Multicultural Self Reflection

Improved Essays
It is my belief that for a white individual like myself to be an ally against racism, they must first possess the ability to understand existing forms of racism and oppression in the American macroscopic environment. Moreover, to combat or relinquish such beliefs, it must be understood how they evolve over time and are further enabled within varying institutions. It is my hope that through this document it will be illustrated that I have potential to grow and learn both as an individual and an aspiring ally. Through my continuing studies on racism and oppression, I seek to learn more about myself through the varying lenses of self-reflection and identity definitions I am exposed to, while synonymously learning to aid others through multicultural …show more content…
Although I recognize that individuals who associate themselves with these identities can be exposed to significant levels of oppression, I often found racial and ethnic oppression to be more of a personal effecter when I was young. Much of my childhood and adolescent life spanned over the course of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and the subsequent events and aftermath, making racially pertinent memories and experiences far more prominent in my …show more content…
I identify as a heterosexual, white and male student with no physical disadvantages living in a middle-class environment. From these classifications alone I immediately fit into one of the most privileged, dominant and oppressive groups in North-Western culture. In this way, I am able to avoid nearly all possible disadvantages by possible association with non-dominant identity groups and subsequently am provided with unethical and oppressive power through existing social systems. Recently able to acknowledge this however, I may pursue my duty to fight this self-perpetuating cycle of

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    EB Dubois Argument Essay

    • 1067 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Despite most Americans believing that we live in a post racial society, people of color are constantly trying to find equality in a country where being a white man is the goal. A goal that is all but unattainable to people who are not born into the privilege of being Caucasian. A huge way in which the inequality is seen is in the labels given to American born minorities in the United States. Native…

    • 1067 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “White” Like Me At the heart of American culture is the concept of racism; a continuous cycle perpetuated through years of injustice by slavery, violence, segregation, and hatred. Much like the symbolic “tree of life”, racism’s roots extend deep into the earth, drawing sustenance from each member of society. Yet in that survival tactic, it unconsciously steals a little more from one side—this is white privilege. “White privilege” is a mere social construction by which the dominant white group justifies their advantages and higher quality of life through diminution of people of color. To be a member of the white race, it is easy to overlook subtle inequalities—such as the wealth gap, career opportunities, education, etc.…

    • 1432 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    An Ever Changing Country Although it has been decades since slavery ended, racism is still a profound controversy in the United States today. Charles Blow describes some of these levels of racism and its effects on people in the United States in his article “White America’s ‘Broken Heart’”. The article, as can be deciphered by the title, is about how white Americans today are handling the changing situations of equality in the United States. Blow published this article February 4, 2016, on The New York Times’ Opinion Pages on their website. Many Americans assume that racism is almost completely gone in today’s society, but Blow believes that it still lingers and is affecting the health of Caucasians in America.…

    • 1010 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mixed Ethnic Structure

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In this essay, I will argue the ways in which the structures of race and racism will influence the experience and social interactions of each of the members of my family. My family will not be privileged by our current society’s racial structure. Our family unit will contain people of multiple races, and none of these races will include the advantaged White majority group. This will have an effect on my partner and I’s life experiences, as well as the experiences of our…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In her article, “Defining Racism”, Beverly Tatum discusses racism and how it continues to rear its ugly head, even today. By providing a unique definition for the controversial term, she is able to highlight what it really means to be human, as well as the limitations that surround the word “racism”. Tatum’s writing draws upon ideas that can be seen in several works including the article, “Representations of Whiteness in the Black Imagination” and novels such as Between the World and Me, March Book One, March Book Two, and Kite Runner. Through each one of these novels, the reader is shown what humanity through a racist lens looks like. To begin, Tatum defines racism as “ a system of advantage based on race” (126).…

    • 223 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With acts such as racial discrimination / prejudice posing major problems for communities with people of color, this raises the problem broad spectrum of social inequality. To explore this further, I interviewed…

    • 1123 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Tim Wise’s book “White Like Me Reflections on Race from a Privileged son” (2011), Wise tackles the controversial topic of white privilege and how racial identity and whiteness here in America shape the overall lives of white Americans and adversely affect people of color. He entwines stories from his own life experiences from birth to present to make it both an easy read and relatable. Wise explains exactly what white privilege means and how this privilege is systematically embedded into American society and because of this, racism and racial disparities are rampant. He writes this book, not for those people of color, as they already know and understand the effects that whiteness (or lack thereof) has on their lives; but he writes for his…

    • 1614 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Racial Inequality Analysis

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Racial inequality is currently one of the biggest social problems that plagues the United States and has been for most of our nation’s history. Some inequalities of the past have been phased out, segregation, racist laws, and various forms of discrimination, for example, but many inequalities either still persist or appear to be making a resurgence. Racial inequalities of today do not share many of the same extremes of the days of old, but rather we see limited job opportunities, limited educational opportunities, police killings of minorities, and the increasing hatred of those who voice their opinion on the matter. In order to better understand the impact that race has on many of life’s aspects, I will attempt to analyze how racial inequalities…

    • 1288 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    Privilege and oppression provides a framework for understanding how institutional structures and ideologies shapes individual experiences. Privilege and oppression also explains “how power operates in society” which led to the formation of “a dominant group and a marginalized group” (Launius and Hassel, Threshold Concepts, 72-73). “Oppression can be defined as prejudice and discrimination directed toward a group and perpetuated by the ideologies and practices of multiple social institutions” (Launius and Hassel, Threshold Concepts, 73). While, privilege refer to the “benefits, advantages, and power that accrue to members of a dominant group as a result of the oppression of marginalized group”, whether or not those with privilege recognized…

    • 1428 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    We live in a time where unfortunately, racism is still an issue that many people across many races deal with. In America, it is mainly African-Americans, Hispanics, and Middle Eastern people that deal with the pain and hatred that takes shape in many different forms. In “Understanding White Privilege” by Frances Kendall, Ph.D., the author explores the concept of white privilege with an informative, yet critical tone in order to persuade readers to think differently. Kendall starts off by explaining the purpose of her article, which is to “to become clear about the basics of white privilege what it is and how it works” (2).…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What Is Racial Inequality?

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages

    “My schooling gave me no training in seeing myself as an oppressor, as an unfairly advantaged person, or as a participant in a damaged culture.” (McIntosh, 1). From a minorities stand point achieving the white norm is a difficult task. “People of color experience explicit racial socialization, meaning they are taught in their families, in schools, and through the media that their race matters. White people, on the other hand, may have difficulties with the topic of race and privilege for the simple fact that such conversations have likely been uncommon in their lives.”…

    • 1743 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racial Formation Theory

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This week’s readings exemplify scholarly and theoretical attempts to conceptualize race and racism in a way to effectively address and challenge systematic, structural racism that has evolved throughout the history of the United States socio- politically, historically, and culturally. Omi and Winant trace the lineage of race and racism in the US, focusing on the theoretical paradigms of race and their shortcomings as well as the contemporary evolution of racism coupled with neoliberal economic developments. Feagin similarly explores the legacy of racism in the US from a Marxist perspective. Taken together, these scholars problematize systematic racism that continues in the contemporary American society and argues for new ways to conceptualize…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Cultural Competence Healthcare is becoming diverse with the patient population from many different race, cultures and ethnicity. Nurses take care of patients from many different types of heritage and background, therefore we need to be culturally competent while providing care. By taking the Cultural Diversity Self-Assessment (IllinoisCTE, n.d.), I was able to determine my own beliefs toward different cultures. The assessment tool is comprised of a one to five rating scale in regards to how strongly I agree with a question.…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    With the hard work from Martin Luther king to Thurgood Marshall, equal opportunities are not longer glass ceiling that (is visible but unreachable) it is obtainable for all individuals by law. However, “the patterns of racial segregation and exclusion continue to characterize the production of popular” contemporary culture (Omi, 539). Even though nowadays segregation laws do not exist anymore, people are still separate into different groups naturally. Overtime, race has become a representation of self. It is neither about who this person is nor how he/she behaves, it is about what physical identities or traits he/she has.…

    • 1277 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Racial Discrimination

    • 1366 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The United States is known as a melting pot when it comes to different cultures and races. In America, areas such as the Midwest and South often see racial discrimination in everyday life. From the workplace, to the streets you live on, this notorious problem limits the opportunities of countless people compared to people who are white. The groups that face the most discrimination are African Americans, Muslims, Hispanics, and other groups such as Jews and the LGBT community. Racism is a well-known reality in today’s society that affects everyday lives.…

    • 1366 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics