Introduction
Racism as an ideology or system of views enshrines the division of people into large groups, termed races. They are united by each group’s inherited physical traits, mentality, intellect, morals, and culture. The racism proclaims the inherent superiority of some races against others, or one race above the rest. Racism is deeply rooted in contemporary American society; the socio-economic disparities between majority American society and the black population are significant and have been transmitted for generations. Thus, it is valuable to demonstrate a plan for combating discrimination on the basis of race.
The Background
Racism is defined as the act of distinguishing a human being by the color of their skin and by all the morphological features related to it. These traits connected with morphology can be general, such as the form of the nose, stature, the head form, and even the color of the eyes. Racism is inclined to combine the definition of race with that of ethnicity and nationality, which is why it is frequently characterized by xenophobia and ethnic chauvinism. Among the attributes found in racism, the most prominent is an absolute aversion to a particular race, which is perceived as inferior or extraneous to the rights of the discriminator (Feagin et al. 35). Certainly, there is a component of prejudice and cognitive bias, in which the racist asserts that they are in a higher position and, therefore, have the right to subjugate or eliminate inferior races.
The History
It is crucial to review the historical retrospective of the emergence of racism, which led to discrimination. There is considerable evidence that anti-Semitism was prevalent among Assyrians in antiquity. Similarly, that the Egyptians employed ethnic groups in sub-Saharan Africa, and that even Aristotle reasoned his own opinions (Feagin et al. 32). The politics of slavery, xenophobia, and machismo are also prominent types of animosity. However, contempt for the second racial group, as is known today, did not assume its final form until the age of the great geographical discoveries, that is, in the 16th century. At that time, it was believed that Indians and Negroes were considered not only not human, but even inferior to animals (Feagin et al. 32). For this fundamental cause, they were exposed to slavery during European settlement, which continued in later times in the form of a pattern of racial isolation. Hence, racism has for ages operated as a means to progress social divides that have been organized along categories of caste (Feagin et al. 37). The dominant groups were often the white race, at least as it pertained to racial discrimination committed in the Western world.
The Causes
Nowadays there is no more segregation, and all ethnic and racial minorities are free to participate in all types of activities. Although the effects of residential segregation and different economic provision are visible even today. For instance, inadequate funding and ineffective resource allocation in educational institutions hinder the academic ambitions of members of marginalized populations (Devakumar et al. 112). Racism is related to in-group thinking, as people who belong to a certain community tend to maintain negative perceptions of those who are different from them. It is worth noting that there is also a folkloric reason for racial discrimination that is relevant in today’s world. This is reinforced by details such as high crime rates in certain ethnic communities (Ezorsky 48). As a result, individuals may develop the mistaken notion that stereotypes are actually supported by evidence, which can create further stereotypes about minorities.
The Consequences
It is essential to mention that for the above reasons there is a prejudice against certain racial groups. Moreover, people who commit discrimination do not understand the specific reasons for animosity. This causes aggressive behavior, which only aggravates the situation and fosters inter-racial discord (Ezorsky 57). Thus, there is verbal, mental or material aggression against a racially excluded class, and persecution and insult are possible. It is vital to note that the popularization of racism teaches hatred, humiliation, and, if possible, elimination. These insights are supposed to affect government policy, legislation, and the education system in general. Moreover, historically, discrimination produces genocide or apartheid attributed to racial cleansing of the population (Ezorsky 58). Naturally, racial discrimination also results in division and social inequality. Therefore, people of different races are discriminated against when they attempt to obtain employment, health care, or a quality education. Consequently, discrimination on the basis of race limits the rights granted to individuals by law. At the same time, this phenomenon creates disturbances in public safety and order.
The Proposal Plan
In American society in recent years there has been a stabilization of the level of ethno-national tolerance. However, the tendencies causing various manifestations of xenophobia, racism and intolerance in society remain unaddressed. The considerable potential for their activation is traced in mass consciousness of xenophobic stereotypes, use of hostile language in mass media, dissemination of intolerance in Internet. At the same time the state policy on combating racism, xenophobia and intolerance is of declarative nature in general (Arantes and Tarso 410). Thus, it is the enhancement of protective measures at the federal and state level that will eliminate racial discrimination in the community.
Firstly, the situation can be facilitated by coordination and interaction of national law enforcement agencies with public organizations that monitor manifestations of racism, xenophobia and other forms of intolerance in society. Therefore, they can conduct active operations and have accumulated significant experience in counteracting these phenomena. For example, potential victims of discrimination may apply to a special public organization, which should immediately verify the reliability and truthfulness of the submitted information. The purpose of such an organization is not to ignore and conceal problems of racial discrimination, but to respond quickly to complaints (Arantes and Tarso 417). After a public organization collects evidence of a human rights violation, needs to submit it to the public authorities. Thus, a violation of human rights due to a racial criterion even in a store or a hospital can be quickly identified and measures can be adopted to prevent such cases from occurring in the future.
Accordingly, through the existence of such community organizations working in every major city, colored people can be granted support in solving issues. It is significant to mention that after the first few cases have been successfully settled, confidence in government and community agencies will improve among the marginalized minorities (Arantes and Tarso 417). Consequently, if discriminatory situations arise, they will not fear that their requests will be rejected and ignored. State authorities, after obtaining evidence from social organizations, will be capable of imposing fines on violators and prosecuting them in the event of a subsequent offense. On the other hand, potential rights violators will preventively change their views about colored people and attempt not to discriminate against them.
Secondly, in addition to enhancing protections, work needs to be conducted at the state level to prevent racially motivated situations. Therefore, each state must monitor the effectiveness of its counteraction to manifestations of intolerance on the Internet. State governments should establish a body that will engage in cooperation with providers, international organizations, brands and celebrities. As a result, the purpose of these collaborations is to disseminate accurate information about persons of a different race (Ezorsky 51). They should spread the statement of opinion that all races serve respect and equal attitude.
Moreover, state authorities need to converge the existence of white and black people in order to prevent the effect of segregation. Thus, special programs should be created in order that colored people can afford to attend the best schools and colleges on the basis of competitive selection. Appropriately, this funding of scholarships will enable individuals to obtain a decent education. It will permit them to be represented in various spheres of government and institutions of society. In this way, the stereotype that indicates the advantages of the white race would disappear. It should also be mentioned that state authorities should grant additional funding to hospitals in order to ensure the provision of medical care to persons exposed to discrimination (Ezorsky 55). Hence, these actions will promote the equalization of the social status of citizens of different races and ensure that they have equal rights.
To implement these two components of the plan, state and national efforts should be coordinated. This program also requires additional funding, which can be obtained through public funds and the assistance of prominent human rights activists (Ezorsky 57). The targeted outcomes of the plan are the dissemination of truthful information about people of different races. The plan aims to contribute to better education and health care. At the same time, in the case of discrimination on the basis of race, the program guarantees a prompt and effective response to every citizen’s complaint.
The Counterargument of the Plan
It is significant to observe that for a long-time politicians and social activists in the U.S. have been attempting to arrange a struggle against racism that causes people to be discriminated aggravated. In the late 1990s, the Democratic administration of Bill Clinton launched a cautious attempt to eradicate racism from American public life. The Clinton administration issued a “race initiative” that was intended to establish the fight against racism and racial prejudice as a top priority of U.S. domestic policy (Müller 135). However, they did not have enough time to develop a plan of action. Since the Clinton administration surrendered to the Republican administration of George W. Bush, the new politicians have not supported the preliminary proposal. At the same time, after the election of the first black president in the United States, the media constantly highlighted cases of unfair attitude toward African Americans. In addition, the administration advocated for the protection of the rights of the minority, although it did not have a clear plan (Müller 136). Accordingly, all efforts to increase protections for colored people were temporary and changed when a new administration was elected.
The proposed program is extremely important and long-term, independent of a change in the president’s administration. This is because the initiation of the program requires the creation of appropriate bodies to implement mechanisms for protection against racial discrimination. Local authorities will then be capable of coordinating efforts to implement the initiative. Another advantage of this new model is that the program is not partially privately funded, which will enable the fight against discrimination to continue even without significant government support. Moreover, a precise plan has been developed to facilitate not only a defense against discrimination, but also preventive measures to prevent it from occurring (Ezorsky 58). Therefore, the evidence of the effectiveness of the program is a fully developed plan, public and private funding, and the distribution of authority at different levels.
Conclusion
Hence, the plan has two components, the first concerns protection against discrimination on the basis of race, if it has occurred. Accordingly, people can appeal to a civic organization, which will collect evidence of the situation and submit it to the state authorities for punishment. The second element of the program relates to the defense of the rights of colored people. Thus, in large cities, there will be established networks that will refute the myths about black persons. At the same time, each state should monitor the implementation of these two elements to ensure that the issue is eliminated throughout the state. It is essential to mention that previous initiatives have not been successful because of differing political views and insufficiently developed plans. Accordingly, they had a short-term effect as long as certain politicians stimulated them. The advantage of the program is the creation of enforcement and control bodies for the plan. Consequently, even in the case of a change of authority, private investment and well-functioning bodies will enable the implementation of the plan.
Works Cited
Arantes, Lugon, and Paulo de Tarso. “The Due Diligence Standard and the Prevention of Racism and Discrimination.” Netherlands International Law Review, vol. 68, no. 3, 2021, pp. 407-431.
Devakumar, Delan, et al. “Racism, the Public Health Crisis We Can No Longer Ignore.” The Lancet, vol. 395, no. 10242, 2020, pp. e112-e113.
Ezorsky, Gertrude. Racism and Justice. Cornell University Press, 2018.
Feagin, Joe R., Hernan Vera, and Pinar Batur. White Racism: The Basics. Routledge, 2020.
Müller, Carolin. “Anti-Racism in Europe: An Intersectional Approach to the Discourse on Empowerment through the EU Anti-Racism Action Plan 2020–2025.” Social Sciences, vol. 10, no. 4, 2021, pp. 135-137.