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Introduction
Racism is an inappropriate and biased treatment of individuals that stems from preconceptions, hatred, and a sense of superiority that persistently cause moral suffering and uphold racial injustice. One of the factors contributing to racism is people’s lack of comprehension of the ethnicities and cultures of others (Roman, 2019). They may have never interacted with persons of different races, which has caused them to develop an unwarranted animosity for them. A close evaluation of the experiences of African Americans through the social sciences lens reveals that racism negatively impacts communities necessitating constructive collaborative engagements for improved socio-cultural interactions.
Topic Description
Racism, racialism, and prejudice are often used interchangeably to represent the unfair treatment of individuals based on skin color. A comprehensive evaluation of racial discrimination reveals that it goes beyond access to resources, defining a person’s business interactions and political and social participation. According to Roman (2019), systemic racism has remained among the most significant limitations to national development. This vice affects individuals from all ethnic backgrounds, although its impacts may differ among geographical regions due to cultural perspectives and philosophies.
Population
African-Americans are a significant portion of the American population whose lives have been severely hampered by the ingrained racist ideals in the country. The term African Americans generally denotes individuals of African descent but were raised in the U.S. This group makes up about 14% of the total population in the U.S. (Roman, 2019). The highest proportion of blacks is found in the South, which is expected to rise to 77.4 million by 2060 (Roman, 2019). Music, drama, art, and narration are key feature elements of African traditions. Africa is incredibly culturally diverse, having over 1,000 languages present there, along with numerous distinct ethnicities and faiths (Roman, 2019). African American households are remarkably diverse, with noteworthy variations across the country.
Social identity is among the critical issues defining African-Americans’ struggles in the U.S. The stability of the family unit among black communities significantly influences their perceptions of themselves and informs their associations and the capacity to fit within the larger American Community. Families frequently consist of immediate and distant relatives, and they have a greater appreciation for communal belonging. Activities that combine tactile training and collaborative teaming are especially successful for this culture and others who value a culture of sharing and cooperation. For far too long, the African-American population has struggled with the collapse of family units (Roman, 2019). Earning potential for African Americans is still much lower than for white people.
Impacts of Racism on African-Americans
Racism has significantly affected African-Americans’ social status due to negative perceptions and biases held concerning them. Stereotypes upheld by the existing structure drive the expected actions of African-Americans. Non-native families have suffered due to stereotypes about their way of life throughout the U.S. historical past (Prather et al., 2018). For instance, the notion that African-Americans are violent, violent, lazy, uninformed, and criminals have negatively impacted their socioeconomic status, academic experiences, career chances, and family stability. These preconceptions are frequently held by educators, businesspeople, and law enforcement members, which impacts how they treat African-Americans. Black men are gunned down by police more frequently than white men. Black men are disproportionately overrepresented in American jails and are often captured, arrested, and imprisoned (Roman, 2019). Compared to Native Americans, blacks have a six-fold greater chance of serving a prison sentence. All these are results of racial prejudice that has been perpetuated for years.
Irrespective of an individual’s demographics, cultural practices, societal comparisons, or everyday struggles, racism is a severe problem that affects everyone. An example of how racism affects black people’s lives is redlining. This type of prejudice negatively impacts how communities interact socially and limits black students’ academic achievements. Redlining was once used to prevent people of color from accessing certain neighborhoods or resources (Roman, 2019). In addition to social inclusiveness limitations, racism has limited healthcare access among African Americans. According to Prather et al. (2018), historical evidence reveals that health inequality in the U.S. is based on racial bias. This discrimination has led to increased mortality rates and low lifespan among Blacks.
Analysis Lenses
Among the four lenses: history, social science, humanities, and natural and applied sciences, the impacts of racism on African Americans can best be evaluated through the social science lens. This is due to the view that racism needs to be treated as a major social problem because it limits people’s interactions within the community and hinders their social-economic development. According to Lewis et al. (2019), racism primarily manifests in interpersonal communication. Using a sociological lens, one can investigate how various facets of society contribute to the problem of racism (Lewis et al., 2019). This approach facilitates the formulation of corrective measures to enhance intercultural communication and social integration. Racism can be described as the discriminatory treatment of individuals based on their skin color, which has significantly affected African Americans’ lives, as revealed through the sociological lens.
Critical Analysis
Constructive Collaboration
Fostering diversity and inclusiveness among African Americans is essential for improved socioeconomic development and better health outcomes. Communities understand the value of working with other groups to elevate the need so that their issues are recognized and addressed as society grows increasingly culturally diverse. Collaboration is encouraged to increase the population’s level of understanding of racism; this can be considered a collective effort to promote a culture of equality and embrace diversity (Ieva & Beasley, 2022). Getting everyone on the same page is one tactic that can be used to enhance team collaboration. This would be accomplished by talking to people and getting a sense of their knowledge and attitudes on racism, along with rephrasing and redefining unclear issues.
Since racism affects individuals’ emotional and mental well-being, engaging with participants by encouraging open discussions would be important. At this level, African Americans should be encouraged to talk about the negative impacts of racial bias on them as individuals and within the family unit. According to Ieva and Beasley (2022), obtaining first-hand information on the consequences of discrimination is crucial for developing mitigation measures. In this regard, the community would have a chance to participate in policy reforms by revealing some of the entrenched biases and misconceptions that need to be broken for a racially-inclusive society.
Transformation Elements
Reforms and transformation are the key goals for community engagement in fostering diversity. Positive factors encouraging change and improved intercultural relations include education and enlightenment. Education is the key to knowledge acquisition that enables individuals to understand some of the previously ignored elements and develop measures to solve the prevailing social predicaments. Ieva and Beasley (2022) assert that education, in its broadest sense, must be a part of the plan to enhance communal cohesion. Income equality and social inclusion depend on the level of education. In addition, education and enlightenment through exposure to various cultural elements significantly impact people’s worldviews, how they relate to each other in their groups, and how they see the future (Ieva & Beasley, 2022). Engaging integrated, racially accepting local counselors who work with people and authorities to encourage innovation is one strategy that can effectively educate communities on the forms, effects, and solutions to racial prejudice and inequality.
Elements Benefiting from Change
Racism is a broad and multi-faceted issue whose mitigation would significantly eliminate some of the deep-rooted life’s challenges. Economic and sociopolitical participation are some factors that would benefit from the change. Racism has severe financial repercussions because it prevents individuals from realizing their full economic potential. In a culture where racism is less prevalent, economic success can be strengthened. One potential way to end racism is to set up forums and campaigns to increase understanding and diminish racial prejudice (Roman, 2019). Various activities must be interwoven to undo the damage caused by ethnic discrimination, thereby encouraging people to appreciate and embrace diverse ethnic and cultural traditions.
Although the magnitude of racial discrimination varies among communities, it would be vital to narrow down each minority group and develop suitable measures. For instance, allowing African Americans to participate in local elections and leadership management boards would encourage their socio-political participation and foster equality. In addition, economic empowerment should be increased in rural areas and regions dominated by minorities (Roman, 2019). These steps will enhance the capacity of non-Native Americans to participate in critical national and international processes, thus fostering equality at all levels.
Healthcare access among African Americans will also benefit from change aimed at eliminating racism. Prather et al. (2018) record that Blacks have consistently suffered from limited access to health resources, affecting their overall productivity and quality of life. Therefore, aiding healthcare among African Americans would significantly contribute to a more equitable society. It is important to note that successful intercultural interactions require inclusive leadership that respects diversity and resolves difficulties and conflicts. If the focus is kept on the common goal and providing each ethnic group equal influence, constructive collaboration will be achieved.
Potential Obstacles
The journey toward equality in society is characterized by numerous obstacles that limit the efficacy of collaboration strategies. Lack of knowledge about the hidden forms of systemic and structural racism is a major problem since such elements would remain unsolved, worsening the situation. This hindrance can be solved through extensive research and community engagement to gain in-depth insight into the existence of prejudice (Lewis et al., 2019). The second critical obstacle is the lack of leadership competencies to unite communities and address bias, prejudices, and beliefs that have prevented ethnic groups from interacting freely with other cultures. Leadership plays a vital role since one needs to be wise when eliminating prevalent beliefs to avoid aggravating the challenges.
Biases, Beliefs, and Assumptions
Although education and counseling are vital enlightenment bases, it is important to note some key limitations that may hinder successful engagement in the fight against racism. Therefore, it is critical to recognize and deal with a few significant obstacles to fruitful encounters. Every civilization has set values, customs, and perspectives that influence how members regard other people (Lewis et al., 2019). Some prejudices and myths are so ingrained in people’s minds that it would be challenging to embrace new facts on racism without first dispelling the negative viewpoints for the audience’s comprehension of diversity.
The two most significant hindrances to raising racial awareness in the community are affinity and confirmation biases. Unconscious biases, such as an affinity for particular views and the drive to uphold and confirm preconceived notions, are significant roadblocks to knowledge acquisition and transformation (Oberai & Anand, 2018). In this situation, the audience’s preconceived notions about their race’s superiority and the impossibility of achieving equality with all races may make it more challenging to educate the community about racism and its expressions. The superiority complex is evident in American society, making it difficult to quickly raise awareness of the need for diversity in key areas of influence such as business and politics. Consequently, it would be essential to understand the prevalent biases among native and non-native Americans and work to eliminate them step by step before enforcing community integration strategies.
Possible Outcome
The primary expectation of the anti-racism campaign is to enable minorities to access crucial resources, receive equal treatment to natives, and live in a conducive environment that facilitates personal and communal advancement. After overcoming the aforementioned challenges, biases, and negative beliefs, society would be in a position to recognize, comprehend, and address racism. One outcome that might occur is that people start to let go of outdated notions about themselves and others, which might lead to their becoming more tolerant of others (Oberai & Anand, 2018). Tolerance arises from a sense of belonging, responsibility, and accountability. These attributes cause individuals to appreciate their roles in creating a social environment that permits people to engage fearlessly in community-building activities. As a result, diverse ethnic groups will coexist peacefully, contributing to a rich cultural heritage essential for national development.
Communities will begin to communicate openly and without regard to race. According to Oberai and Anand (2018), effective communication is among the key indicators of an inclusive society. Enlightenment will lift the veil covering individual identities and lead to more frequent talks about the value of diversity. Cognitive biases continue to be a substantial barrier to positive contact because race is a social concept firmly ingrained in the culture and passed down from generation to generation (Oberai & Anand, 2018). People may now gain from a refreshed mind that would allow them to remove their unfavorable perceptions and accept change once these obstacles have been removed. In essence, the conversation will shift from individualistic mentalities and personal interests to communal benefits, leading to gradual changes from racial prejudice to intercultural integration in all sectors.
Reflection
An in-depth understanding of human behavior and the effects of racism was made possible by considering racism as a component of diversity via the history, humanities, social science, and natural and applied science lenses. The lessons learned improve inclusiveness, facilitate professional behavior, and translate to a good worldview based on the capacity to accommodate different ideas, cultures, and religious viewpoints. The knowledge gained has a positive impact on personal experiences.
Impact on Personal Experience
Individual experiences and my personal outlook in life are developed through better comprehension of intercultural interactions obtained through this analysis. To live among varied communities, inclusion and equality are necessary. My interactions with persons of different cultural and racial origins have improved due to my research on racism in the context of social diversity. My current focus is on social equity, which means treating everyone equally regardless of skin tone (Roman, 2019). I now find it easier to grasp others’ perspectives without passing judgment.
Impact on Worldviews
In addition to individual experiences, my worldviews have been shaped by evaluating cultural diversity in relation to racism among African Americans. The environment and one’s personal experiences shape a person’s worldview. I now perceive the world as being made up of many communities whose variety necessitates intercultural involvement after assessing racism in society. Before evaluating this subject, I had preconceived notions that led me to believe that some races were superior to others. Working with various ethnic groups is beneficial for world growth because all people are equal regardless of their backgrounds and appearance.
Impact on Career
The lessons learned from this topic improve my career and future prospects of being a competent leader. A comprehensive strategy for promoting diversity, equality, and equity is necessary to be a leader in the field of social sciences (Ieva & Beasley, 2022). Understanding racism enhances my leadership skills and empowers me to uphold social justice. My line of work involves counseling individuals and assisting them in overcoming most social challenges. The information I gained from this evaluation will improve my ability to interact with various populations and provide workable solutions to the issues plaguing them.
In essence, critically analyzing racism and its effects on diversity has tremendously impacted my personal experiences, belief systems, and professional development. Understanding how racism and racial prejudice affect people makes engaging across cultures easier, enhancing one’s own experiences. Additionally, fostering a more optimistic and inclusive worldview relates to social justice. Finally, because I will communicate more effectively with everyone on staff and in the community, I will be able to help them tackle the majority of the social difficulties.
Different Views from another Lens
Analyzing racism as an aspect of diversity through the lens of the natural and applied sciences would result in different views and outcomes. While the social science lens focuses on the relationships, and interactions between different ethnicities in society, the natural and applied sciences approach is based on the nature of existence and scientific explanations. Therefore, the influence of racism would be understood from the natural way of life as opposed to the influence of social interactions. As a result, racial prejudice would be linked to scientific explanations, making it difficult to apply community engagement practices to eliminate the vice.
Value Addition to Social Interactions
A critical analysis of racism in relation to diversity and inclusion is vital as it facilitates improved social interactions. Through a better understanding of the extent of racial discrimination and its impacts on minority groups, people can formulate corrective measures to foster improved social integration (Ieva & Beasley, 2022). In essence, an evaluation of systemic and structural racism, bias, beliefs, and misconceptions help people to realize the importance of cultural diversity. This enables communities to create equal opportunities for all individuals, fostering a conducive environment for individual and national development.
Conclusion
In conclusion, racism, racialism, and prejudice entail discriminatory treatment and misrepresentation caused by negative perceptions of other races. African Americans are among the most affected groups with respect to systemic racism. A collaborative engagement can be fostered among communities through education and enlightenment to highlight the causes, effects, and potential solutions to this vice. Unconscious biases should be addressed since they pose significant hindrances to social collaboration. A critical evaluation of this topic contributes to a better understanding of diversity and an appreciation for cultural integration and inclusiveness, leading to equity and equality in society.
References
Ieva, K., & Beasley, J. (2022). Dismantling racism through collaborative consultation: Promoting culturally affirming educator sel. Theory into Practice, 61(2), 236–249. Web.
Lewis, A. E., Hagerman, M. A., & Forman, T. A. (2019). The sociology of race & racism: Key concepts, contributions & debates. Equity & Excellence in Education, 52(1), 29-46. Web.
Oberai, H. & Anand, I.M. (2018). Unconscious bias: Thinking without thinking. Human Resource Management International Digest 26 (6), 14-17. Web.
Prather, C., Fuller, T. R., Jeffries IV, W. L., Marshall, K. J., Howell, A. V., Belyue-Umole, A., & King, W. (2018). Racism, African American women, and their sexual and reproductive health: A review of historical and contemporary evidence and implications for health equity. Health equity, 2(1), 249-259. Web.
Roman, M. L. (2019). Opposing Jim Crow: African Americans and the soviet indictment of US racism, 1928-1937. University of Nebraska Press.
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