Comparing Theories And Constructs Of Race By Holtzman And Leon Sharpe

In America, the racial divide between whites and blacks is quickly growing. To fully understand racism, it is necessary to look at how power in the hands of white people has consequently led to oppression and racism towards people of color. Many people, particularly whites, believe that racism stemmed from physical differences between whites and people of color; however, if one truly examines racial differences they will see that these so called “differences” are more social than physical. For centuries, white people have held specific biases and prejudices against people of color, claiming that they were inferior to whites. This notion of subordination began because the white men held the highest form of power one can hold; the power of
One must understand that this negative feeling whites feel towards blacks was a concept that was started because of a power shift, not because of physical differences between them. Similar ideas are expressed in the article Theories and Constructs of Race by Linda Holtzman and Leon Sharpe. One of the main ideas expressed in the article is that “racism is based on the concept of whiteness- an identity concept invented and enforced by power.” The article goes on to state that “the historical mutability of race is significant because of how it has been used as a marker of group identity and a means of access to privilege in this country and elsewhere.” It is important to recognize here when the authors say access to privilege, they mean the access to power. It is equally as important to recognize that this idea of inferiority did not stop after slavery was abolished. White Americans today still feel superior to people of
The entire Trump campaign was built on racism. Racist remarks, racist ideations and the most extreme, racist hate groups. His campaign set forth the notion in the United States that it is acceptable to be hateful towards people whose race is physically different to their own. As a result, white supremacy and hate groups, such as the KKK or the Neo-Nazi groups, have become more apparent in our modern society. It is to be noted that yes, the KKK and Neo-Nazis have existed throughout generations; however, since the beginning of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign the number of people participating in such groups has risen tremendously. Riots such as the one in Charlottesville, show the rise in violence between whites and people of color and T.V productions such as “Escaping the KKK” aired on A&E show the growth in the population of such groups. There is a simple cause for the advancement of hate groups and that is