All Nonfiction
- Bullying
- Books
- Academic
- Author Interviews
- Celebrity interviews
- College Articles
- College Essays
- Educator of the Year
- Heroes
- Interviews
- Memoir
- Personal Experience
- Sports
- Travel & Culture
All Opinions
- Bullying
- Current Events / Politics
- Discrimination
- Drugs / Alcohol / Smoking
- Entertainment / Celebrities
- Environment
- Love / Relationships
- Movies / Music / TV
- Pop Culture / Trends
- School / College
- Social Issues / Civics
- Spirituality / Religion
- Sports / Hobbies
All Hot Topics
- Bullying
- Community Service
- Environment
- Health
- Letters to the Editor
- Pride & Prejudice
- What Matters
- Back
Summer Guide
- Program Links
- Program Reviews
- Back
College Guide
- College Links
- College Reviews
- College Essays
- College Articles
- Back
Colorblind: Racial Ignorance in America
Though she knew she was breaking the law, Rosa Parks, a simple, elderly, hard working,
housemaid, one day decided she would not give up her seat on the bus for a white man. And with that small act of defiance, she became, unintentionally, a Civil Rights icon.
Parks never intended to be a popular and respected leader of this movement. She only wanted to be comfortable after a day of being on her feet. Parks was arrested, and with the media outrage that followed, America’s eyes began to open.
Sadly, that is a lie. America’s eyes have yet to open. They have steadfastly remained in darkness.
Being the youngest child of an interracial marriage, I am often asked if this relationship has affected me in any way. To be honest, I am rather offended by people who question me about this.
I am simply a teenage girl who chooses to ignore her parents' heritage, racial stigmatism, or any of the myopic, stereotypical prejudices one wishes to impose. That's their problem, not mine.
To be frank, you could not pay me enough to care what slave ship brought my fathers family from Ethiopia. Nor can I feel a pang of sorrow when relatives tell me of my ancestors' hardships when they immigrated to America. I know it sounds harsh. And yes, in a way, it bothers me. But, it is the truth.
I did realize that my father was the same color crayon in my crayon box, brown. But it hadn't occurred to me that he was African- American until the age of seven when a classmate asked, “Why doesn’t your daddy look like your mommy?” My initial reaction was to shake my head and argue that my father looked just like anyone else's father.
How could it could be possible that he was different. He coached my biddy ball team, sat through my two hour Christmas concerts, cooked when mom was away. At that age, some children have yet to learn the difference between doing and being.
That night, at dinner, I saw my parents differently. With my recent discovery, I slowly began to understand that I was biracial, and supposedly different, just like my dad.
As I grew older and went through Catholic school, teachers asked if I celebrated Kwanza. Some classmates called me cookie dough, and parents asked me about Black History Month.
No, I do not celebrate Kwanza, nor does my dad. In my opinion, Kwanza is a recently created black Christmas to build more of a barricade, to separate, not for reasons of heritage, or being different in a positive way.
I did, at one time, let people nickname me because of my skin color. My own mother even took the
liberty of calling me peanut butter. But now, since I have been questioning and thinking, being called peanut butter, Reese cup, and mocha bear, offends me. Or when people say that I am mixed, I feel like yelling. I am not a beverage, so how can I be mixed?
I believe Black History Month, along with other months dedicated to a specific group, should be prohibited. There is no need to focus on a particular group for an entire month. Instead, parents, teachers, and media should discuss historical interests throughout the year.
Historian, Carter G. Woodson’s original Black Awareness Week ,was intended to help others envision a better future through an identity of their past. But now, his vision has become a pop culture phenomenon, which corporate America has been quick to exploit. During the last Super Bowl, for example, several corporate commercials specifically mentioned Black History Month, and how much they honored it.
Another injustice of our nation is affirmative action. On September 24, 1965, the executive order number 11246 required federal contractors, “Take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed, and that employees are treated during employment, without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin.” With affirmative action, employers are being asked to hire less qualified workers and in some instances for more money. Title II of the Act prohibited discrimination in privately owned businesses and facilities opened to the public. In Title VI of the Act, it prohibited discrimination in federally funded programs. Title VII prohibited discrimination by both private and public employers. During the Civil Rights Era, affirmative action was created to abolish racial imbalances in hiring policies. Affirmative action was later extended to include college admissions and governmental contracts.
Today, affirmative action is a controversial matter facing our equal rights status of individual rights. As I have just recently explained, the idea and hope that affirmative action implemented was that America would truly become equal. So far, this hope and dream of equality has lasted thirty years and has yet to resolve any of our current problems concerning equal rights-it has made things worse. This act was created with intention of using reverse discrimination to resolve discrimination. With this, minority groups are being chosen over qualifications of other workers.
Affirmative action is also influential in the educational system. In some college admissions, minority students who may have never been accepted into a decent college, are now getting accepted. With this, the American people believe that this will end all racism on school campuses, creating diversity among students. The United States constitution states that all Americans are created equal. Therefore, I believe if we are created equal, shouldn’t we all have the same opportunity as everyone else?
Finally, Black Entertainment Television, commonly known as BET, creates a stereotypical outlook on the African American culture. Founded by Robert L. Johnson in 1980, the network showed movies, television series, and music to target an African American audience. BET justifies racism by pressing personal and broad generalizations about African Americans, affecting how many young viewers see the African American culture. Many generalizations include being womanizers, promiscuous, nuisances to society, and opposing integration.
This network contributes to the stereotypical diet of African Americans: fried chicken, cherry Kool-Aid, and soul food. BET also neglects the fact that most African Americans do not find people of Caucasian heritage as the bad guys or the nerds. Also, BET would like to portray the ‘injustices’ of being an American citizen who happens to be of African descent. For example, if one were to create a new television franchise called White Entertainment Television, or more commonly known as WET, people would assume it would be promoting white supremacy. BET exploits and manipulates the depiction of an African American’s daily life, which is why the network should be renamed or taken out of your basic cable lineup.
Why do Americans feel that they have conquered racism and prejudice? Granted, from that spark that Rosa Parks lit, to the election of Barrack Obama, is one giant leap for mankind. However, we are not even in spitting distance of erasing racial bigotry.
I notice it among my peers when they say, “I would never date a black guy.” Or, “They only like your dad because he’s the only black man they know.” Even, “I’m going through a black guy phase. I have to date one.”
When people mention things like these, intuition tells me it starts in the home. Where else would one learn behavior and comments of that nature? Social prejudice is not innate. It has to be predisposed. If one truly wishes to stop the idea of seeing race, it must start within themselves.
Similar Articles
JOIN THE DISCUSSION
This article has 142 comments.
To the "according to the Constitution. . ." comment -- I believe there is an amendment to that, and you should also be aware that that was added to satisfy the Southern plantation owners in early America who depended heavily on slavery to run their plantation. The Southern states woud have refused to sign the Constitution if slavery was banned at that time, and so they decided to postpone that decision until 1808 (I believe that is the correct year, but if not, I know it is sometime in the early 1800s).
Also, they were included as 3/5 of a person in the Constitution because the Southern states weren't as populous without them, but since they were considered slaves there was controversy about whether or not to include them in the population count. That was the solution they came up with at the time.
As well, I would like to say that it appears the most discriminated type of person in America (or the world) is a white man. There are lawas here protecting all "minorities" from certain mistreatment, and then there are laws that protect white women from certain mistreatment. However, there are not laws to protect the white man.
(This is what I have heard, and, from vague background research, have found to be true. However, if I am wrong and there is proof to back it, would someone mind telling me?)
^^"
Trust me, no one is glorifying black people. We are the lowest race on the totem pole of minorities. The affirmative action plan helped matters a lot at the time, but didn't do away with the problem completely. And it certainly didn't cause people to glorify people of color.
And there is nothing wrong with racial pride. TreyAmazing likes being black because, as do many black teenagers, it is both because of the cultural aspects AND because it was the race he was born into. You can't do anything to change who you are, and you have to live being you your whole life. So why not love it? I do, and I don't really appreciate this article because it makes me feel like loving the black part of myself is wrong.
It's dangerous not to see race, at least when it comes to seeing yourself as one race or another. Because in the end that's how the world will see you, so it doesn't really matter what you think, does it?
I'm also "mixed" (Hispanic Dad, "white" mom) and I get some of what you are saying. I, personally, want to celebrate both sides of the family by embracing their cultures, but that's my choice. When I had a Quince Anos (sweet 15) party, I would invite friends and they'd laugh at me. If I had a dollar for how many times someone said "You're not Mexican" or "You're white, why are you doing this?", I'd have a ton of money. I am a 2nd generation immigrant from Colombia on my dad's side. I love my family and their culture, but that doesn't mean I ignore my mom's side. I know you said you don't care about where/when/why/how your ancestors got to America, but to me, it's fascinating to know who left you as their legacy.
I live in the south, in a small town. My best friend is "black". I don't think race should affect the way anyone looks at you, but sadly, it does. Race is a delicate topic in today's day and age, but if the adults of our world refuse to acknowledge that racial sterotypes, racial ignorance, and racism still exist, then it's up to us, the teens, to remind them. Maybe if we do, they'll finally do something about. Or maybe, we'll just do it ourselves. :)
Thank you fo your views, however I believe that you feel like this because you are centered on protecting your ethnic background, seeing that your profile says your favorite hobby is Being Black. Do you like being black because of the cultural aspects or do you like being black because it just happens to be the race you were born into?
You said that I blame my father's heritage for things, and I can see how you would feel that way, but I feel that it is wrong to glorify people just because I'm listed as a minority. Glorify me because I am an AP student, or that I am a good athlete, or even because I am a young woman who has a family that allows her to speak freely. Don't accept me into a college because my father happens to be black.