TED Talk on Racial Discrimination

TED Talk on Racial Discrimination

            The era of the slave trade seems to have left a lasting impression in the minds of many around the world. One of these impressions is the notion that white and black people can never be equal. These notions are so profoundly rooted that even blacks sometimes doubt their abilities. It would be safe to say that these impressions coupled up with the insecurities that the whites and blacks have are a primary driving factor of racial injustices that have happened in a superpower like America. Rather than judging people from the human perspective, they are judged by their racial affiliation. While this is hard to admit, it is the bitter truth.

Recent studies indicate that Americans are not confident of racial equality in their country.  Most African Americans cannot walk around the streets of their country without being wary of their surroundings. They are almost always worried about becoming the next victims of racial profiling. Six out of ten Americans are representing 61% of the population believe that the country needs to continue making changes to enhance the comfortability of African Americans who are also citizens of this great nation. Out of these, quite a significant percentage of African Americans (43%) believe that the country can never accept to make such changes. The remaining 30% insist that the country has already made the necessary changes (Pew Research Centre n.p). These statistics beg the question; why would an American citizen doubt the ability of their country to implement changes that promote equality? The only possible answer to such a problem would be due to the constant orchestration of acts of injustices. They hinder African Americans and minority groups from achieving their objectives in the areas of education, business, justice, and politics. Thus, this talk aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the causes of racism, the impact of this despicable act, and possible solutions for this vice to ensure the harmonious continuity of American society.

One of the primary causes of racial discrimination is the systems responsible for legal and judiciary proceedings (Lee et al. 2). This does not mean that the current day systems are the ones with the problem. Instead, the decadence of the systems has been present since time immemorial. For instance, during the declaration of independence in 1776, there were only whites who signed to the agreement of a life of liberty and pursuit of happiness, showing a certain level of inequality. These whites’ signatures were hypocritical as they owned part of the population (black slaves). Their work was mainly to work in the cotton farms with little or no compensation.

Moving on to other treaties and notable events such as the civil war, the whites had a level of seniority, and the minority did not have equal rights. There is also the James Crow law, which went too far in the segregation of whites from blacks. There were even some states which separated the white textbooks from black books. The time of the great depression was also another instance of the rot in the American system contributing to inequality. Instead of allowing all Americans to fight for survival, the strategy was to ensure that all white men had work before giving some to the blacks. This left the black men to strive endlessly since it was almost impossible for them to find jobs.

Several decades ago, a rare kind of injustice happened to an African American 14-year-old boy. He was accused of murder and rape and sentenced to death by the electric chair. What could have a fourteen-year-old boy known about the electric chair? Yet, he was subjected to this painful death for a crime that had not undergone thorough investigations signifying a failure in the legal and judicial systems. The failure of these systems became evident when the court ruled of his innocence decades after his death. Losing such a life is quite unfortunate, imagining the potential they had of making America a great nation. This scenario has continued to date apart from today. African Americans are more willing to speak up. That is why it is out in the open that law enforcement officers, in some instances, can use excessive force for black people than they can on white people. It is not that the constitution stipulates this, but the judicial system has so many loopholes that these officers will rarely be accountable for their actions.

There has been a lot of uproars, and even demonstrations after video pieces of evidence have emerged continuously online to showcase the cruelty of racial discrimination. Law enforcement officers even go to the extent of shooting innocent and unarmed African Americans due to ‘imaginary’ traffic offenses. The jurors are also no better as they tend to make their decisions on the stereotypical assumptions that they have about African Americans. Consequently, blacks may end up with heavy sentences that they did not deserve. Worse still, some states discriminate against people of color in their constitutions. For example, “the state of Michigan and six local jurisdictions throughout the United States have enacted legal prohibitions on appearance discrimination” (Rhode 2). All that can be said about this is that African Americans are resilient people. their life has been full of ups and downs, progress and setbacks, resilience, and retaliation.

The other cause of racism is deeply embedded in the political rhetoric of the country. Americans indeed had just a short break of racial injustices during the presidency of Barack Obama, who tried to unify the country. However, as soon as they went back to a white president, the narrative began all over again. The current political system favors whites more than African Americans (Lee et al. 3). The current president has even gone as far as publicly expressing hate for the immigrant community. His speeches often indicate that the perfect society would be devoid of any diversity. It is as if the presence of minority groups contaminates the country, and there is a need to rid it of them. This is what has given white citizens the courage to continue treating blacks as unequal parties. For instance, just recently, there was the highlight of an African American and a white woman arguing in a mall. At the end of the argument, the white lady dared to tell her fellow citizens that they shall build the wall. The hate spewed by such a statement is just an example of the many scenarios happening all over America today.

The implications of racial discrimination are far-reaching. First, it affects the victim of discrimination. They are more likely to have adverse health outcomes due to the individual, especially on the psychological side. Due to the constant feeling of inadequacy and worry about their safety, they are likely to develop anxiety. Sometimes it could be severe and turn to depression.

Additionally, there are also the implications of the lack of access to quality healthcare. There are those health institutions that have their principles build on racism. They might not openly display these, but they often have stereotypical elements. Sometimes it is so bad that African Americans do not get the best care in comparison to the whites (Kausadias & Karaus 179). This affects their health outcomes adversely.

All citizens need to feel that they have some power when it comes to bargaining for potential in social, political, and economic issues. However, with racial discrimination, immigrants and African Americans have limited abilities. First, they are not the majority, therefore talking about turn around strategies would require the effort and resources thrice that white people may use. A s a result. They may end up becoming the suppressed people of America. On the quality of education, most of these people tend to attend the average school get the average grade and end up with an ordinary life. This usually hinders the progress of the immigrant and African American community. The reason for the ‘average’ outcomes is due to the state and types of schools located within their neighborhoods.

It is no secret that the best schools are usually found in white areas. The black communities have to settle, creating a disparity in their competitiveness when it comes to educational outcomes. In their social life, African Americans often feel neglected and abandoned. For instance, if an African American and a white person both with the same qualifications were to appear for an interview in a white firm, the chances of selection for the African American are quite slim. So, what do they end up doing? Some are so frustrated with the state of lack of jobs that they decide to turn into crime. This, in turn, leads to the deterioration of the bias and their emotional state.

The above information on the implications and causes of racial discrimination is quite eye-opening. This calls for urgency in the hunt for egalitarianism not only in America but for the entire globe. That is the only viable solution for the problem at this point. One thing is for sure that the people have to participate and do so willingly in this course. It is not an easy fete to achieve this. Thus, the recommendations a fair and just society involve bringing together all stakeholders of the organization who chart a way forward. The reason for the involvement of stakeholders is the influence they have on their respective societies. They can convince their communities to adopt new ways of life. They can also advocate that they bring up the younger generations in a way that they view all people as equal and not based on their racial affiliations. After America takes this path, then the whole of the world is bound to follow in their footsteps.

Works Cited

Kausadias, Jose., & Karaus, Kevin. “Racial Discrimination in the United States: A National Health Crisis That Demands a National Health Solution.” Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019

Lee, Randy T et al. “On the prevalence of racial discrimination in the United States.” PloS one vol. 14,1 e0210698. 10 Jan 2019

Pew Research Centre. “Discrimination and Racial Inequality.” Pew Research Center’S Social & Demographic Trends Project, 2016, https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2016/06/27/3-discrimination-and-racial-inequality/. Accessed 8 Dec 2019

Rhode, Deborah. Why Looks Are the Last Bastion of Discrimination in Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Patterns for college writing: A rhetorical reader and guide. Macmillan, 2011.