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Introduction
A race is a socially constructed category of people
who share biologically transmitted traits that
members of a society consider important. Although
we think of race in terms of biological elements,
race is a socially constructed concept. It is true that
human beings differ in any number of ways
involving physical traits, but a “race” comes into
being only when the members of a society decide
that some physical trait (such as skin colour or eye
shape) actually matters.
Racism is a powerful and harmful form of prejudice,
racism is the belief that one racial category is
innately superior or inferior to another. Racism has
existed throughout world history. Despite their
many achievements, the ancient Greeks, the
peoples of India, and the Chinese all regarded
people unlike themselves as inferior.
This project on the topic of “Racial Discrimination”
is in context of “Memories of childhood” from class
12th English Vistas text book.
The Memories of Childhood summary deals with
two extracts which belong to two different
autobiographical episodes. Furthermore, these two
episodes deal with the lives of two women whose
names are Zitkala Sa and Bama. Both of them had
to face hardship and are victims of social
discrimination. Zitkala Sa had to deal with racial
discrimination while Barna had to suffer caste
discrimination. In both the extracts, the writers
explore their childhood and there is a reflection on
their relationship with the prevalent culture. The
culture was harsh towards these women and
treated them in a harsh manner in their childhood.
Both these accounts how these women went
through their oppression. Also, there was resistance
by both the narrators in their own ways. Zitkala-Sa
and Bama are young but not so young that they
were naïve about the mainstream culture’s evil
scheme. They became rebellious due to their bitter
childhood experience.
Racial Discrimination in context of
Memories Of Childhood
The first part explores the account of Simmons
Simmons was an American Indian who was against
social discrimination towards American Indians. She
throws light on her first-da experience at the
Carlisle Indian School. Zitkala SA’s first day at school
is bad and unpleasant. The customs of the place
were new and strange to her. Moreover, there was
pressure on her to wear clothes that were not
reputable in her culture. She does noderstand the
rules at the breakfast table. Consequently, she
makes several mistakes. There was a requirement
for everyone to pull a chair at the first bell. Zitkala
sat down while others were still standing.
Furthermore, everyone Had to sit down at the
second bell. However, Zikula kept standing even
when the second bell rang A feeling of humiliation
came in her. When another bell rang, she didn’t do
anything because of fear of making a mistake. She
then cried due to these mistakes and humiliation.
She was fearful the woman with a pale face. Her
friend Judew talked to her about the gutting of her
hair. In her culture, cured unskilled wors had
shingled hair and mourners kept short hair. She hit
was dragged and tied to a chair so as to cut her long
hair. There was a crushing of her spirit due to this
act. Moreover, this cruelty made her realize the
comfort of her home.
Causes of Racial Discrimination
A few things that may contribute to racism and
racially motivated violence appear below:
• Xenophobia, the fear of people who are
different. An element of xenophobia is present
in racism. There are many people who still look
down upon the Black and fear them.
• A need to feel OK, to feel worthwhile. This can
result in people wanting to feel superior to
others. This was one of the main reasons of
Apartheid.
• Social and political domination of one group
over the other. Racism is used by governments
to excuse systemic and systematic oppression
and human rights abuses.
• Promotion of the idea that attempts to end
discrimination and inequality are reverse
discrimination and reverse racism. The same
has happened in India in the case of reservation
of jobs and admission to institutions for the
Schedule Caste and the Schedule Tribe.
• Ignorance of other cultures, religions, and
values. Fear of sharing power with other
groups of people.
• Laws and government policies aimed at
preventing immigration of people of different
cultures and religions. The name Khan is always
hated at airports in the Europe and America.
Effects of Racial Discrimination
• Racism, in most cases, results in the hatred of
each individual of the subjected race, which
could lead to discrimination and hate crimes.
• Racism, in its most frequently used term, is
created when people dislike a certain
characteristic attributed to a significant amount
of individuals of a certain race, yet, would
dislike the “race” itself and not just the
individuals possessing subjected characteristic.
Thus, when the characteristics are used to
define each individuals of that race, racial
stereotyping is born.
• As a result, people would avoid individuals of
that race in attempt to avoid the stereotypes,
which leads to discrimination.
• Also, hate is a negative emotion that generates
anger. Anger leads to violence, and violence is a
crime. Thus, when people commit crimes
against someone of the subjected race because
they attempt to combat the stereotypes they
dislike, chances are, they’d get charged for a
hate crime.
• For example, if I stereotyped race A as thieves,
and I killed someone of race A because I hated
them. (note how I, by using the word ‘them.”
considered the group and not the individual,)
for stealing, even if the individual I killed didn’t
steal, I’d get charged with a hate crime because
my case was motivated by race.
• Racism also results in segregation. Fear of
certain racial stereotypes also forces some
people to isolate from another group. Isolation
can also lead to discrimination.
• Discrimination could deny people of certain
groups opportunities based on race and racial
stereotypes alone. Those are the effects of
racism.
Solutions for Racial
Discrimination
1. Learn to recognize and understand your own
privilege.
One of the first steps to eliminating racial
discrimination is learning to recognize and
understand your own privilege. Racial privilege
plays out across social, political, economic, and
cultural environments. Checking your privilege
and using your privilege to dismantle systemic
racism are two ways to begin this complex
process.
2. Examine your own biases and consider where
they may have originated.
What messages did you receive as a kid about
people who are different from you? What was
the racial and/or ethnic make-up of your
neighborhood, school, or religious community?
Why do you think that was the case? These
experiences produce and reinforce bias,
stereotypes, and prejudice, which can lead to
discrimination. Examining our own biases can
help us work to ensure equality for all.
3. Validate the experiences and feelings of
people of colour.
Another way to address bias and recognize
privilege is to support the experiences of other
people and engage in tough conversations about
race and injustice. We cannot be afraid to discuss
oppression and discrimination for fear of “getting
it wrong.” Take action by learning about the ways
that racism continues to affect our society.
4. Find out how your company or school works to
expand opportunities for people of color.
Systemic racism means that there are barriers –
including wealth disparities, criminal justice bias,
and education and housing discrimination – that
stack the deck against people of color in the
workplace or at school. For example, the African
American Policy Forum (AAPF) reported that in
2014, a 12-year-old girl faced criminal charges, in
addition to expulsion from school, for writing “hi”
on a locker room wall. Their campaign,
#BlackGirlsMatter, addresses the issues of
overpoliced and underprotected Black girls within
the education system. It is important for
companies and schools to address these issues
and promote a culture of equity.
Conclusion
Racial discrimination is any discrimination
against any individual on the basis of their skin
color, race or ethnic origin.[1][2] Individuals can
discriminate by refusing to do business with,
socialize with, or share resources with people of
a certain group. Governments can discriminate
in a de facto fashion or explicitly in law, for
example through policies of racial segregation,
disparate enforcement of laws, or
disproportionate allocation of resources. Some
jurisdictions have anti-discrimination laws
which prohibit the government or individuals
from discriminating based on race (and
sometimes other factors) in various
circumstances. Some institutions and laws use
affirmative action to attempt to overcome or
compensate for the effects of racial
discrimination. In some cases, this is simply
enhanced recruitment of members of
underrepresented groups; in other cases, there
are firm racial quotas. Opponents of strong
remedies like quotas characterize them as
reverse discrimination, where members of a
dominant or majority group are discriminated
against.
Bibliography
We have taken in completing this research
successfully from :
1. Memories of childhood
From vistas textbook class 12th
2. www.wikipedia.com
3. www.sciencedirect.com
4. Friends and Family
