How to prevent racism

The destructive power of racism has been felt all over the world over the years in a great way. An issue has been in the public debate realm over the years with civil revolutions and other movements to foster change coming up. However, it is like cancer that does not leave the people in the United States and hence the need for a different approach. Well as it is said, “prevention is better than cure’ there is need to come up with preventive measures to counter racism. It is because, those that already have racist ideologies, stereotypes have proven to remain adamant, and inflexible to change in as much as talking about the issue is repressed. Racism has changed from the outright form of oppression for the black people with outright slavery at some point to other conventional methods that have resulted in reversing racism as well. Some of the forms of racism that are still evident in society include ideological racism, discursive, representational, institutional, systemic, and even structural forms of racism that have been tools of masking its existence. It is easy to assume that racism is no longer present. Furthermore, America has a president of the color, but the symptoms of the inequality are still visible at a micro level. Despite the form that it takes, racism remains cancer that needs to be cut off the society. Therefore, there is need to develop ways of preventing racism as outlined in the essay below.

The first way to fight racism is at an individual level whereby every individual should have a moment of introspection and self-talk on the racist ideologies, stereotypes, and beliefs they are holding (Zande). Being aware of the racist and stereotypical ideas that tie one down in the racist system of thinking is the first step to liberate oneself from racism and hence avoid acting in a racist manner. One can be able to assess the racist ideas and beliefs within themselves and try to find the commonalities that they have with others from other races. It is important to have a moment to attempt to validate the beliefs and ideas held by other people’s races to realize how wrong some of the stereotypes held are. For example, the belief that most of the African American males are gangsters and drug dealers, it is essential for one to look at them and see the friends, neighbors, and colleagues of color they interact with to ascertain whether such a stereotype is necessarily right. Moreover, getting in touch with oneself, and then an individual can realize that being a criminal is a matter of personal choices.

Secondly, there is a need to act at the community level whereby every person is vigilant for any form of racism, crossing the racial divide and also learning the racism that occurs at the community level to come up with measures to combat the vice. If we are vigilant in a safe way by stepping in to fight against racist acts or ideologies at the community level, then the community can offer a support system that can assist in combating racism in a great way. For example, one may stand up to speak out against an individual making racist comments though it is not a person of their race targeted. The community could also ensure that there are no patterns of racism evident in social aspects such as housing or schooling (Zande).

Thirdly, at the national level, racism can be combated through affirmative action practices in areas such as education, health, and employment for the historically marginalized groups and the establishment of federal political processes combating racism at all levels. The federal government holds the resources and the capacity to ensure that those that remained disadvantaged because of historical racial injustices are offered with opportunities to catch up (Zande). It is a way of mitigating counter racism and to address the anger or resentment held by individuals to foster national healing and reconciliation.

In conclusion, racism is an issue that is still present in contemporary society although it is masked in other forms. It is, however, a destructive power that needs to be combated and addressed from the grassroots level through establishing preventive mechanisms at the national level, community level, and personal level. Racism is a battle that can only be won through the collective initiative of every individual to fight against the evil.