Racial discrimination is a problem that has been in the society for a long time. It is the worst discrimination present in the world today. Racial discrimination is where an individual is unfairly treated because of their color, descent, race, and ethnicity. According to Broman, Mavaddat, and Hsu, racial discrimination in an unlawful act that should be confronted (2000).
Racial Discrimination in the family
We are African American; therefore, we had a black maid in our house whom we loved so much because she took good care of us. Everything was okay until we got a white neighbor. She never liked us plus our maid. Every day, we could hear her shout, “I don’t want these black people to touch anything that belongs to us.” I was still very young, and it was worse for me because she even forbid her children from playing with me. She never liked us because our skin color. Life became so complicated for us because of the racial discrimination we received from our racial neighbor. This is discrimination because all people are equal and need to be treated in a fair manner. If our neighbor was racial, then why did she move in a neighborhood where the black people lived? She made the African American people in the neighborhood feel inferior, especially the maids because of how she humiliated them. According to Massey and Lundy, discrimination makes people feel inferior (2001). I felt inferior and unwanted as a child because of how our neighbor treated the black people.
Racial Discrimination in the Workplace
While I was in junior school, I took a part-time job in a restaurant. While working in this restaurant, I witnessed many incidences of racial discrimination. The place served people of both races, but the service was different. For instance, when a white person walked in, the waiters could run to him/her and serve them what they need immediately. Nevertheless, when the people of color walked in, they could be assumed as the whites are being served. I once witnessed the manager (white) calling one of the waiters to stop giving service to a black woman and attend to a white woman who had just walked into the restaurant. The black woman complained, and she was told to leave the place immediately. I believe this is racial discrimination because all people are equal and deserve to be served equally. In any hotel or restaurant, all people pay for the services regardless of their race or color. Therefore, the black woman was discriminated and treated unfairly because of the color of her skin. The best way to clear with such a state is by making sure all customers are served and dealt with in an equal way without any prejudice. In this scenario, the manager could have avoided racial discrimination by letting the waitress serve the black woman first, then later on attend to the white lady who had just walked in. The black customer at the restaurant was treated less favorably because of her color, and race.
Racial Discrimination in the Community
I grew up in a strangely contradictory community where racial discrimination has been at its best. I have had regular contact with the white people but have never had an equal relationship with them. Racism exists in the community where the whites are seen to have a lot of prestige, wealth, power, and privileges compared to the African Americans who are the minorities. I once saw discrimination in an apartment next to where we used to stay some few years back. It was during the rainy season, and the walls were severely damaged by the floods. Unfortunately, only the apartments where the whites lived were repaired, and when the blacks made a formal complaint about the issue, they were ignored. In fact, the property owner insisted that they were so demanding and challenging, and they should understand they are blacks, and the other tenants are whites. I believe this is racial discrimination because both the blacks and whites paid rent, and so, they deserved equal treatment. The issue could have been solved by repairing all the apartments without any prejudice. It is unfair for a house owner to treat tenants differently because of their race. Everyone has a right to be free from racial discrimination.
References
Broman, C. L., Mavaddat, R., & Hsu, S. Y. (2000). The experience and consequences of perceived racial discrimination: A study of African Americans. Journal of Black Psychology, 26(2), 165-180.
Massey, D. S., & Lundy, G. (2001). Use of Black English and Racial Discrimination in Urban Housing Markets New Methods and Findings. Urban Affairs Review, 36(4), 452-469.
