Fatima Freeman February 15, 2013 LSP 200 Racism and Education 1 Our founding fathers of the United

States of America did not consider slaves to be free after the colonist defeated the British after the American Revolution and the choice of living in America was already branded by the thought to set a negro free from his chains that were placed on him by the white man was not considered in the debuts of the direction that America was headed. Where there have been promises, to be sure, from time to time, and promises are pending; but no one can doubt that if these people were white and of English descent, a way out of the present impasse would have long since been found. Plus, with the capitalism built on the African slave trade and on the sugar, tobacco, and cotton crops of America, investment in India grew and spread for three hundred years, until there exists the greatest modern case of the exploitation of one people by another (Du Bois, 1944). Therefore, the freedom of a negro would be caused by many abolitionist protesting, Uncle Tom Cabin, runaway slaves, the Underground Railroad, the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln to set slaves free from the oppression of a white man that owns a plantation to make a profit. The ownership of human beings became the strongest economic growth in America. Therefore, this practice known as slavery would be considered legal from the years of 1788 to 1865 would be known as the African Slave Trade (www.eyewitnesstohistory.com).

2 However, it has been 147 years since slavery has been abolished, but the thought that America was considered a country that won the freedom from the British in 1776. Yet, the ownership of a person because of their color was still considered legal is upsetting for the African-American race and the fact that this person was not considered a superior being the majority. A slave would get their freedom in 77 years while the freedom of America would be celebrated by those that were white and a negro did not have that privilege, but the slave only privilege was to be a slave. For the African-American race that has suffered from years of oppression due to slavery, not seen as an equal to the white man, the practice of segregation would start a greater struggle for the African-American race and when slavery was abolished from America the thought of white supremacy groups was born, such as the Klutz Klux Klan and other white supremacist groups would begin to instill an idea of hatred towards the African-American race. According to W.E.B Du Bois it is with great regret that I do not see after this war, or within any reasonable time, the possibility of a world without race conflict; and this is true despite the fact that race conflict is playing a fatal role in the modern world (Du Bois). Therefore, the many white supremacy groups that reside in the United States of America will argue that the existence of their groups is to insure that their pure existence of the white race in America and that the white man needs to stand up for their race (Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War, 1993). Therefore, racism in the United States of America has caused great infliction on the AfricanAmerican race and the practice of racism will give a great definition of the American way of life. The American Heritage College Dictionary defines racism as the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability in that a particular race is superior to others (The

3 American Heritage College Dictionary). While, the numbers of crimes that are committed in America are partially because of hatred and for a homeless man to loss his life because of his race is considered wrong. However, the members of these white supremacist groups did not consider this to be wrong instead they looked at the leader of the Skinheads to be a hero and consider his arrest to be unjust (Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War). However, in America due to the Ten Bills of Rights white supremacist groups have the right to rally and recruit members to their groups. This postulates a fundamental difference among the greater groups of people in the world, which makes it necessary that the superior peoples the inferior in check and rule them in accordance with the best interest of these superior (Du Bois). Whereas, many of these white supremacist groups will develop many different ways to spread their hatred towards the African-American race throughout the United States of America and other minority groups. Usually the cure for race persecution and subordination has been segregation (Du Bois). The United States of America would look upon segregation as another form of racism that will separate the minority from the majority and the struggle for African-Americans to receive fair treatment will take a different turn with Brown vs. Broad of Education trial went to the Supreme Court in the 1950s to end all segregation of schools (http://www.watson.org). Multiculturalism is often used to refer to the contemporary educational reform movement that aims to equalize educational opportunities for diverse racial and ethnic groups, which movement incorporates the idea that all students-regardless of their gender and social class, and their ethnic, racial or cultural characteristics-should have an opportunity to learn in school. It

4 typically refers also to the more general ideas that schools, and people and institutions more generally ideas that work, should acknowledge, value and respect cultural differences and the alternative experiences and perspectives of members of different cultures; and that members of minority cultures should not be required to assimilate into, nor be marginalized, silenced or oppressed by, a dominate, hegemonic majority culture (Siegel, 1999). The definition of the American way of life has changed for the minorities living in America. Whereas, the struggles have become more difficult for minorities to have an easier life and the struggles have turned in to protesting for the right to be treated equal. In the defined the America identity in restrictive fashion, and sought to curtail naturalization and immigration. In the period following World War II, new visions of American society have developed in the course of the struggles of people of color to overcome their historical exclusion from the American culture identity. The latest of these visions are expressed in the movements of multiculturalism and political correctness, which are seen here as a facet of a new, and morally assertive, view of American society, revolving around the efforts of previously excluded groups to construct new identities (Spencer, 1994). This would cause a moment in the African-American History as well where minorities will endure the horrible pain of fighting for their rights. Therefore, the Civil rights Movement was the greatest achievement accomplished by the African-American race and it became the most important period in American History. The Civil Rights Movement did not just involve the African-American race, but whites that were against racism also participated in the movement alongside blacks. I will argue, appearances to the contrary notwithstanding, multiculturalism does not entail that educational and philosophical

5 ideals are relative to culture; and that it is possible, and desirable, to embrace both the moral and political directives of multiculturalism and a universalistic or culture-transcendent view of genuine educational and philosophical ideals (Siegel). Therefore, the Civil Rights Movement would later define to the public of the unfair treatment of the African-American race. Plus, with the famous speech that made Martin Luther King, Jr. famous I have a dream, but that dream would not be seen by King, because of racism in America that every minority group will encounter, would be assassinated by a white supremacist member (http://www.nobelprize.org). Due to slavery the African-American race has since to find their place in America because of the identity that the white race has define to them as a negro and slave. The nativist and cosmopolitan liberals shared the assumption that an American cultural identity existed, comprised of religion, language, manners, customs, and principles of government (Spencer). The demand for recognition in these latter cases is given urgency by the supposed links between recognition and identity, where this latter term designates something like a persons understanding of who they are, of their fundamental defining characteristics as human being (Taylor). Therefore, because of the plantation owner the negro would find life after slavery difficult because the placement of the African-American race has been forced upon them before the abolishment of slavery. Nonrecognition or misrecognition can inflict harm, can be a form oppression, imprisoning someone in a false, distorted, and reduced mode of being (Taylor). Whereas this can be the definition of the African-American race that has suffered from nonrecognition that the acts of racism has placed on the many minority groups as well as African-Americans have suffered

6 due to the majority thinking the white race is inferior and that the African-American race is not considered to be equal being alongside the majority in America. The thesis is that our identity is partly shaped by recognition or its absence, often by the misrecognition of others, and so a person or a group of people can suffer real damage, real distortion, if the people or society around them mirror back to them a confining or demeaning or contemptible picture of themselves (Taylor). We all have needs for recognition, but in America the recognition that the superior groups will never see an African-American race as a cultural awareness that has been stripped from them. Not only does Western Europe believe that most of the rest of the world biologically different but it believes that in this difference lies congenital inferiority; that the black and brown and yellow people are no simply untrained in certain ways of doing and methods of civilization; that they are naturally inferior and inefficient; that they are a danger to civilization as civilization is in understood Europe (Du Bois). From how the thinking of white supremacist groups considers their existences in the American life is seen the thought of racism in America and how these white supremacist group should not exist for the sake of people not of the white race. Therefore, the fight against racism is probably not over, but only the beginning for every minority including the AfricanAmerican race that live in America that the fight for equality is just the beginning. However, many white supremacist groups that have many of their members that are imprisoned does not mean that racism is not gone to exist, but the numbers of white supremacist groups may increase because the members of these groups that display racism will only recruit each other in the prison system.

The American Heritage College Dictionary Du Bois, W.E.B March, 1944 Prospect of a Without Race Conflict. American Journal of Sociology, Vol. 49, No. 5 (Mar., 1944) pp. 450-456 www.eyewitness.com www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/slavetrade.htm http://www.nobelprize.org http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/kingbio.html Siegel, Harvey July, 1999 Multiculturalism and the Possibility of Transcultural Educational and Philosophical Ideals. Philosphy, VOl. 74, No. 289 July, 1999 pp. 387-409

Skinheads USA: Soldiers of the Race War 1993 Spencer, Martin E. December, 1994 Multiculturalism, Political Correctness, and the Politics of Identity. Sociological Forum, Vol.9, No. 4, Special Issue: Multiculturalism and Diversity. Dec., 1994 pp. 547-567 Taylor, Charles The Political of Recognition http://www.watson.org http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html