We have addressed racial and ethnic politics from many perspectives this quarter. Though we have highlighted many areas of concern we have also discussed many methods used to improve the position, status, and political and economic power of marginalized groups. Although we often find it challenging to view things outside of the modern day perspective, much has changed over time. Consider the following:
In past 4 months: Donald Trump Elected, Inauguration, Immigration/Refugee travel ban, increased efforts to identify and deport undocumented immigrants
3 years ago: Unemployment 6.6% overall, 12.1% for African Americans, 9.1% for Hispanics, 4.8% for Asian Americans, DOW 16,450 (Today Unemployment 4.5% overall, 7.9% for African Americans, 5.6% for Hispanics, 3.0% for Asian Americans, DOW 21,000), Ferguson protests, emergence of Black Lives Matter
4 year ago: The Supreme Court said that schools must apply strict scrutiny when using race or ethnicity based factors in admissions decisions. George Zimmerman Verdict (Trayvon martin Case)
9 year ago: the first nonwhite president was elected
11 years ago: very few of us had ever heard of Barack Obama
16 years ago: 9/11
26 years ago: the Rodney King Case and racially charged rioting
28 years ago: prison population starts to skyrocket
39 years ago: Regents of University of CA vs. Bakke
44 years ago: Roe vs. Wade
49 years ago: modern civil rights movement ends (according to most historians), Martin Luther King killed, major riots, peak of troops in Vietnam
50 years ago: third year in a row of major racially charged riots throughout American cities
52 years ago: Voting Rights Act of 1965, new immigration laws dramatically increase immigration (especially from Asia and Latin America), Black Power movement, Malcolm X killed
53 years ago: Civil Rights Act of 1964
54 years ago: March on Washington, Birmingham protests
62 years ago: Montgomery Bus Boycott
63 years ago: Brown vs. Board of Education
72 years ago: end of WWII
73 years ago: Interment of 110,000 Japanese Americans
97 years ago: Women gain the right to vote
110 years ago: peak of immigration at turn of century
121 years ago: Plessy vs. Ferguson - separate but equal is constitutional
123 years ago: widespread lynching and intimidation
129 years ago: Chinese Exclusion Act
140 years ago: end of reconstruction, early Jim Crow Era (which lasts nearly 100 years)
147 years ago: 15th amendment - black men given right to vote
149 years ago: 14th amendment
151 years ago: 13th amendment - end of slavery
152 years ago: end of Civil War, Start of reconstruction, black codes
156 years ago: start of Civil War
208 years ago: end of slave trade
230 years ago: Constitution written including 3/5 compromise and slavery
241 years ago: Declaration of Independence
398 years ago: first slaves from Africa brought to colonies
410 years ago: first British Colony established
several thousand years earlier: Native Americans living here.
The point: much has changed, and often in a short period of time. Looking forward what do you predict will be the state of racial and ethnic politics in America 5, 10, 20, or even 50 years from now? What can and should be done politically and socially to help?
As much as I would like to be completely optimistic for the upcoming five years, I maintain some reservations. The current administration has demonstrated some startling behavior in the first month of its occupation which leaves me concerned for the future of our country. The fact that there are enough people that share Donald Trump's views to get him elected is problematic in itself. Sadly, I think the previous perception of race relations in America was tainted by the silence of a significant portion of (largely rural) America. It has become increasingly transparent that racism has not been eradicated from the United States by any means, but I think a lot of people believed it was on its way because the previous administration. With Trump in office, I think those who hold racist ideologies have been encouraged to become more boisterous.
ReplyDeleteOn a slightly more optimistic note, however, I do think that the recent increase in activism is a good sign. If the general population continues to speak out against injustices such as the travel ban, I am confident that we will not remain silent on any future injustices. I think the best way to combat the racism that still exists in the United States is to shut it down whenever we see it. In one of the readings we had for this week, "Interrupting the Cycle of Oppression," the author says that those with privilege need to act as allies to the marginalized and actively say "No" to any instances of injustice we see. On an individual level, I don't think there is much more we can do apart from speaking out and actively choosing to be anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-homophobic, and everything in between, but it is important that we do what we can.
I completely agree with you on both the issue on the impact of Trump's presidency on race issues and ways we can improve on it in the future. In my opinion, I find it quite ironic that Trump has brought up the topic of race/ethnic in politics several times but for the most part in a negative way. I predict that race in not only politically as well as socially can be both negative and positive. Blatant racism or racially insensitive comments and actions have been a major issue recently but there has also been people standing up against it.
DeleteOne quote on what should be done to improve racial relations in this country was of David Dinkins, who was a former Mayor New York City said: "Racial relations can be a appropriate issue...but only if you want to craft solutions, and not catalogue complaints." I personally find the quote powerful because I firmly believe that in order to improve race issues and relations in the years to come, there needs to be conversations and action. Specifically positive actions and conversations because nothing will improve if there is always arguments and separation between groups. I also think it is important to speaking out and starting within your own community can make a large difference. Once a teacher said that racism can be a domino effect and at times we need to educate others of racially insensitive things they say or do. As well as those in political positions to stop avoiding the topic of race and actually have open discussions on what they can do to improve it.
I totally agree with both of your ideas.
DeleteWith the new president, I feel that U.S is taking a few steps backwards since this president what is doing is to create a platform to those who are ignorant and still believe that this country needs to be only white people. With the new ban that president Trump incorporated this year, I feel is making the U.S to look a little bit racist in front of others countries. And I think this is really bad, since the U.S. was a destination for a lot of different people who wanted to start over their lives.
With your other idea I totally agree as well. Activism is helping the U.S. in regards racism and allowing the minorities to have a voice over the new laws that the new president is choosing for this country. I also think that activism plays an important role in the U.S. society because, without it, people from minority groups could not speak up their thoughts and unconformities regarding politics of this country.
I may sound unrealistic or naive but I have a more optimistic view as to where we are headed as a nation. Although President Trump is not an idea leader to many, I think this election was a wake-up call to many Americans. While Barack Obama's symbolic representation was incredibly inspiring, I think it led many Americans to believe that race and inequality are no longer huge problems in the US. Even during the peak of the Black Lives Matter movement, many Americans (mainly white) saw racism in the US as minor, or separable from their own daily lives. While I am in no way supporting President Trump's actions or words, his success has made many Americans pay more attention to politics and take more action as a citizen.
DeleteWhile I am not denying the power and impact a President has in shaping a nation, I think the greater power lies in the people. Therefore, I think it is crucial that we have a optimistic outlook on the future. This discussion reminds me of the reading, “What Can We Do? Becoming Part of the Solution" by Alan G. Johnson. By allowing ourselves to think inequality is unsolvable, it becomes insolvable. Soon, many minority groups will no longer be a minority. With greater access to information and faster communication, more people can know what is going on and have the resources to speak their mind about it. The next 5, 10, 20, and 50 years will be what the people make of it, so long as we take responsibility for it.
I agree with Brittany on the fact that with Donald Trump now in office we may not really know what will occur. I do have to say that I am optimistic because we are becoming more open to accepting new things and being able to educate ourselves to really understand the problem.
DeleteWith so much activism occurring we can see a change as many people of different races and ethnicities come together for BLM movement. With that we are able to create unity and show that we are united even though those above us try to separate us. I think that although we may be going backwards in some aspects, as a result of this election we have seen a positive light as more women became driven to step their feet into office and run for many leadership positions. The power of these motivated women is strong enough to take a stance to have their voice heard. With so many movements occurring around the country it definitely shows the dedication and resilience of individuals to fight for the better cause. As today marks International Women’s day, we see the movement of #BeBoldForChange that is posted in order to push us to take action and create change for us all. By having women, men and nonbinary people of all races and ethnicities join together for a greater cause to take pragmatic action, we can make a difference in each of our lives. By being able to work together and collaborate, women can show their true potential and break the glass ceiling. I think that the power of the people is always stronger than the people in power.
If you take a look at the timeline that was posted, you can see history has repeated itself, particularly in the treatment of minorities. In the United States, there always seems to be a scapegoat minority group that certain laws target. In post-9/11 modern times, Muslims have been under the microscope and often times generalized by the media. These generalizations by the media lead to people making rash conclusions about the entire religion. A similar process has occurred with Japanese Americans during World War II, African Americans, as well as other minorities. This leads me to believe that this process will repeat itself in the next 5, 10, or 20 years. Because this is almost inevitable, measures need to be taken in order to minimize the damage done as a result of the scrutinization of these minorities. We don’t want to allow something like the Muslim ban to be looked back on as an embarrassing and regrettable part of US history like the treatment of the Japanese during World War II was. That’s why more people need to make their voices heard when it comes to laws that they disagree with, regardless of the medium that they use to do that. It is through public criticism and actions taken as a result that encourage change within a nation.
ReplyDeleteI agree, I also see a trend regarding scapegoats in American Politics. If America is to follow the trend, then in the next 5, 10, or even 50 years I would not be surprised to see it repeated. However, I think that there's an underlying factor here that may help or hinder this trend and that is social media. I think social media is going to play a huge impact on the future of politics.
DeleteFor example, with BLM social media has been poignant in helping them to spread their ideas. On the other end of the spectrum we have Trump, president of the United States, utilizing Twitter as a platform for voicing his opinion. I think that social media will play a large role in whether history repeats itself. The spreading of ideas and movements are easier today via social media and I think that can help with educating the masses. Ignorance, in my opinion, is one of the leading causes of our fear of the other, which leads to the creation of scapegoats. I'm hoping that social media can (and will continue to) be used as a platform to help educate, rather than incite fear among people.
Your points are very intriguing, and I agree with them both. History has the tendency to repeat itself due, in part, to ignorance or a lack of appropriate reflection. I think the generational gap is also a reason why history can repeat itself. As a generation (or set of generations) we become so entrenched with our current realities, that we may fail to look back and see connections whether they be positive or negative. I agree that in order to change our future, we much make our voices heard when it comes to legislation we may not agree on or may potentially be harmful. I am a fan of the good old-fashion protesting in the streets because it not only disrupts public space, but it also forces the hand of the media to grant it attention.
DeleteThat being said, I also agree that social media will play a vital role in the next 5, 10, or even 50 years. Sharing information and protesting on a virtual platform is a fairly new frontier, and I am fascinated to see where it will go. I think that social media is going to evolve either for or against political action, as many people are starting to protest physically and virtually around the world. Will social media cater to the needs of the BLM Movement, or will they attempt to remove police brutality videos as they occur? My hope is that social media outlets will see a target market in the field of activism, and work to improve their platforms accordingly. The future is uncertain, but my hope is that we can look to our past to analyze our mistakes in order to pave a new, non-repetitive future.
I think both of these points are great, however I feel a little more optimistic about our future regarding scapegoats/minorities. First, lets consider what’s caused the polarization of specific minority groups; World War II for the Japanese, the Vietnam War for the Vietnamese, the 1960’s civil rights movement for African Americans, and 9/11 for Muslims. All of these were times of (some level of) violence and extreme emotion. To predict another event on the same level as we’ve seen in the past is a very aggressive assumption in my opinion. Tragedy on this level will certainly strike this country again (eventually), but I hope by then we will have progressed enough as a society to not tie it to a specific religion/race/ethnicity.
DeleteWhen 9/11 happened, social media was still in the womb of the Internet. I hope in this new age of social media, that 10-20 years from now, there will be too much common sense about other ethnicities for a large portion of our country to make rash assumptions about a specific religion/ethnicity like they did after 9/11.
As much as people like to believe that America is going backwards. That we have taken two steps back. That history always repeats itself and we are doomed to go back for a while. People need to realize that history does repeat itself, but it is not as black and white as it seems. The USA it is not in a cycle of equal highs and lows, which puts a country in a circular cycle. The USA has lows, but the highs are more powerful, and thus it is why the country is moving ahead. Now, these recent set-backs have kept us from improving as rapidly as other nations, which has seen America fall in many areas, such as health care, education, etc. We have practically settled, and accepted where we stand, as we attempt to solve issues that should have been solved years ago.
ReplyDeleteTimes are changing, and an important take away from our studies is that the Latino minority group is surpassing the white population in 10-15 years. Other minorities are growing, just not as quickly, while the white population is decreasing, which entails a different outlook to a lot of aspects, like politics. We are entering a new era where a lot of norms are changing. A traditional presidential candidate is not seen as necessary anymore. More groups are coming out to support minorities as a whole. The sheer power of the internet and social media makes us less confined to information, but is also our weakest point, and will cause the biggest issues in the next upcoming years.
I completely agree with you, Ermin! We often hear of people being hopeless about the future of our country, especially after the election. I think that people took the idea of history repeating itself and ran with it; this giving them assurance that their idea is right. Although the same events seem to occur quite often, I think everyone learns from it. I think this was the sole reason of history class as well, we are taught the past so we can learn what not to do in the future.
DeleteMore than ever, citizens of the United States are learning to give their opinion. I think this will aid our country in the fight with equality. Although people are not optimistic about America in 5 years, I think the complete opposite. The more insight people are giving, the more people will come out and want to join in the cause. I have seen so much growth in this country within the past year, therefore I am hopeful for the next 5. I think that if we all have a positive outlook for our country, we will see an even greater growth.
I agree with Chloe and Ermin that minority groups are growing while the white population is slowly decreasing. To me, this is a sign that in the next 20 years American will be a national that is more integrated and filled with policies that are racial inclusive. However, I believe that next 5 years will be focuses on nationalistic policies rather than increasing American influences abroad. As a result the American people will have to come to terms with the reality of the policies set forth but will be more proactive in the discussions. Having people more proactive in political discussions will bring valuable ideas and ground works to potentially great policies. Voices from all spectrums will be heard in ways that never have been before. President Donald Trump’s Presidency will influence other non-politicians to run for office. Thus, leading to the best interest of the American people to be representation.
DeleteI agree that the growing minority population in America will lead to better race relations. I think that this will lead to more minority representation in our government, which should lead to policies that positively affect minority groups. The election of president Trump has been viewed as a setback in racial and ethnic politics, but I think the fact that there are so many people who are against his views and go out and protest is a positive. I think that it is important that people are fighting back against his policies that affect minorities, like the Muslim ban. This proves that there are a lot of people in this country who want change and with the growing minority population, I am optimistic that the people who don't want change will eventually change their mind.
DeleteMy hope for the future is true equality. I want people to maintain what feels like an amazing amount of political activeness. I want American's to feel safe from tangible, international threats, but also safe and equal here on the domestic level in terms of race and ethnicity. I am happy to see many areas of the world growing in diversity and taking on a more substantive and representative roles, but I am also sad to see that many more areas are not changing at all. More needs to be done to better represent and voice the specific issues that face minorities of this country - issues that half of white America don't even understand exist. I am hopeful that the new administration is up to this talk, however like most here, I am not counting on it. I would love to be surprised.
ReplyDeleteWhile many people might believe that we are in bad time of race relations and ethic politics, when looking back upon our history it is very clear that as a society our racial politics has dramatically improved. As many others have commented, as the united states becomes more and more diverse, racial politics and relations will continue to improve. While our history of racial politics has had its ups and downs, the general trend has been improving over the last couple centuries, from the emancipation proclamation to recent legislation such as the DREAM Act. As minorities continue to make up a larger portion of the population, I believe that policies will begin to be passed to help many of the issue which minorities face. Such as the public-school system and criminal justice system reform.
ReplyDeleteOne can be hopeful that things may change for the better and the next years, but again that's in our hands. It is the president and his administration job to protect this nation and make it for all and not just for they pick and choose. As citizens, it is our job to make sure we are heard when fighting for equality. The U.S. is becoming more of growing nation of minorities while the majority is decreasing. We should not separate and divide ourselves rather start thinking how to improve this nation as a whole. History has shown us that there's still racial profiling, discrimination and social injustices. We also need to improve our education, health care and make sure our economy is stable. The president and his administration should have this on their agenda, but lately it hasn't looked that way and the citizens are standing up to their beliefs and practicing their rights a long the way. We can't say remember the "Good Old Days" when the past still had an effect to minorities from having equality and opportunities, instead we need to advocate opportunity and equality for all.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feelings about the direction our country is going in. Part of me feels as though history is doomed to repeat itself and that with the recent issues of police brutality and the recent issue with immigration, we are moving away from all the progress that has been made and we will continue this vicious cycle. However, there is the more optimistic part of me that feels as though it only feels like things are getting worse because I am becoming more and more aware of issues facing racial and ethnic minorities. This makes me think that there is more hope than it may feel like, because admitting you have a problem is the first step towards recovery. Only time will tell the impact of this administration on racial and ethnic politics, but as many people have already pointed out, the activism that has come in response to this election has given me some hope. perhaps it is naive to think that there may come a time when we can reach true equality, but if we don't at least hope for that, I think fighting this fight will be very, very difficult.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what our country will be like in the future. Perhaps demographic changes will produce a public more willing to see the pain produced by institutional racism simply because diversity will become less alien. But, implicit biases still need to be addressed and I am not sure diversity alone can deal with those. What I am fairly certain of is that the next five years will be rough. A large segment of the country is still unwilling to acknowledge contemporary or past white supremacy in all its forms, a reality that I do not see changing in the immediate future, say the next 5 years.
ReplyDeleteThe reparations, "truth-and-reconciliation" process that Coates articulates in "The Case for Reparations" will be necessary, but I don't think it can happen right now. Given the way people, of all stripes, have a general tendency to reject any information that challenges their views, novel tactics may be necessary to convince Americans that engaging in this process is important. I remember hearing about how LGBTQ door-to-door canvassers have had success changing peoples' minds about LGBTQ issues, so perhaps this model could work. Here's an article about research on this model: http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/04/talking-people-about-gay-and-transgender-issues-can-change-their-prejudices.
In terms of political solutions, the treatment of Black and Latino communities needs to be addressed. The conditions of these communities need to be changed so that a term like "ghetto" cannot accurately describe any community in this country. In terms of policies, dealing with the selectively punitive nature of the criminal justice system is one place to start. We need to change the focus of our criminal justice system from one that finds and incarcerates "problems" to one that sees people who've committed crimes as humans with inherent value. So, perhaps legislatures on the federal and state level could change sentencing guidelines to mandate alternatives to incarceration. However, I doubt these political changes will be realized if society does not address its views on race and ethnicity.