Structural racism and health inequalities: Most discourses regarding white privilege are often tied to the systematic perspectives that unequally…
Structural racism and health inequalities
Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution says that one of the powers of Congress is to \”To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization.\” This means Congress is responsible for passing laws with respect to immigration. Find a specific immigration law Congress has passed in the last 25 years. Provide a link to the law and a summary of the law. Find at least one article that discusses the law, provide a link and cite. What are the arguments in favor of the law? What are the arguments against the law? What is your opinion of the law? Are there any specific immigration laws you would like to see Congress enact or laws you would like Congress to repeal? Why?
Do not cut and paste anything from the Internet without quotations or proper citation – this is plagiarism. Everything not quoted or cited must be in your own words. Make sure to write a 250-300 word post and to reply to at least two other students 100-word responses.
Personal Reflection on White Privilege
Most discourses regarding white privilege are often tied to the systematic perspectives that unequally treat people of color and those of Hispanic descent. In reality, it does not necessarily mean that the white population has not suffered the consequence of societal indifferences; neither does it mean that the white population does not work as hard as other races, but it exposes the unacknowledged preposition that one gets for being white. In this essay, I explore the incidences that indicate systemic white privilege in typical American society.
In the public domain, the police tend to be brutal towards other races, save for whites. In this sense, I accede to McIntosh’s proposition that whites are carefully taught not to recognize the privileges embedded in social systems. Just recently, police shot an unarmed black man ten times in Virginia after mistaking a phone for a gun following a response to a domestic row (Romero, 2021). While I could have been naïve to understand the societal to believe this conception, it was evident that the police did not regard people of color as it did to the whites, including those on the wrong side of the law. The conscious and unconscious bias in law enforcement and the criminal justice system sums up the unequivocal privilege accorded to white people. This can be tied to notions of perceived danger and violence that has over the eyes been tied to people of color and Hispanics.
When it comes to accountability for violence or even insecurity, people of color are often considered prime perpetrators. Despite the unimaginable atrocities committed by the whites against other races that often, remain veiled despite being in the public domain. What rhetoric! I recall an instance when a middle-aged white man threatened the life of a Mexican-American woman for walking along his sidewalk. Despite being a known and legal resident in the neighborhood, the woman was apprehended for trespassing. In her exposition, McIntosh claims that being white shielded her from a wide range of antagonism, anguish, and violence despite being quietly taught to respond similarly toward people of color. I admit that in as much as I might consider myself multicultural, I dare say I am afraid of public harassment and gangster labeling on black American youths as I am.
In school settings, reports of mistreatment of students of color are a common occurrence. Unlike white students, black students are likely to be imprisoned for minor offenses such as staring or intimidating white women. Disparities in schools start as early as preschool through higher institutions of learning and even in academia, as highlighted by McIntosh. A Washington Post article revealed that despite the effort by President Barack Obama’s regime, new government data indicates that Black children are still more likely to be punished or expelled than their White peers, despite efforts to eliminate substantial racial inequities in preschool punishment. (Strauss, 2020). It is hard to admit that racial stereotyping is much more embedded in classrooms than it is in the public domain in my school life. It is common to learn about white supremacy in schools, unlike ethnic studies that do not feature electives. Furthermore, the fact that more children from other races experience exclusionary discipline in schools compared to their white counterparts, exemplifies the systemic stereotyping of black students in academic settings.
In sum, most people are oblivious to white privilege. In this sense, you and I need to acknowledge that white privilege is strongly inculturated in the United States. As a result, there is a need to culture a society that is not guided by race through a systematic change. In the end, everyone will win, and being white or a person of color will no longer be a privilege or predisposition to danger or societal advantage.
References
Strauss, V. (2020). New federal data shows Black preschoolers still disciplined at far higher rates than Whites. Available at https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/11/26/new-federal-data-shows-black-preschoolers-still-disciplined-far-higher-rates-than-whites/ (Accessed 9 June 2021).
McIntosh, P. (1988). White privilege: Unpacking the invisible knapsack. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED355141.pdf?utm#page=43
Romero, D. (2021). Virginia deputy gave Black man a ride home, then shot him after a 911 call. Available at https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/virginia-deputy-gave-black-man-ride-home-then-shot-him-n1265195 (Accessed 9 June 2021).
