Racism Literature Reviews Examples

In what ways do Whites in America, as defined by the author, benefit from racism? Describe a situation in which YOU have benefitted from or been disadvantaged by, intentionally or unintentionally, your race. How might this privilege or disadvantage been affected by another of your social identities? (class, gender, religion, sexual orientation, citizenship, etc.
According to Tatum, the whites in the predominantly white society don’t notice the kind of privilege they have unless they mix with other people from other races to know the privilege they have in this country. The author notes that, the whites struggle to notice the difference since historically the government, and the society has favored and given the priority and benefits to the white group hence they have taken it for granted. Therefore, the whites due to their race benefit in a number of ways. The most notable is driving in a highway or an influential neighborhood. It is rare to find a man/woman who is white stopped randomly by the authorities and asked to provide identification card and driving licenses. It is also easy for the members of the white race to find an apartment to rent in any area of the country without being asked if they can afford to pay. Moreover, the white races don’t find it difficult to shop especially on cosmetics products.
Recently I was looking for an apartment near the school together with my friend who is African-American (am a Chinese). We went to one of the apartments that had advertised on the social media that there was a vacancy in that apartment. When we enquire about the vacancy in the apartment from the caretaker we were told there was no vacancy but we could leave our contact. The next day the caretaker asked me to come and see him in the office. Upon reaching there, he told me there was a vacancy in the apartment but they don’t rent to the African-American. Thus, if I want to rent there, I must live alone or find a roommate who is white. However, I turned the offer down and went to look for another apartment.
How does Tatum distinguish between active racism and passive racism? What examples does she present to illustrate the two kinds of racism and the distinctions between them? What examples of each can you cite from your observation and experience? How do you usually respond to the two kinds?
Active racism is how people discriminate directly other people base on their race. The people who participate in the active racism don’t associate with other members from other races. A good example is people who refuse to rent apartment to a black community or live in a community that is not dominantly white. On the other hand, passive racism how people who don’t engage in discriminating other people based on their race but they enjoy the privilege of belonging to a certain race. These people claim they are not prejudiced or biased when it comes to race, but they don’t mind enjoying the benefits of belonging to a certain race. A good example passive racism is when a customer at a restaurant gets the privilege of being served first because of his/her race irrespective coming late but he/she does not reject the offer.
When I meet people who exercise the active racism and passive racism, I usually tell them to put themselves first in the position/shoe of the people they discriminate or see discriminated and judge if the act is fair. Most of them after talking to them feel remorse, and they claim it has been that way since they were born hence they have not put much thought into it. Thus, after the talk they feel the need to change.
Describe an incident that you or someone else has experienced that you would consider racist. What are some of the advantages and/or privilege that one party had?
There was a job advert in one of the hotels here in the state where they were looking for receptionists. My friend and I needed a part time work we applied and secure an interview. During the interview, I answered everything correctly, and I had the confidence ad hope that I would qualify and taken by the hotel. Unfortunately, later I got a response via an email telling me the hotel regret that I did not qualify for the position since my accent and completion didn’t match the requirement of the job. On the other hand, my friend (white) who did not even attend the interview in person was called via a phone call and secured the job. This is pure racism because I don’t see how the color of the skin affects a person from working. What matters is the intelligence, competence and the knowledge one has on the job. Therefore, my friend got the job due to the privilege of coming from the white race.