reading assignment race and ethnicity

11/22/2020 Ch. 11 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity - Introduction to Sociology 2e | OpenStax

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Learning Objectives 11.1 Racial, Ethnic, and Minority Groups

Understand the difference between race and ethnicity Define a majority group (dominant group) Define a minority group (subordinate group)

11.2 Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination Explain the difference between stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and racism Identify different types of discrimination View racial tension through a sociological lens

11.3 Theories of Race and Ethnicity Describe how major sociological perspectives view race and ethnicity Identify examples of culture of prejudice

11.4 Intergroup Relationships Explain different intergroup relations in terms of their relative levels of tolerance Give historical and/or contemporary examples of each type of intergroup relation

11.5 Race and Ethnicity in the United States Compare and contrast the different experiences of various ethnic groups in the United States Apply theories of intergroup relations, race, and ethnicity to different subordinate groups

Figure 11.1 Do you think race played a role in Trayvon Martin’s death or in the public reaction to it? Do you think race had any influence on the initial decision not to arrest George Zimmerman, or on his later acquittal? (Photo courtesy of Ryan Vaarsi/flickr)

Trayvon Martin was a seventeen-year-old black teenager. On the evening of February 26, 2012, he was visiting with his father and his father’s fiancée in the Sanford, Florida multi-ethnic gated community where his father's fiancée lived. Trayvon went on foot to buy a snack from a nearby convenience store. As he was returning, George Zimmerman, a white Hispanic male and the community’s neighborhood watch program coordinator, noticed him. In light of a recent rash of break-ins, Zimmerman called the police to report a person acting suspiciously, which he had done on many other occasions. The 911 operator told Zimmerman

11/22/2020 Ch. 11 Introduction to Race and Ethnicity - Introduction to Sociology 2e | OpenStax

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not to follow the teen, but soon after Zimmerman and Martin had a physical confrontation. According to Zimmerman, Martin attacked him, and in the ensuing scuffle Martin was shot and killed (CNN Library 2014).

A public outcry followed Martin’s death. There were allegations of racial profiling—the use by law enforcement of race alone to determine whether to stop and detain someone—a national discussion about “Stand Your Ground Laws,” and a failed lawsuit in which Zimmerman accused NBC of airing an edited version of the 911 call that made him appear racist. Zimmerman was not arrested until April 11, when he was charged with second-degree murder by special prosecutor Angela Corey. In the ensuing trial, he was found not guilty (CNN Library 2014).

The shooting, the public response, and the trial that followed offer a snapshot of the sociology of race. Do you think race played a role in Martin’s death or in the public reaction to it? Do you think race had any influence on the initial decision not to arrest Zimmerman, or on his later acquittal? Does society fear black men, leading to racial profiling at an institutional level? What about the role of the media? Was there a deliberate attempt to manipulate public opinion? If you were a member of the jury, would you have convicted George Zimmerman?