woman or use the same toilet, so Johnson overcomes a huge way to cope with natural needs. Hidden Figures shows how the system became an obstacle to promotion and comfortable elementary existence, putting all aspects of people’s lives at risk. Even intellectually gifted people, like the film’s main characters, were forced to deserve a normal human attitude, which put their living conditions several steps lower.

Research Question. The Help

INTEREST AREA: the plight of African Americans and institutional racism in the United States of the 1960s; the study of the history of race relations in the United States.
CONTEXT: The events unfolded in Mississippi in the 1960s, during the Black Civil Rights Movement in the United States, around the everyday life of black maids. A young white journalist takes on the daunting task of writing a book about their struggle, turning to Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson for help. After weighing the pros and cons, women shed light on the problems and the harassment they face while serving white people.
PROBLEMATIC: How skin color influence social status, and what is the bias against African Americans of all walks of life.
ANALYSIS: The paper will discuss how institutional racism influenced the development of racial trauma in African Americans.
THEORY: Help reveals racial discrimination that affects all black characters living in a deeply prejudiced society. It represents unbearable living conditions, manifested in constant humiliation and cruelty. Being branded by race, black maids from birth experienced the hardships of racial discrimination.

Racial discrimination works as a system (Lang and Spitzer 85), which was revealed in all spheres of life of African-Americans. For example, black women were forbidden to use the toilet indoors and forced to relieve themselves in a separate toilet outside. This fact is connected with the dismissal of Minnie, who once used the “white toilet” during a storm. In this scene, the discouraging intolerance of white people towards African-American women showed. International racism, which affects black people’s behavior model from birth, has developed into learned helplessness. However, when maids face widespread discrimination, it forces them to fight for their voices to be heard in a dominantly white society.

Personal Interest

I have often observed manifestations of racism towards black people throughout my life. Sometimes even my educated white friends, who are fully aware of the unacceptability of racism, resorted to rather devaluing comments since they have never experienced racial discrimination themselves. In this regard, I wanted to study racism, not from such a common point of view, but from the point which would reveal the concept of racelessness and shed light on African Americans’ struggle for respect.

Challenges

The most common challenge was an extensive study of the researches, that reveal racism rather one-sidedly. I also wanted to pay more attention to the voice of black people on this issue, which was complicated by a large number of studies of white people on the presented case. The problems were solved only thanks to a long and thorough search.

Specific theory

Analyzing all three films, the research focuses on the theory of racelessness. According to Mason, the theory is based on two alternative philosophical positions regarding race: eliminativism and skepticism. Generally, it means that the concept of race must be eliminated to achieve full equality in society. This theory is supported by research and proved by the analysis of the mentioned films.

Conclusion

Racelessness could allow black people to be more successful due to equal opportunities in education and employment. All three films reveal different aspects of racial discrimination, including academic and work difficulties, international racism, and barriers in relationships between people. The concept of racelessness would help black people achieve greater success and society move to a fundamentally new level.