Social Justice Blog Five: Racism-The Centuries Old Elephant In The Room

Zinn's excerpts regarding the plight of African-American slaves as well as Adams' narratives about discrimination portrayed racism as a real life situation experienced by real people. For many people, its seems that oppression is more of a concept than a reality. The likes of Zinn and Adams effectively utilize their positions as writers to show the world that which has been kept under wraps for generations---prejudice against people of color. From slavery to contemporary racism and my own personal experiences, I'll share my interpretation of the effects of racism on society throughout the course of time.

For starters, reading about the manner in which African blacks were enslaved and transported to the Americas infuriated me immensely for two reasons. First of all, the complete disregard for human life that seemed to be socially acceptable at that time is sickening. It was extremely painful to read about how they were "packed aboard slave ships, in spaces not much bigger than coffins....choking in the stench of their own excrement" (Zinn, 28). The slave Abream Scriven's letter to his wife telling her to convey to his parents "if we Shall not meet in this world I hope to meet in heaven," (Zinn, 173) is also heart-breaking. Second, it is unjust in my opinion that African-Americans in the present day still have to struggle with the effects of this deep-rooted oppression. The emotions, feelings, and concerns of enslaved people are unfortunately overlooked in school history classes, thus leading future generations to have a limited understanding of the suffering that took place. It's shocking how racism and maltreatment that occurred hundreds of years ago have made the journey forward much more difficult.

I also found Adams' short narratives describing racism in America to be very powerful and emphatic. The "minor and major advantages" of White feminist scholar Peggy McIntosh were interesting to read about since they address areas of life where people don't even realize they have a privilege. The fact that "she had greater access to jobs and housing, she could always find appropriate hair care products and make up, she could send her child to school confident that the teacher wouldn't discriminate against him on the basis of race, she could be late to meetings..."(Adams, 68) demonstrates more than anything else that she would be judged as an individual person. The whole concept of "white privilege" is indicative of the adaptations people of color have had to make due to set "norms" and "standards in our society.

Another narrative I found interesting was "Identification Pleas," discussing the marginalization of Native Americans. It was mind-boggling to me how the border patrol officer asked the man for his "real ID" when he showed his Native American Identification Card (Adams, 109). Due to the fact that Indians have been overlooked for centuries, people today often don't recognize them as a legitimate ethnic group. They percieve them instead as ancient figures found only in history textbooks.

Lastly, I felt like I could relate to the "Eyedentification" story (107). The whole notion of the "white standard" of beauty is something that many people of color have experienced. In the case of the Korean girl it's eyelid surgery, for many African-American girls it's the whole concept of "good hair", and for women of Indian origin it's the idea that lighter skin is better. Thanks to my mom's influence, I've grown up proud of my dark skin. However, I have experienced comments throughout my life implying that I would be better off with light skin. Many Indian people have told me that I'm a "pretty dark-skinned girl" and that I "would be even more beautiful if I were fairer." I find it heart-breaking that so many societies encourage their women to uphold colonial ideas of what is considered attractive. I hope there is a day when it's not a "privilege" to avoid experiencing such bigotry but rather it's the norm for all people.