Term Paper 8-10 pages on social problem related to race and political representation in America

Running head: RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN POLITICS 1

Racial and Ethnic Representation in American Politics

MicQuel Tabb

Minorities in the U.S. Social Structure

Dr. Everhardt,

Nov. 14, 2018

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN POLITICS 2

Racial and Ethnic Representation in American Politics

I. Introduction

The election f Barrack Obama to the helm of the most powerful seat in all of the

Americas is without a doubt an event that is not only significant to the American people, but also

changes how the world views the united states of America, simply due to the traditional position

race and ethnicity continue to occupy in both American’s political and social systems. Therefore,

it has become difficult to determine whether this is something that only happened once, or does it

signify a more fundamental change in the way politics in America perceived race and ethnicity

(Omi, & Winant, 2014).

It is, therefore, evident that the role of race and ethnicity in shaping American politics

cannot be ignored. Race and ethnicity have been the basis upon which a number of social

problems are anchored. This means race and ethnicity form the key structures not only to the

political system but also to how America views cultures, social systems, and economic activities.

The purpose of this paper is thus to investigate the specific representation of race and ethnicity,

and the role played shaping and developing American politics.

II. Description of the specific problem and how it relates to race, class, gender and/or

sexuality

In order to fully understand the representation of race and ethnicity in American politics,

we have to first and foremost look at where we are coming from. In the year 2008, America was

united and there was no discrimination based on race or ethnicity. Voting was done rationally as

the traditional way of doing things was done away with and people were focused on building and

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN POLITICS 3

restoring the great American heritage. Policies and development agendas dominated politics and

there were a positive vibe and a general feeling of hope. Things have however changed;

consequently, we have to understand why American politics moved away or was transformed

from politics of class to what we are witnessing at the moment which is the politics of race and

ethnicity.

The future representation of race and ethnicity in American politics will depend not just

on the changes taking place within the African-American community, but also on the general

relations between the African-Americans and other races and ethnic groups. There is a need to

change the perception that material success is directly related to politics. Political behavior is

difficult to predict, the choices made by regarding their political orientation will be a key element

in determining how race and ethnicity are manifested in American politics.

Women are underrepresented in American politics compared to men, but this is gradually

changing as people begin to accommodate the female gender and what they have to offer. In

terms of gender representation as it related to racial and ethnic characteristics, black women have

a long way to go in order to close the gap as compared to the position the white women have

been able to occupy. There is a need to have policies and guidelines in place that will encourage

more women to venture into American politics regardless of their racial or ethnic appearance.

III. Cause of the Problem

There is no widely discussed topic in American politics than racial and ethnic

representation. As indicated earlier, the recent history on race and ethnicity is highlighted by the

election of President Barrack Obama into office, while the heartbreaking low points are

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represented by incidences such as the shooting done by white supremacists targeting people of

different races and ethnicities aiming to start race wars.

With that said, it is evident that there are big problems relating to race and ethnicity

within the American political arena. The causes of these problems include (Van Djik, 2015);

a. The fact that compared to 20 years ago, more Americans are seeing race and ethnicity as

a big problem. Approximately 66% of all blacks, 64% of Hispanics and 43% of white

people believe race and ethnicity is a big problem.

b. Racial and ethnic problems are also due to the fact that white America enjoys a largely

segregated life. It does not matter where they are, but either at home, socializing or even

at work, white Americans have confirmed that they spend most of their time around

people of the same race and ethnicity.

c. Unfair treatment of Black and Hispanic Americans. Discrimination at work, in healthcare

and in dealing with police continues to negatively affect race and ethnicity.

d. The fact that the majority number of people incarcerated in America is made up of

African-Americans has further fueled racial and ethnic conflicts in American politics.

IV. Consequences of the Problem

The impact of racial and ethnic conflict in American politics does not stop at the

individual level; it has a wider effect on the community as a whole. The consequences of conflict

damage the personal identity of the person with a feeling of alienation and exclusion causing

further instability. On the person, this kind of discrimination leads to both poor physical and

RACE AND ETHNICITY IN AMERICAN POLITICS 5

mental well-being, affect their productivity negatively and also reduce their life expectancy

significantly (Shwartz, 2017).

Racial discrimination has meant people have been sidelined from participating in

economic and social development proceedings. This has led to social exclusion and other

disadvantages for the people over generations. It is also important to note that racial and ethnic

has played a big role in harboring mistrust between people, inciting hatred and it basically stops

community development in its tracks (Shwartz, 2017). It is therefore evident that this conflict has

extremely negative impacts on the physiological and psychological welfare of a person and the

community in which they dwell.

V. A review of policies/interventions that have been attempted or proposed to solve the

problem.

Over time, there have been a number of policies and interventions put in place to try and

solve the problem of race and ethnicity in American politics. Some of the strategies include

(Selden, 2015);

a. Affirmative action. This is a strategy aimed at addressing problems concerning racial and

ethnic representation in American politics by giving special consideration to the

minorities and women, especially in employment and education, in order to compensate

for both lacks of opportunity and discrimination to the larger communities they

represent.

b. Other important programs and policies include the political class adopting national

policies which involve federal job training for the minority, increasing the aid received

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by the working but poor, having in place well-funded early child programs to take care

of the children born in such minority communities, building better schools and health

services for the minority.

c. Additional policies and programs range from efforts that reduce residential segregation

in America to laws that forbid any type of racial and ethnic discrimination and efforts to

address the problem of teenage pregnancy among the minority racial and ethnic groups

in America.

VI. An evaluation of how well the policies/interventions have addressed the problem.

It is important to recognize the fact that the political class also recognized the need for

change in terms of racial and ethnic representation hence the continuous policies and programs.

The main objective is to achieve social justice and create a community where every member has

equal rights to all the available resources.

So far, the policies continue to affect the problem positively. Although there have been

incidences indicating otherwise, America is more united and everybody seems to be fully

focused on achieving equality (Goldberg, 2016). Voting is no longer based n color but on the

policies, the candidates have to offer. In terms of education, health, and even general

representation, America is moving forward. The freedom of speech, association, to own property

and associate is equal to all. The justice system is organized in such a way that offenders are

treated the same way despite their racial or ethnic representation. Generally, the role played by

the programs and policies has been helpful in uniting the people. They have put their traditional

differences aside and opted to work together as brothers and sisters in creating a society that will

be friendlier to the future generations compared to the past.

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VII. Conclusion

It can be summed up that, racial and ethnic conflict poisons the atmosphere that is

necessary for the smooth running of society (Goldberg, 2016). The effects of the racial and

ethnic conflict go beyond the political fields venturing into other relevant facets of society. It is,

therefore, very important that we create awareness and make rules and regulations that will

encourage people to get along easily and look beyond the obvious differences that exist between

them. Efforts must be continuously made to ensure the fundamental values that are crucial for

society to operate are adhered to by advocating for equity. The judicial services worldwide have

to work together as they represent the authority and order which provide the legal safeguards that

will prevent conflict of any nature.

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References

Goldberg, D. T. (2016). Racial subjects: Writing on race in America. Routledge.

Omi, M., & Winant, H. (2014). Racial formation in the United States. Routledge.

Schwartz, D. C. (2017). Political alienation and political behavior. Routledge.

Selden, S. C. (2015). The Promise of Representative Bureaucracy: Diversity and Responsiveness

in a Government Agency: Diversity and Responsiveness in a Government Agency.

Routledge.

Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Critical discourse studies: A sociocognitive approach. Methods of

critical discourse studies, 63-74.