Kirk1

NicoleKirk
Mosaic
Seeds
April29,2015
Howcanweusepastexperiencetofightracism?
Racismhasbeenanextremelyhardthingtocombatduetoracialbiasandexperiencesin
thepast
.
Somewouldsaythatitcanneverbecompletelygonefromallsociety
.
Manydifferent
leadershaveuseddifferentmeansofattemptingtoendracism
.
Whenlookingattwomovements
forracialequality,theUnitedStatesCivilRightsMovementandtheSouthAfrican
AntiApartheidMovement,itiseasytoseethis
.
Whatwayshaveworkedwellinthepastand
whatwayshavenot?Usingthisinformation,howcanweworktogiveequalitytoallpeople?
Racismisthebeliefthatallpeoplefromoneracehavecertainqualitiesthatmakethem
inferiororsuperiortootherraces
.
Inthepast,thisbeliefhasinfluencedslaveryandwars.Itis
extremelyhardtocombatbecausesomepeoplewhodiscriminatebasedonracemanynoteven
beawareofit.Racialbiasisanunconsciousjudgmentinwhichapersonhascertainthoughts
aboutapersonbecauseoftheirrace.AstudybyMarianneBertrand,aneconomistatthe
UniversityofChicago,showsthis.Thousandsofresumesweresentout.Somehadstereotypical
whitenames,suchasBrendansomehadstereotypicalblacknamessuchasJamal.Theresumes
wereexactlythesamebutemployerswere50%morelikelytochoosethewhitename.Things
likethiscontinuetoprovethatalthoughwehaveequalrightsintheUnitedStates,thereisnot
alwaysequaltreatment.Someofthepsychologicalreasonsthatracialdiscriminationare

groupingandinsecurity.Peoplechoosetogroupwithpeoplesimilartothem,thisaddstomaking
societymoresegregated.Peoplearealsoinsecureandwilljudgeothersforanythingthatis
differentaboutthemtohelpthemselvesfeelbetter.
Inthepastpeoplehaveuseddifferentwaysofattemptingtostopracismandgainequality
forallraces.IntheUnitedStatesCivilRightsMovementthemainleaderwasMartinLuther
KingJr.MartinLutherKingJr.sideawastochoosenonviolenceandpassiveresistancetogain
equality.ThisnonviolentmovementinvolvedathreeprongedstrategyofCivilDisobedience,
Grassrootsorganizingandvoterregistration,andBoycottsandeconomicwithdrawal.Even
thoughthesepeoplewerebrutallyattacked,theychoosenottochooseviolence.Peopledid
defendthemselvesandstandtheirground,butmostdidnotusebruteforceandviolencetoreach
theirgoal.Noteveryonewhowasapartofthemovementwerenonviolent.PeoplelikeMalcolm
Xwantedtobegivenequalrights
byanymeansnecessary
."Thisdidnotexcludeviolent
actions.TheflawinMalcolmsthinkingwasthathedidnotwanttobearoundotherwhite
people,hewantedblackpeopleandwhitepeopletobeequalbutseparate.Butthisideaseemsas
itwouldonlybringaboutmorediscriminationbetweenraceswhichwouldonlycausemore
issuesinthefuture.
TheSouthAfricanAntiApartheidMovementwasmuchdifferent.NelsonMandelawas
themainleaderinthismovement.WhenmostpeoplethinkofNelsonMandelatheydonotthink
ofaviolentperson,butinrealityMandelawantedtodoanythinghehadtoinordertogain
equality.ThegoaloftheAntiApartheidMovementwastodecimatethelocaleconomytoput
pressureonthegovernment.Theyalsousedstrikeandboycottsinthebeginning.During1976
AntiApartheidactivistsweremarching,thepolicerespondedbyshootinga13yearoldboy.

Followingthisevent,youngpeoplebegansettingfiretobuildingsandbreakingwindows.The
policethenshot6morechildren.Civilianswerekilledjustdrivingtoandfromtheirhomesdue
tolandmines.Evenpeoplewithintheoppressedgroupwerekillingeachotherwhensome
wantedtoremainnonviolent.FinallyblackSouthAfricansgainedtheirequalityafterhelpfrom
internationalforces.
Lookingbackonthepast,someofthesestrategiesthatpeoplehaveusedtogainequality
haveworkedwhileothershavenotbeensuccessful.Peoplecanusetheexperienceofthepastto
findawaytogaintotalequalityforallraces.Violenceisnottherightsolutiontofightracial
discrimination.Inthepastithasonlygottenofthewayofaquickerendofracism.Staying
nonviolencealsokeepspeoplefromclaimingthatthewholegroupisviolentthuscreatingfuture
stereotypes.Ifracialdiscriminationwillevergoaway,peopleneedtofindthesourceofracial
bias.Findingthereasonpeoplethinkacertainwayisthefirststeptothencuringthat.Ifracial
biascanbeeliminated,wecanhaveatrulyequalsociety.Notonlyequalasfaraslawsgo,but
equalinthewaywearetreated.Thereisstillalottobelearned,butfollowingtheexampleof
successfulleaderscanmakeiteasierforustomoresuccessfullycombattodaysissues.

WorksCited
Blake,John."TheNewThreat:'RacismwithoutRacists'CNN.com."
CNN
.CableNews
Network,26Nov.2014.Web.6Apr.2015.RacialBias
Burkeman,Oliver.
You'reProbablyMoreRacistandSexistthanYouThink
.TheGuardian,15
Aug.2013.Web.2Apr.2015.Howpeoplecanunconsciouslyjudgepeoplebecauseofrace
Collins,ChiquitaA.,andDavidR.Williams."SegregationandMortality:TheDeadlyEffectsof
Racism?"
SegregationandMortatality
.N.p.,01Sept.1999.Web.18Mar.2015.How
racismaffectsthehealthofAfricanAmericans
"ColorMeanings|ColorSymbolism|MeaningofColors."
ArtTherapy
.N.p.,06Feb.2011.
Web.2Apr.2015.Colorsymbolismforposter
Digitalimage.The,n.d.Web.2Apr.2015.PictureofWaterHoseAttacksintheUS
"ExploringthePsychologicalMotivesofRacism."
PsychologyToday
.ClayRoutledgePh.D.,31
Aug.2010.Web.13Apr.2015.Psychologicalreasonsracismisstillaroundtoday
"FamousActivists."
Bio.com
.A&ENetworksTelevision,n.d.Web.31Mar.2015.American
CivilRightsLeaders
Foner,Eric,andJohnA.Garraty."CivilRightsMovement."
History.com
.A&ETelevision
Networks,1991.Web.31Mar.2015.CivilRightsintheUSA
Franklin,AndersonJ.,andNancyBoydFranklin."InvisibilitySyndrome."
PsycNET
.American
JournalofOrthopsychiatry,Jan.2000.Web.31Mar.2015.Rippleeffectsofracismina
society
"MartinLutherKing,Jr.Quote."
BrainyQuote
.Xplore,n.d.Web.14Apr.2015.MartinLuther
KingJrQuote

NelsonMandelaQuote
.N.p.,n.d.Web.13Apr.2015.NelsonMandelaQuote
Ott,Stephanie."Mandela'sFellowAntiapartheidActivistsCNN.com."
CNN
.CableNews
Network,n.d.Web.31Mar.2015.SouthAfricanAntiApartheidLeaders
PeopleWorkinginField
.Digitalimage.
AbolitionofSlavery
.N.p.,n.d.Web.2Apr.2.Pictureof
SlaveryintheUS
PoliceDuringApartheid
.Digitalimage.N.p.,n.d.Web.2Apr.2015.Pictureofpoliceduring
Apartheid
RosaParksonBus
.Digitalimage.N.p.,n.d.Web.2Apr.2015.PictureofRosaParks
Rosenberg,Jennifer."CivilRightsActivistsandHumanitarians."
CivilRightsAroundtheWorld
.
N.p.,n.d.Web.31Mar.2015.Differentleadersincivilrights
SignDuringApartheid
.Digitalimage.
ApartheidTimeline
.HuffingtonPost,n.d.Web.2Apr.
2015.PictureofsignduringApartheid
"VirginiaHistoricalSociety."
TheLegacyoftheCivilRightsMovement
.VirginiaHistorical
Society,n.d.Web.7Apr.2015.Differentfrontsofcivilrightsmovements
"WhatIsRace?"
PBS
.PBS,n.d.Web.13Apr.2015.Whatisrace?Whatdefinesrace?
"WhatIsRacism?"
WhatIsRacism?
AntiDefamationLeague,2001.Web.2Apr.2015.Racism