A History of Racial Violence

What?

The history of racial violence in this country cannot be separated from the issue of mass incarceration and racial injustice. Mass incarceration is a major issue that is affecting the Black community. Structural racism exposes Blacks to more contact with the criminal justice system and causes there to be profound differences in income and education when it comes to race.

In the Book Just Mercy the author, Bryan Stevenson discusses how in this country “there [is] something missing in the way we treat people in our judicial system, that maybe we judge some people unfairly” (Stevenson, 13). We have the tendency to stereotype individuals based on their characteristics which can lead to the issue of mass incarceration. There is an unconscious bias towards different ethnicities and people are structured to believe that a certain race is more guilty than another.

For example, within the short video “School-To-Prison Pipeline” they explain how there is a “funneling of black students into the criminal justice system” (Lind, Scheltens, and Barton). There are more officers stationed in schools that have a greater percentage of Black students. Students are more likely to be arrested if the school has police officers, and Black students are “3 times more frequently expelled and suspended than White students” (Lind, Scheltens, and Barton). Whites tend to get suspended for acts of vandalism while Blacks are suspended for something as simple as talking back. Those who are suspended are more likely to drop out or get arrested in the future. Since Blacks get suspended more often and for less serious offenses, this system is biased, unjust, and puts them more at risk compared to White students.

In the “Fresh Air Interview” Stevenson says that we are in a “post-genocide” era. In the past the European immigrants pushed natives out of society. This played a big role in prejudice towards different beliefs, lifestyles, and ethnicities. In the past the Europeans killed many natives and called them “savages” in order to justify their actions. People try to find excuses for their hatred and they do these horrible things knowing well that they are in fact horrible. In this case, the Europeans were willing to do anything in order to gain more land and resources. As time has progressed, individuals have utilized this same type of excuse when committing other racially unjust acts. For example, Whites took in Blacks as slaves because they were able to benefit and use them as free labor. People go along with horrifying acts as long as they gain from them and Stevenson argues that this society continues with these methods of just murdering in order to get their way.

History is the reason for mass incarceration. In the “Fresh Air Interview,” Stevenson explains how Whites have this “idea that Blacks are not as good as them” and that Blacks are not fully human, which has created White supremacy (Gross). We do not say anything about ending this idea of racial indifference and because of this Stevenson believes that slavery has only evolved with time. He says that we do not talk about slavery in this country and this keeps us from expressing to youths the wrongdoings of the past. Black people, for a long time, were treated as lesser and more poorly. They were beaten, whipped, forced to do labor, and treated horribly by slave owners in the past. Over time, African Americans were able to receive more rights, but they are still considered the lesser race by many. White people are the most dominant in the United States and this makes it difficult for minorities to gain more of a voice in society. Individuals grow up thinking this way and this is where this stereotype stems from. Black communities have trouble with being underprivileged because this bias that existed hundreds of years ago is still there.

So What?

In the book Just Mercy the author, Bryan Stevenson attempts to redefine what it means to be a person of color in America. He discusses how there is a profound amount of racial inequality and we have the tendency to ignore patterns of racism. Stevenson argues that, in America, racial differences are what constrain and confine us, and “how easily we condemn people in this country” (Stevenson, 14). As a person of color in America, an individual is more at risk and vulnerable to mass incarceration. Stevenson emphasizes that “we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world… One in every fifteen people born in the United States in 2001 is expected to go to jail or prison; one in every three black male babies born in this century is expected to be incarcerated” (Stevenson, 15). In general, a person who is Black is more likely to be condemned than a person who is White. Mass incarceration serves as its own form of structural racism where Blacks are born into specific communities that are more heavily observed by officers. After being incarcerated once, they get sucked into this never ending cycle where they are unable to thrive. This caste system forces thousands of individuals to become homeless by banning them from residing with their families and keeping them from getting employed.

To add, many who are wrongfully convicted in the United States tend to be sent to death row without any legal representation. Our country’s system is disturbing and unreliable. Stevenson advocates for the idea that America is biased and unfair at times due to the condemning of individuals, specifically African Americans, irresponsibly. Our system is corrupted and this is what is causing the subordination of African Americans.

It gets worse; there is beginning to be a deterioration of the conditions of confinement as the prison population is increasing. Prisoners are badly beaten, humiliated, given degrading punishments, and an alarming number of prisoners are found dead in their cells.

African Americans are negatively affected by law enforcement in America, and “by the end of the twentieth century… men of color were… four times more likely to be killed by law enforcement” than white men (Stevenson, 43). Often, education, for African Americans, has to be used as a tool to get out of bad situations, and Stevenson highlights his own encounter with the police and how he wishes he had used his credentials as a lawyer to avoid the humiliation that he had to face. Blacks are being wrongfully convicted based on the color of their skin and because of the stereotype they are being labeled as “dangerous.”

African Americans in the United States are held back from being able to define the true meaning of their own social identities due to stereotypes placed on them by others. Whites in America develop fears that are based on racist assumptions and stereotypes rather than facts. Stevenson discusses the African American men who are incarcerated and how they tend to be misjudged by others based on their size, color, and gender while closer relatives or people that take a moment to get to know them consider them to be warm-hearted, caring, and down to earth. These racist stereotypes cause African Americans to be constrained from the ability to define their own social identities. They are seen as criminals and treated inhumanely due to these unchangeable pieces of their characteristics.

Furthermore, their impoverished living situations aid in stereotyping who they are as people and constrain their ability to define their social identities. Stevenson explains how African Americans “lived in racially segregated ghettos isolated by railroad tracks within small towns or in ‘colored sections’ in the country” (Stevenson, 13). They were isolated and alienated from the rest of the White society which caused aspects of their social identities to be negatively impacted. He argues that identity often gets oppressed and by shifting our perspectives we might be able to understand one another better.

The authors own personal characteristics are important in understanding these issues and because of his social identities he was able to experience this constriction first hand. For example, Bryan Stevenson is an African American man that lived in a neighborhood with high crime and robberies. When searching for a criminal in his neighborhood, the officers immediately assumed that it was him based on his social identities; his race was being intersected with the fact that he was living in a high crime area. His true identity was altered and twisted in this negative way where he ended up being dehumanized. The officers objectified him and managed to humiliate him in front of all of his neighbors as they shouted accusations towards him. This incident was spurred on primarily by his race which caused those watching to create a misinterpretation of his true social identities. As the officers illegally searched Stevenson’s vehicle in front of peers, they placed this label on him that he was a threat to the community.

For Stevenson, freedom involves equity and equality. It involves repairing the justice system so that unjustified incarceration of African Americans can be corrected. He argues for enabling freedom and does this by providing legal representation to prisoners who may have been wrongfully convicted. To him, freedom is being able to get away from these stereotypes that African American men are dangerous. He hopes to identify those who are innocent by uncovering the corrupted and biased system in America that is causing the subordination of Blacks.

When thinking of my own social identities I feel that I have very dissimilar traits compared to those at my community partner site. Many of the individuals at Women Helping All People share similar social identities with each other: they are African American, low-income, and live in the same neighborhood. On the other hand, I am from a high-income family, primarily White community, and grew up in more of a suburban area.

Sometimes I feel that my own social identities limit me from being able to better understand the community that I volunteer in. As someone who is considered to be more privileged, I grew up not having to worry about many things that someone who is more impoverished may have to consider. You can only learn so much about a community and I may never truly be able to relate to what it is like to possess certain subordinate qualities and social identities. The only way I can try to connect with the students and the community is by demonstrating empathy, putting myself in their shoes, and actively engaging with them, but I do not have the experiences and social identities to be able to relate on a more personal level.

Now What?

In Golden Gate Village there are many social structures that marginalize and exclude the people at my community partner site. Most of the young students at Women Helping All People are African American and from low-income families. The segregation that occurs in this community prevents students from having access to additional educational opportunities that students who are in more privileged communities may have access to.

When speaking with Royce, she described the social structures in the community and some past history with WHAP. Originally, the tenants in Golden Gate Village moved to the area during World War II and the African American workers were left to take over the businesses in the area that White owners left behind. However, “in the early 1960s, the government tore down the wartime residences. Racist ‘redlining’ policies kept Blacks from moving elsewhere…, and eventually ended up in newly constructed housing projects including Golden Gate Village” (The Guardian). This is an example of one of the specific social structures that have limited the individuals that were born into this community. With redlining, maps are created to decide what types of housing each neighborhood will be able to receive and the denial of various services. Redlining involves not buying or selling anything to people of a certain ethnicity. They are unable to move to another part of the country because of this and they are forced to stay. Additionally, they are not making enough low income housing which constricts this African American population to one community and segregates them from the rest of society. They have been placed in these low income neighborhoods and are forced to stay throughout the years due to these policies.

Minorities, especially African Americans, often get segregated within cities and this causes there to be substantial power gaps in society. For example, the community in Golden Gate Village is being forced into impoverished living situations which causes them to have little to no opportunities. This causes them to be more at risk for staying in poverty, and the individuals in this community may have to commit more crime in order to survive. Mass incarceration is a form of structural racism and by forcing these individuals into more impoverished and less privileged areas you are making them more predisposed to having to commit criminal acts to survive.

This school was started to be an example for the residents in Golden Gate Village and the hope is to encourage future generations to go against the stereotype that they are unable to succeed based on their race, class, and sex. The goal is to provide youths with equal opportunity to resources so that they are able to thrive in the future. Teachers at WHAP work to provide an education that builds critical consciousness and understanding of structural inequities so that they can address them. By addressing this, students are able to better grasp this idea of social structures and how they will be able to go against them in the future.

Creating this school has allowed students to understand educational concepts better. Before, students were coming to the after school program with “busy work” that they were unable to complete because they had never learned the material in a classroom setting. By starting this school, teachers are able to guide students through concepts and provide them with assignments as practice. Students are taught early in the morning when their minds are fresh and they are able to attend an after school program so they can have access to more resources to complete their assignments.

When speaking with Royce she talked to me about what drives her work and commitment to support the people in overcoming these structural barriers. Her response was very clear and that this job was and always will be her calling. It is her purpose in life and with God to continue working in this community.

I have been able to understand a lot more about Golden Gate Village and WHAP by getting close and interacting with the individuals in this community. Being present allows me to engage with my community partner and gain more memorable experiences. I am able to work with the children during class time and I am able to spend time with them during their breaks. It is a whole different experience getting to fully interact with someone rather than engage with them over a media platform. For example, the children always invite me to play with them during their free-time and spin their jump rope for them or throw a ball around with them. In person you are able to pick up more on body language and communicate through facial expressions rather than just words. An in person experience is usually more down to earth and seems more real since you are able to gain a sense of friendship. I was able to build relationships with the students very quickly through these in person interactions and when it comes to media I feel that it is difficult to maintain these strong bonds. By consistently volunteering at WHAP I am able to continue to expand these relationships and create more personal connections with the staff and students.