Racial discrimination Essay

The Major Domestic Issues in the US

The major domestic issues in the US that influence the peaceful coexistence of various ethnic groups in America are still racial and ethnic profiling. Unfortunately, the US administrations haven’t done much to prevent these circumstances. Sociologists concur that racism is a societal construct rather than a real phenomenon. The basis for ethnic and racial profiling is the idea that one’s race, ethnic origin, religion, or political stance is better to everyone else’s. (Ayon 16). This viewpoint is what ethnic profiling is, and has been since the era of European colonialism, in the United States. Skin color, ethnic origin, and religious orientation are the key features contributing to racial discrimination in the United States. Despite the efforts that invested into curbing the divisions caused as a result of racial discrimination in the US, it remains the primary cause of division among the US people. This paper discusses racial discrimination as a key controversial issue which has divided the American people since the historical times.

The Onset of Racial Discrimination

The onset of racial discrimination dates back to many years back. Also, racial profiling takes many faces in multiethnic societies such as the US thus making it hard to know the exact time when it began. A lot of recent research has paid much attention to race concerning the differences in skin color (blacks and whites) which is also the most profound and pronounced racial profiling in the US since the historic times. Those who view racial discrimination from this perspective trace its origin to the industrial revolution in the US when the blacks taken as slaves to work on the whites’ plantations (Cleaveland and Emily 779). This is, however, a narrow view of the whole sphere of racial discrimination. Racial discrimination stretches beyond the mere classification of races regarding skin color as blacks, reds and the whites (784).

The Roots of Racial Discrimination

Those who hold to this view traces racial discrimination to the beginning of America’s colonization by the British immigrants. The white colonizers profiled and discriminated the Native Americans (the red Indians). The coming of blacks as slaves into the United States and their consequent social devaluation by the white immigrants was a mere continuation of racial discrimination which had been in existence before (Ayon 17). The recent immigration of millions of other races and ethnicities into the US had complicated and escalated racial discrimination to espouse differences in religion and political affiliations.

Superiority and Inferiority Tussle

Superiority and inferiority tussle are often at the center of discrimination and ethnic profiling in the US. The perpetrators of discrimination based on racial and ethnic differences tend to support the opinion that some races are more superior to others. The racial profilers have categorized the various ethnicities in the US as the whites, Latin-Americans, and the African-Americans. Socially, those supporting this school of thought believe that the whites are superior to the rest while the African-Americans are at the lowest profile (Waters and Carl 437). This school of thought is informed by the historical events stemming from the colonial days to the slavery periods. The African-Americans were brought to the US as slaves to work the whites’ plantations before being emancipated while the Latin-Americans are perceived as the inferior natives who were colonized by the British. This is the most widespread regarding racial discrimination and division in the US.

Opposition to Racial Discrimination

The groups who are opposing racial discrimination in the US argue in support of all humanity equitably and justly on the basis that they are humans. Several civil rights movements that have been organized in the past have focused primarily on ending discrimination based on racial profiling. The main point of advocacy which has prompted these reactions biased justice systems, police aggression towards the minority groups, economic disparities, and political discrimination. According to Waters and Karl, the people opposing the disparities initiated and maintained by differences in races and ethnic groups seeks to avert this scenario and advocate for fair and equal treatment and access to economic resources and political space (Waters and Karl 429)

Government’s Efforts and Challenges

Although the past governments of the United States have worked to abate racial and ethnic discrimination, much remain undone. The remarkable contributions of the US government to end racial and ethnic discrimination was the approval of the 14th amendment to the US constitution which outlined measures on equal treatment of all Americans irrespective of their differences in race and ethnicity (Avery and Alan 33). The 14th amendment came in as a reinforcement to the emancipation of slaves and freeing of the African-Americans. It also gave recognition to the minority ethnic groups to access fair and just treatment at all levels of the government and private sector. However, the social and emotional perception of the Americans concerning the various races and ethnicities represented in the US. This has been the major undoing to the government’s fight against racial and ethnic discrimination in the region.

Conclusion

To conclude, racial discrimination is one of the primary factors which have sparked serious divisive issues in the US since the historical times. Racial discrimination in the US is envisioned from various perspectives including discrimination based on race, skin color, and political affiliation. The supporters of racial discrimination based on these differences believe on the superiority of certain groups to others. The groups opposing racial discrimination peg their arguments on the need to ensure equality in all spheres of the US societies based on the grounds of humanity. Although the government of the United States has committed a lot of efforts to curb racial discrimination, a lot remain undone. As a result, there has been increased contention regarding the issue in the US to date.

Works Cited

Avery, Cynthia M. and Alan J. Daly. Promoting Equitable Educational Outcomes for High-Risk College Students: The Roles of Social Capital and Resilience. Journal of Equity in Education, 1.1 (2010): 20-50.

Ayon, Cecilia. Service Needs Among Latino Immigrant Families: Implications for Social Work Practice. Social Work, 59.1 (2014): 13-23

Cleaveland, Carol and Emily S Ihara. “They Treat US like Pests:” Undocumented Immigrant Experiences Obtaining Health Care in the Wake of a “Crackdown” Ordinance. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 22.7 (2012): 771-88.

Waters, Mary C., and Karl Eschbach. Immigration and ethnic and racial inequality in the United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 21 (1995): 419-446.