English Help with Assignment

Cantu 1

Juan Cantu

Professor Ocasio-Russe

English 2316

4 April 2023

Ethnicity and Race in America

The United States has an ethnically and racially diverse population. Race and ethnicity in the USA have been multifaceted topics affected by economic, communal, and political expansions. The story of the USA is twisted with issues of race and ethnicity, from the enslavement of Africans to the enduring skirmishes for racial and ethnic equality. So, this essay will discuss the problems of ethnicity and race that remain at the front of American culture, deprived of essential progressions made by cooperative movements such as the Civil Rights Movement. The essay will discuss the ethics of the situations analyzed in the argument, focusing on the continuing struggles for ethnic and racial equality.

Racial discrimination has affected numerous races, such as Asian American societies, Native, Hispanics, and Black Americans. Socially, discrimination happens in the form of hate crimes, harassment, and bias. It made it complicated for people to feel valued and accepted in US society. Economically, discrimination caused restricted access to education resources. For instance, only white people were called for interviews compared to black people (Bayor). Politically, bias influences the capability of minorities to contribute to democratic procedure. It comprises blockades to voter turnout and registration and strategies for the insipid political strength of minorities.

Also, the legacy of slavery is one of the chief ethical problems surrounding the history of ethnicity and race in the USA. Africans' enslavement is a dark chapter in the history of the USA. It started in the sixteenth century with the transatlantic slave trade. It brought millions of African people to the USA to work on farms and plantations. After this, slavery became long standing with policies and laws that confirmed that enslaved African people would remain in slavery.

The enslavement of Africans was an essential feature of the American community for centuries and has had a long-lasting influence on the political and economic system of the country. Inheritance influences American society because numerous African Americans strive to face inequality and discrimination (Hooper, Nápoles, and Pérez-Stable). From an ethical viewpoint, it is crucial to identify the destruction initiated by slavery and work to mention the persistent inequalities encountered by African Americans.

Another ethical issue connected to ethnicity and race in the USA is dealing with immigrant populations. Wang et al. (2020) explored that migrants face antagonism and discrimination based on race or ethnicity, which can affect their comfort, safety, and health. From an ethical viewpoint, it is vibrant to recognize the civilization of all persons regardless of their race or ethnicity and work to plan an additional friendly and inclusive municipality for all. It is crucial to identify the worth and dignity of people irrespective of nationality or race (Wang, Henry, and Smith). It can be attained by promoting sensitivity to culture and comprehending society. It can be done by outreach and education schemes to enhance understanding and awareness of distinct perspectives and cultures. So, through promoting empathy and experience, it is possible to break blockades of discrimination and prejudice that frequently split US society.

Moreover, ethnicity and race negatively affect minority races in the USA, considering the criminal justice system and education. Huguley and his co-workers in 2019 explored that Hispanic Americans and African Americans are likely to be condemned, imprisoned, and arrested in long-term prison as compared to White Americans for similar corruption. It has resulted in the oven-demonstration of minorities that have participated in the continuation of social inequality and poverty. Similarly, education is the greatest equalizer in the US community, and minorities face various issues in attaining high-quality education. They frequently go to schools that are not according to funds and have less capital than predominantly educational institutes for white people (Huguley, Wang, and Vasquez). So, it results in preserving inequality and fewer chances related to education. Likewise, racial identity is a complicated problem for Native Americans. Significant racial identity issues include intra-racial marriage and relations of Native Americans with the US government. The treaty scheme and eradication of tribes to remote areas reinforce the identities of the tribe as compared to racial recognition.

According to Harris (2021), the Civil Rights Movement was an essential event in USA ethnicity and race in the 1960s. The movement responded to segregation and discrimination faced by African Americans and other minorities in the state. For instance, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Junior introduced a participatory movement in invigorating civil rights legislation that banned discrimination based on race and equality (Harris). Despite the development of the Civil Rights Movement, ethical and racial inequalities continue in the USA nowadays. From the Black Lives Matter movement to the ongoing skirmishes for immigration reform, race and ethnicity remain at the forefront of American politics and society.

Furthermore, control theory is a sociological idea that focuses on how social control procedures, such as; informal and formal norms, control distinct behavior. This theory is concerned with concepts of ethnicity and race in America because social control procedures have been utilized to oppress and regulate ethnic and racial minorities. Numerous instances of social control processes have been used to tyrannize minorities. For example, Jim Crow rules in the USA changed segregation and prevented African Americans from accessing employment, housing, and education opportunities (McKersie). Likewise, Japanese Americans were compulsorily eradicated from their homes and positioned in imprisonment camps beneath the appearance of apprehensions of national security. So, this theory illustrates the social construction of ethnicity and race in the USA. The ideology of racial hierarchy, where white people of America possess more privilege and power than black people, as it is a kind of social control that preserves schematic racism. Hierarchy is sustained by informal beliefs and norms, such as trust that white American people are more significant than black people and formal policies and laws that distinguish against minorities.

Additionally, Justin Simien introduced a TV series, "Dear White People." He talked about issues of social injustice and racial identity that shows black pupils at white university navigating numerous political and social problems including police cruelty, appropriation of culture, and racism. So, the helpful video features the messages and themes of social injustice. It shows that working and poor African American people today are dedicated to what Myrdal called the nationwide recommendation for the American Creed (Simien). Since the 1980s, poor African Americans have been expecting the ultimate victory of the upcoming generation of their race that has well-off African American people. They are more likely to accept that hard work and motivation deliver accomplishment and are frequently satisfied by their children's development.

It is concluded that immigrant people in the USA face ethical issues related to ethnicity and race. The inherent dignity and worth of all people work to design an effective society to confirm that immigrants contribute to the US community. Discrimination based on race is unethical and unjust but counterproductive for the US community. Once marginalized and excluded, it weakens the strength for progress, growth, and innovation.

Works Cited

Bayor, Ronald H. Race and Ethnicity in America A Concise History. Columbia University Press, 2003.

Dear White People. Dir. Justin Simien. 2014.

Harris, A. J. "The Civil Rights Movement. Million Man March. Black Lives Matter." International Journal of Multiple Research Approaches (2021): 1-3.

Hooper, M.W., A. M Nápoles and E.J. Pérez-Stable. "COVID-19 and racial/ethnic disparities." Jama (2020): 2466-2467.

Huguley, J. P, et al. "Parentalethnic–racial socialization practices and the construction of children of color’s ethnic–racial identity: A research synthesis and meta-analysis." Psychological Bulletin (2019): 437.

McKersie, R. B. "The 1960s civil rights movement and black lives matter: Social Protest from a negotiation perspective." Negotiation Journal (2021): 301-323.

Wang, M. T, et al. "Parental ethnic-racial socialization practices and children of color’s psychosocial and behavioural adjustment: A systematic review and meta-analysis." American Psychologist (2020): 01.