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.
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