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Aditya Raju

Dr. Malcolm Campbell

UWRT 1103

October 28, 2019

Racism: Gone or Prevalent?

In 1960, four young black men staged a sit in at the segregated Woolworth’s lunch

counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. The four men - Ezell Blair Jr, David Richmond, Franklin

McCain, Joseph McNeil - participated in this sit-in as an act of defiance and representation of the

minority crowd of African Americans at the time. Although this event was 59 years ago and Jim

Crow Laws have been abolished self-segregation still exists in large scale in society today.. As

we progress into the new decade, there are many ideas and issues to reflect upon and consider

changing as we develop as a society. On the other hand, there are many social issues that have

been tried to be addressed for decades and still fall short from being resolved. One of these issues

is racism acism. According to The Guardian, “Racism study finds one in three school students

are victims of discrimination.” Why? Why do we have so many educational institutions from

kindergarten through higher education but not put emphasis on systemic racism and how to

reduce and prevent it? Although there are individuals that favor education of students on racism

and not to educate , I believe that students attending elementary school, middle and high school

should be given the option to learn about race and culture. The level of schooling in which the

student is at will determine the depth of the topic they will learn. For example, students in

elementary school would not understand the Jim Crow Laws but they will understand what it

means to not treat people the right way. As these same students progress into middle school, the
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slow introduction of the laws in the past used for segregation can be taught and lead into high

school in which they have a strong understanding of what is right and wrong.

I will be illustrating many of the horrifying events that have occurred in the past

regarding this controversy and how educating younger children about this will help future

generations believe in unity.

Educating younger students about a topic this sensitive is difficult and some parents may

not want their children learning about racial issues at a young age which is understandable.

However, I believe that an option should exist for parents and children to learn about our

society’s history regarding this topic. Currently, in my area of residence, the elementary school

that my sister attended had forms that parents had to sign for the child to learn about the Growth

and Development system in men and women. This was an optional unit and parents had a choice

of letting their kids learn or do an alternative assignment. I believe that this exact approach

should be used to teach kids about racism.

Some parents may feel uneasy but on the other hand, many parents would like their child

to learn about these topics regardless of how sensitive they are. There are many instances where

teachers and students racially shame other students so this would promote unity and well-being

within the campus as well as society. The option will reside with the parents whether they would

like their kids to learn about it or not. Many of the parents, however, may choose not to let their

children learn about racism in society either because they are racists themselves or they believe

that their child is too young to be exposed to the reality which is fine. The last word does go to

the parent but if even few parents do consent, it makes a huge difference. If the idea is spread

from one student to another, it can make a difference to society and social awareness. If the

parents do consent, the approved students will be allowed to go to a separate class with other
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students who are able to participate and learn about the issues such as Jim Crow Laws, and the

Holocaust in an appropriate manner for the younger audience. With slow exposure from younger

children to teenage years, students will be able to cultivate the maturity and understanding in

order to process these horrific events and pick up the values and morals they wish to believe.

Rosa Parks, an inspirational female civil rights activist, was born in Tuskegee, Alabama

in 1913. Her grandparents were former slaves and her family had been part of the fight towards

the emancipation of slaves. Parks attended a segregated school where African Americans were

forced to go through different paths to get to and from campus and were restricted to using low-

grade school materials versus the “superior” white children who used “high-grade” materials.

This was the first taste that Rosa got as a child towards discrimination and this shaped her future

forever. Once Rosa had graduated school, she immediately married a man who was part of The

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and this had caused her

to be the full-throttle activist that she is renowned as today. One of the most significant moments

in her life is when she got onto a bus and sat where the whites were supposed to sit. After

refusing many times to get up and leave to her spot, she was arrested by the police . This is one

of the many issues that have occurred in history displaying African American excellence and

determination to fight for their rights versus the white supremacists. However, this racial tension

between the Americans and African Americans still exists today.

On June 17, 2015, a man named Dylann Roof, a 21-year-old white supremacist, opened

fire at Emanuel African Methodist Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. When an

investigation was done on the young man, evidence showed that the attack was planned six

months prior and according to BBC News, “He said he wanted to start a civil war. He said he was

going to do something like that and then kill himself.” In the grand scheme, Roof is still a young
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man at the age of 21 and would have had a future if he had taken responsibility and understood

what effects his actions had on the victims and the victim’s families. He had no reason to start

the “civil war” other than his belief on white supremacy and if that idea was not given to him in

the first place, this would have not happened.

Although the origins of this thought process can be argued between nature versus nurture,

Teaching the history of racial issues at a young age can avoid situations like this to ever happen

again. According to research acquired from Johns Hopkins University, early education can play a

critical role during this important developmental period. Based on this information, teaching kids

about our country’s history regarding segregation and racial profiling to a certain extent will

allow them to retain this knowledge and understand right from wrong as they grow up into

middle and high schoolers. There are arguments that kids may not be able comprehend the ideas

that they are taught in regards to this topic, however surface-level information will be easy for

the young ones to comprehend and in case they do have questions, they can ask their parents

once they get home because they will have regulation over the information they want their kids

to know.

Although this problem seems to be reoccurring between the American and African

American groups, racism exists amongst many other groups in society and it is equally as

horrific to think about and witness. On March 15, 2019, New Zealand’s Christchurch Mosque

was struck by a shooting that was intended to kill the individuals practicing Islam inside the

building. The suspect, Brenton Tarrant, a 29-year-old white supremacist who has a reputation of

performing hate crimes, killed 51 people and when testifying in court, he had zero remorse .

Although this man was well-educated, he did not see the impact that his actions had on society
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and the consequences he will face once proven guilty. This unawareness can be eliminated by the

education system and teaching students right from wrong if their parents allow them to do so.

Teaching the younger students is no easy matter and will require a lot of time, effort, and

money but the result, which is societal awareness, will be worth the effort. According to David

Acosta’s “Breaking the Silence: Time to Talk About Race and Racism: Academic Medicine,” the

first step in the process is for faculty to receive training regarding this topic so that they know

their restrictions on what information and issues to talk about as well as to help teachers who feel

uncomfortable talking about racial issues. Till now, race has been avoided in conversation and

education due to the controversy but one thing that teachers are failing to realize is that the topic

of racism does not always have to lead to bias. According to the journal, with ample training,

teachers will be able to teach students about racism without their own beliefs involved. On the

other hand, the counterargument is also addressed in the journal by stating, “witnessing

discrimination and openly discussing racism-can be overwhelmingly stressful for untrained

faculty,” which is understandable which is why the training is being suggested.

Mr. Verwayne, a kindergarten teacher, has a strong belief that kids should have their own

identity and states, “I want my kids to be able to recognize who they are.” When defining an

individual, Race comes into picture. Race is a major factor in shaping an individual’s culture,

values, and morals so compatibility with other is partially from nurture and the other half is due

to the race, culture, and religion. According to Religion in America, in the modern generation,

nearly 18.2% of people do not follow a religion which is about 62,361,398 individuals out of the

whopping 329,954,498 residents in the United States. Although this is only 18% of the nation’s

population, there is still a drastic amount of people who do not follow a religion to guide them in

the paths they choose. Without a religious guide, they focus on the culture around them which
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includes the issues around them. Race is a huge part of today’s society and shapes everybody’s

day-to-day life whether you realize it or not. For example, when you walk into a job interview,

there is an immediate assumption when the hiring manager sees you whether they explicitly state

it. They do not intentionally try and make these assumptions, but it is natural for any individual

to immediately come to conclusions. These facts are not known to majority of individuals

residing in the U.S so teaching the younger generation these basic facts will allow more

awareness and recognition of other people from different countries.

Overall, the education of racism in the past and today to students attending early

education is essential for cultural awareness. Although there are arguments for both sides of the

argument, the pros outweigh the cons. Racism is prevalent. It needs to be taught. We can do it.
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Work Cited

Acosta, David. “Breaking the Silence: Time to Talk About Race and Racism: Academic Medicine.”

LWW, Academic Medicine,

https://journals.lww.com/academicmedicine/Fulltext/2017/03000/Breaking_the_Silence__Time_

to_Talk_About_Race_and.15.aspx. Accessed 15 Oct. 2019.

“Charleston Church Shooting: Suspected Gunman Arrested.” BBC News, BBC, 18 June 2015,

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-33190735. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.

Cole, Kirsten, and Diandra Verwayne. “Becoming Upended: Teaching and Learning about Race and

Racism with Young Children and Their Families.” NAEYC

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/yc/may2018/teaching-learning-race-and-racism. Accessed

20 Oct. 2019.

History.com Editors. “Greensboro Sit-In.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Feb. 2010,

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/the-greensboro-sit-in. Accessed 7 Oct. 2019.

“Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics.” Pew Research Center's

Religion & Public Life Project, Pew Research Center, 11 May 2015,

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2019.

“U.S. and World Population Clock.” Population Clock, United States Census,

https://www.census.gov/popclock/. Accessed 7 Oct. 2019.