Of all the key influences throughout my life, my peer relations have had the biggest impact of who I am and what I stand for. Their stories have become testimonies to the racial injustices in this country and without them I would not know how truly detrimental the injustice is. I felt like growing up I heard about racism, discrimination, and oppression but I did not completely understand it. Simply hearing about racist experiences from someone you do not know compared to someone close to you that has encounter white supremacy and racism is completely different, it was very eye opening. Because of my peer’s experiences, I have become much more open-minded than I once was and they have made me realize that I was once a color-blind racist because
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Environmental issues in African American communities, and other minority communities, are seen as a result of white oppression (Christian, 2002, p. 191). Miller and Garran (2014) affirm this theory by proclaiming “environmental racism correlates with race and class” (p. 73). They further go on to say that poor people of color are more likely to live in areas prone to natural disaster, be exposed to higher levels of air pollution, and live near toxic chemical dump sites (Miller & Garran, 2014, p. 73). Another example of institutional racism can be found in the educational system. “Schools are funded primarily by property taxes, with additional aid form state and federal government” (Miller & Garran, 2014, p. 68). Many minorities live in inner cities were many homes are public housing, the families that occupy these homes are not required to pay property taxes, leaving many inner city schools lacking sufficient funding. Without adequate funding, minorities are not receiving the same education as White students living in finer sections of the city or suburbs. The last reason I acknowledge institutional racism is because the disparity of African American males in the prison system. The justice system has exuded white privilege for as long as it has been around, yet one of the greatest attributions to the disparity is the so called “War on Drugs” and the harsher punishment for African Americans when sentencing cocaine and crack crimes. Cocaine is usually found in White communities and carries a mandatory five years sentence if found in possession of 500 grams, whereas crack is mainly found in African American communities because it is cheaper. Crack carries a five mandatory five years sentence if found in possession of five grams. The issue with this law is, Cocaine and Crack are the same drug, just in different
Environmental issues in African American communities, and other minority communities, are seen as a result of white oppression (Christian, 2002, p. 191). Miller and Garran (2014) affirm this theory by proclaiming “environmental racism correlates with race and class” (p. 73). They further go on to say that poor people of color are more likely to live in areas prone to natural disaster, be exposed to higher levels of air pollution, and live near toxic chemical dump sites (Miller & Garran, 2014, p. 73). Another example of institutional racism can be found in the educational system. “Schools are funded primarily by property taxes, with additional aid form state and federal government” (Miller & Garran, 2014, p. 68). Many minorities live in inner cities were many homes are public housing, the families that occupy these homes are not required to pay property taxes, leaving many inner city schools lacking sufficient funding. Without adequate funding, minorities are not receiving the same education as White students living in finer sections of the city or suburbs. The last reason I acknowledge institutional racism is because the disparity of African American males in the prison system. The justice system has exuded white privilege for as long as it has been around, yet one of the greatest attributions to the disparity is the so called “War on Drugs” and the harsher punishment for African Americans when sentencing cocaine and crack crimes. Cocaine is usually found in White communities and carries a mandatory five years sentence if found in possession of 500 grams, whereas crack is mainly found in African American communities because it is cheaper. Crack carries a five mandatory five years sentence if found in possession of five grams. The issue with this law is, Cocaine and Crack are the same drug, just in different