According to Omi and Winant and supported by Bambara, racial categories primarily serve to facilitate a system of oppression in the United States, and as a result, minorities have internalized the teachings of the system as their true racial identity. The system of oppression in the United States began with a racial dictatorship, and its agenda was perpetuated by hegemony. As cited by Omi and Winant, “Hegemony was always constituted by a combination of coercion and consent.”. (67). As such, it is necessary for a those in in power in a society to gain solidify rule. (67). The United States was founded on racial dictatorship and that extended into the era of slavery and segregation. While it is not clear exactly which decade Sylvia grew up
