Posted: June 27th, 2015

Racism can be described as a situation where a person discriminates another one on the basis of skin color

Dialogue Paper # 1

Racism can be described as a situation where a person discriminates another one on the basis of skin color. Racial discrimination has gradually increased in most white dominated societies, and the United States is not an exception. In these societies, racism is rampant in the workplace, at school, and even in the course of normal life. In order to mitigate racial discrimination in these communities, various individuals and lobby groups have engaged the youth in focused group discussion and dialogue seminars. Here, the topic of racism and ethnicity is extensively discussed. Different students from different cultural and racial backgrounds participate in the discussion forums with a goal to mitigate the challenges of racial discrimination. Where the situation allows, they can formulate measures of eliminating racism. In this discussion, the focus is on how the issue of racism can be addressed, and how we felt when one racial group tends to perceive itself as being superior to other racial groups. The white Americans perceived African Americans as being primitive and backward. Racial discrimination is so widespread in society such that, the white and colored individuals are forced to attend different schools and health facilities (Yetman and Steele, 2006).

The fact that some individuals perceive themselves to be superior is associated with racial differences that result from the socially constructed agenda. The discussions revealed various forms of racial discrimination that can only be described by victims of racial abuses. According to Yetman and Steele (2006), racial discrimination is the segregation of individuals based on sociological bias and not necessarily based on race. In this context, we were able to learn that this racial segregation is mostly practiced in the workplace. When it came to job applications, names of individuals that sound African Americans were not considered for employment. This was irrespective of whether these individuals had sufficient qualifications. Intergroup dialogues have been used to deal with racism. My college uses these dialogues to empower the students against racism. During the group dialogue, we discussed personal experiences on this discrimination. We also discussed ways in which each member tried to overcome the problem (Yetman and Steele, 2006).

During the dialogues, institutional discrimination was described as a form of racism manifested in state corporations and educational institutions. These organizations fail to provide equal resources and opportunities to all individuals in the organizations. In some of the organizations that we have visited, individuals were segregated on the basis of color, culture, and religion. This discrimination has denied many organizations the opportunity to grow and succeed in the achievement of their goals. Discriminating a person on the basis of race denies the organizational potential in skilled human resource. Dialogue sessions are also important in realizing the impact of racism on the economy. Discriminating individuals by restricting access to national resources denies them the right to own property and production resources such as land (McIntosh, 2009).

A capitalist economy tends to decrease the impact of discrimination. African American farmers in the United States were allegedly denied rights to own farms and other factors of production. When it came to allocation of loans, white people would get the lion’s share of loans to finance their activities while individuals of other races were either denied or given considerably small amounts (Yetman and Steele, 2006). McIntosh (2009), in his article titled “White Privilege and Male Privilege”, describes the tale of an individual who wanted to open a restaurant. He approached a local bank in America, but surprisingly, he could not secure a loan since he was an African American. Racism can prevent an individual from making meaningful contributions to society. If a person is discriminated on the basis of race or gender, that individual cannot make any valuable contribution to the society. Failure to employ certain people based on their religious and racial backgrounds, deprives many societies of skilled and talented human resources needed to drive the economy. Discrimination also denies an individual of his or her democratic right. In the area that I live, certain communities feel that they are more superior to others. This denies the minority groups their democratic right to freedom of expression. Victims of racism suffer from anger and loss of self esteem. It creates a sense of dishonest amongst different communities (McIntosh, 2009).

In dealing with racism, we formed intergroup dialogues to facilitate the implementation of some of the strategies of reducing discrimination. The teacher and instructors in my college came up with group discussion for the students. In these intergroup discussions, we were able to speak and contribute to the debate of racism. The intergroup dialogue comprised of students from different ethnic and racial backgrounds. We talked about how to overcome racial discrimination. In fact, we engaged in positive conversations that revolved around the issue of diversity, economic conflicts and injustices (Yetman and Steele, 2006). The students realized their roles in society, and were equipped with the knowledge on how to deal with ethnicity by contributing to these discussions positively. Gender bias is one of the major contributing factors of discrimination. By engaging in the dialogue discussion groups, I learnt how to discuss gender insensitivity with my female counterparts so as to reduce discrimination (McIntosh, 2009).

Our groups focused on decreasing prejudice and discrimination in our communities. The emphasis was through examining of similarities in the experiences of each student. I also engaged in meaningful discussions such as those relating to gender equality and sensitivity. These intergroup dialogues are meant to generate meaningful discussion and promote intergroup contact in order to facilitate sharing of information. During the intergroup dialogues, we were supervised by trained facilitators. Intergroup dialogues allowed us to acquire the necessary knowledge to challenge misconceptions and stereotypes (Yetman and Steele, 2006). The facilitators who supervised our dialogue groups had good knowledge about the topic under discussion. The facilitators also had individual empowerment skills that they shared with our group. Since I intend to become a facilitator, I should undergo training in order to facilitate such programs

During the facilitation of the dialogue, the facilitator made sure that we knew each other before the dialogue could start. I was able to introduce myself, where I came from and my ethnic background. The other method I can use to reduce the rate of racism is to educate other students and children from a tender age. In this case, as they grow, they will be able to learn the importance of appreciating each other. If the children grow knowing that people from different communities and ethnic backgrounds should exist together, then cases of racial discrimination will reduce (Yetman and Steele, 2006).

I intend to become a dialogue facilitator since I took part in various dialogue meetings. By taking part in the dialogue, I learnt the qualities of a good facilitator. Since I attended these dialogue meetings, I should enhance my skills by undergoing voice training so that I can gain more knowledge to facilitate a dialogue session. Moreover, I will make sure that I read various topics to be conversant with issues that affect people of different cultural backgrounds.

References

McIntosh, P. (2009). White Privilege and Male Privilege, A Personal Account Of Coming To See Correspondences Through Work In Women’s Studies, Wellesley College.

Yetman, N. and Steele, H. (2006). Majority and Minority: The Dynamics of Racial and Ethnic Relations Allyn and Bacon, Michigan.