Imagine being and born and immediately being seen as a disadvantage. Everyday babies are born with an imaginary shield around them that causes them to lose out on jobs, opportunities, and high caliber status. These children are born into a life of silence and lack of growth because of the color of their skin or the gender they are born. An immigrant or minority will experience the American freedom very differently than the white person as well as the women experiencing life different than men. The idea that people are not all born with equal capability is an outdated way of thinking that has bee proven wrong time and time again. Racism and sexism are major players in the stunted growth of America.
The definition of racism, per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is stated as “a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race”. As Americans, we like to boast about the “American Dream” when most of us in America really aren’t living the dream at all. Racism is prevalent and sometimes drives people to shame, bash, and in extreme cases kill others. Leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., ignited hope and spread love to people of every race and culture imaginable. Although his life was cut short, his legacy is everlasting and reflects a key idea that we teach kids in elementary school to this day: treat others as you wish to be treated,
Jim Crow laws were laws that enforced the legal “separate but equal” laws set forth in the late 1800s and weren’t completed abolished until as recent as 1965 (Wiki). At the time the notion of separation wasn’t as radical as it appears today. Many kids growing up in the Plessy vs Ferguson era didn’t see the need to be intertwined with the other races. It wasn’t until Brown vs Board of Education in 1954 that all colored people of America began to realize that the education, benefits, restaurants, and even train seats that they were getting were not only separate but also unequal. People who lived their entire lives oppressed began to wake up and fight for the unalienable rights they were given at birth that was written about in the Declaration of Independence. There are no reasons for a persons genetic make up to cause such a divide between neighbors, peers, and politicians.
News media and social platforms make it very easy to either encourage or discourage racism. Different news stations will report incidents in the point of view that the audience wants to see. For example, the Trayvon Martin sparked a frenzy in the U.S. with the main question being was the shooting of Martin racially driven? When google searching “Trayvon Martin” the first headline to come up on Fox News is “Trayvon Martin attacks George Zimmerman” with testimonies to the “grief and remorse” he felt after the shooting (Fox). On the other hand, when google searching the same exact thing, the headline “Trayvon Martin’s father: The problem of social injustice ‘needs to be rectified’”CBS. In this publication Trayvon Martin’s death is credited with beginning the Black Lives Matter movement. Although neither publication takes a strong view racially, the negative connotation of Fox promotes the criminalized views of colored people while the latter view sees Martin as a martyr.
On social media, the same is done on a much smaller scale. People often times make heated post in fits of rage that are often hateful to a person, community, or belief system. Posting hateful content reflects to followers and friends the inner values and morals of the peer or colleague posting. If a follower sees a racially threatening post he or she may be more feel safer reciprocating and reflecting these hateful actions. As more and more people become confident in their aggressive and distressing ways, the lack of social disciplinary lines becomes normalized and social cues are obscured. People think that their upsetting content is okay and tend to lose sight of how it reflects on minorities. Issues of social media spreads like wildfire and with continuous sharing of racially demeaning posts minorities become more and more antagonized. Like news media, social media also provides a platform to encourage anyone who feels afraid of his or her own skin. Paloma Viejo Otero wrote that “every aspect of social media, from its values to its design, is intended to build uptake voice of all individuals” (Otero). This means that instead of spreading stereotypical anecdotes of lazy immigrants or dangerous thugs, we should share the good that minorities do. Everyday we see the advancement of technology, healthcare, and politics that can be accredited to minorities looking to push America into the next stage of development.
Another place where racial discrimination is often a big topic of debate is the workforce. According to the American Progress website, 33% of America’s workforces on the private, public, local, state, and federal level are made up of people of color. When breaking down these numbers even further we find that 16% are hispanic, 12% identify as African American, and only 5% identify as Asian. These numbers can be disheartening to children who aspire to be CEO’s and congressmen yet have an invisible barrier brought upon themselves because of the color of their skin. Time and time again we see cases of women and men with bright minds and refreshing ideas get turned away from the jobs they work hard for and deserve because they lack the perfect image. Statista reports that most successful companies, such as google, have an almost even workforce of nearly 50/50 between white and colored people. There are also less reports of racial disagreement and/or serious problems interracially in these companies.
Although I have primarily focused on racism to the African American and Mexican cultures, racism is affecting almost everyone. Everyday we see people of Indian, Asian, and Middle-Eastern decent ridiculed for religious practices and cultures. Indian and Asian children are always looked at as the stereotypical geniuses and are often never seen as fun and are only seen as “serious”. Women get hijabs and headscarfs ripped off of them while men get attacked and accused of terrorism. In these countries the white man is judged for his selfish thinking and animalistic behaviors.
As humans, we have the tendency to judge. With this being said, I believe it is possible to be racist to majorities as well. The term reverse racism refers to the idea that the racism black and white people experience are different (Reverse Racism). Racial discrimination includes, but is not limited to, the belting of someone because of his or her race, the ridiculing of someone due to his or her skin tone, and the idea of superiority based on skin color. People of color tend to believe that because white people oppressed them for so long, it isn’t a big deal if the hate is reciprocated. This leads to the same pattern of hate and division that all the generations before us have battled over. Hate speech is hate speech regardless of the mouth it comes out of.
Growing up, I always embraced my olive skin and my natural curls. The city I’m from thrives on the deep Mexican culture it was born with. Everywhere we went I remember seeing somebody who was unapologetically Hispanic that it inspired me. I always dreamed of being just like my great grandmother, Rosa. I was never mistreated because of my appearance and I never felt that I was different than anyone else. When I came to Baylor University the feeling of community was quickly stripped from me. I have never been embarrassed of who I was until I was judged and ridiculed about my skin color. Since being here I have been told that I’m this dark because I am “dirty”, that I’m only here on scholarship because my parents probably don’t have legal jobs, and that because I speak Spanish I am not truly American. Never in my life did I realize I was a minority. Coming to Baylor opened my eyes about just how real racism is and has pushed me to try and be a voice for those who are too scared to speak up for themselves.
Racism, whether it be between Americans or minorities, is a never ending cycle of hate and belittling. This affects younger generations by instilling the belief that mutual respect is optional. Children are not born with hateful attitudes, they are taught hateful attitudes. If a child is brought up in an environment anything like the one I was brought up in, it is so easy to only know a word of love and adoration for human beings on a much deeper level than just on the outside. As a new generation is brought up they should be taught to embrace diversity and praise others for the hard work and dedication put forth. Minorities work tirelessly just as the average white person of America and deserves recognition. If more emphasis was put on the encouragement of the advancement of society than on the advancement of the individual, the world would become much more productive.
Another type of discrimination is gender-based. In Chapter 15 of the Northouse book on leadership, women are described as emotional, frantic, and incapable of making level-headed decisions. As a young woman, constantly being describe as dramatic and overemotional can be intimidating. Men are idealized as civil, well-rounded, level-headed thinkers while women are seen as impulsive and emotionally driven. The idea that women are incapable of being steady leaders is a stereotype that needs to be laid to rest.
Throughout all of history, women were objectified. The idea that women were lesser than their male counterparts led to the adoption of women only taking on household roles. The perfect American housewife was so often sought for that men were often turned away by a woman with a voice. With the American involvement of World War II, women were forced to step up and take on the jobs that all the men were leaving behind. This led to the birth of Rosie the Riveter, a sensational comic piece that encouraged women to be equal to the men. Rosie the Riveter was a sign of times changing. When Rosie first became popular she normalized the idea of women working hard to get what they want. She was a symbol of hope and encouragement to all the women who were belittled and didn’t know what life was without serving a man.Women are strong forces to be reckoned with. A woman is born with the ability to breed love and hope into every person she may encounter. Some women exert a confidence so unique that other people become uncomfortable at the thought of listening to someone they view as lesser rather than equal. Because women can be so intimidating, people often resort to name calling and shaming. Another idea discussed by Northouse in Chapter 15 was the idea of the glass wall. This idea states that all women and men are equal capable of obtaining low profile, “blow off” jobs. This is true until women are hit with the invisible wall. There is a social barrier that makes it harder for a qualified woman to receive a job over a man of equal caliber. Women are simply suppressed without any thought of their ability. It is often said that a woman can work twice as hard as a man and only receive half the pay. Women are always seen as less fragile and lazy due to the negative connotation of female bosses in movies and media. This is what leads to the worldwide ideals that women can never be sensible.
At a speech given by Alana Hill, she encouraged us to embrace diversity, for it breeds creativity. She claimed that the biggest benefits to creating a diverse and open world environment were innovation and collaboration and improved recruitment and retention. In an environment that praises both men and women equally we often observe higher success rates because of the willingness to share ideas. Hill discussed the need to be intentional about being inclusive in an environment of leaders and followers. It is very important to make everyone feel not only comfortable but also confident. An environment that promotes confidence also promotes innovation and I believe it in order for our society to propel forward, we must embrace the differences between us.
Another benefit to encouraging women to be successful is the inspiration of others. As I discussed earlier, Google has a very diverse workplace with inspiring demographics. Statista also reports that 48% of employees are women. The success of Google has led many other companies to strive towards the same level of greatness and lights a fire in smaller companies to embrace the same ideals as Google. A more even playing field is created as more and more companies, such as Refinery29, Buzzfeed, Amazon, and Youtube continue to even out the demographics.
When reflecting of Bill Gates, nobody will remember him because he is white. Nobody will remember Mother Teresa because she is a woman. The legacies of Mr. Gates and Mother Teresa will always be describes as the creator of Microsoft and the kind soul that made the world love again. Regardless of the nationality or gender of a human being, all people have the capacity to become something great. When Barack Obama was elected into office in 2008 I remember my exact reaction when I woke up and found out. I was 8 years old standing in my grandma’s living room when I asked the burning question: “Who won the election?” My mother replied “Obama, by a landslide”. I immediately started jumping and shouting. I wept that morning because I felt that with Obama in office, I could never be made out to feel like I was less of a human being than others. Obama brought me hope. As a granddaughter of a black man, I felt that my Popo was invincible. It was almost as if, for one split second, my life would never be anything less than golden. I also remember the day I found out Hilary Clinton was running for the Presidency against Donald Trump. The little 8 year old girl in me was reawakened. She longed for the day she would be fully represented in America. Today, as an 18 year old, I see that no matter where I am, the color, of my skin, the texture of my hair, and the language I speak, nor my gender can ever make me out to be lesser than any other human being. I one day hope I can continue to encourage other colored women to be unapologetically themselves and strive to ignite a fire that the whole country takes ahold of. As a country we will recognize the greatness of each other despite outward appearances.