Racism Lessons Learned Essay - 484 Words

Many things have been shared in this classroom environment. Issues have been studied that have caught the attention of the class and made them consider things that perhaps were not contemplated before. Over the past semester, one series of lessons have stood out to me more than any other. That particular set of lessons revolved around the issue of racism. Racism has taken on a new comprehension within my thoughts and mind over the course of this semester. I had always considered racism a baneful idea and an even more wicked practice. We defined it as a prejudice based upon the color of one’s skin or race. Although laws have outlawed the practice of segregation and racism, we have seen as a class that it is still practiced within a†¦show more content†¦We have seen that racism isn’t confined to the mountains of Tennessee, hills of Alabama, or plains of Mississippi. Racial discrimination is evident in every state and in many peoples. We have come to see that it is not confined to Anglo-Americans, but can affect people from all racial or ethnic backgrounds. Most importantly, this course has allowed us to view this evil from a better understanding. We have been allowed to not only define racism, but to also view the roots and causes of it. We have discussed as a class the consequences that racial intolerance has held upon our society as a whole. In our discussions and lessons about racism, we have learned about great American heroes who have stood up against bigotry. Rosa Parks, who as a young African-American woman who in 1963 refused to give up her bus seat to a white man, ignited a social revolution. Her righteous defiance led to a boycott of buses by African-Americans in Montgomery, Alabama, and also to laws that changed the legal nature of prejudice. We also learned about Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who stood against the tyranny of racial injustice by forming nonviolent protests. His marches, speeches, imprisonments, and even death ushered in the understanding of how important this issue was to our modern culture. I appreciate all that I have learned within this class. It’s not often that classes affect the way we see life. But thisShow MoreRelatedWhy Is Innocence Becomes Experience?1225 Words   |  5 Pagesaware of these types of bias about their own racial or ethnic group, it can affect how they respond to everyday situations.† This shows that Scout and Jem are in a time of their lives when racism will take effect. Not only because of the exposure do they tend to grow up faster, but also because of the lessons they learn from Calpurnia and Atticus. The symbolism of the mockingbird lingers throughout the novel, which is a symbol of innocence. M.E. Gandy writes, â€Å"The novel is of a genre called BildungsromanRead MoreIndifference Essay761 Words   |  4 Pagesstates show indifference by acting and showing racism, intolerance, and discrimination to those that are different from them. Even after everything the United States has been through, they still continue doing what t heir forefathers did before them by being indifferent to these subjects. One of the main ways the United States shows indifference is through the way they handle racism throughout their country. The American people tend to show racism towards people who are not exactly like themRead MoreThe Red Summer Of 19191038 Words   |  5 Pageskilled than the amount of people being killed in the Chicago race riots. Fighting was happening all over our country. We were killing one another because of the hatred towards racism. â€Å"The Red Summer of 1919 refers to a series of race riots that took place between May and October of that year. 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The innocent and young Jem and Scout have not, yet learned the skillsRead MoreCritical Pedagogy And The Reggio Emilia1533 Words   |  7 PagesIt has been formulated and influenced by many psychologists and philosophers including John Dewey and Paulo Freire. Critical pedagogy is an attempt at freedom from oppression through democratic critical thinking. In critical pedagogy the knowledge learned within the classroom should correlate with and not be separated from any social structure, culture, politics, economics or any ideology taking place with society. The idea is, that in order to orchestrate change, individuals must become aware of theRead MoreImproving Awareness Of The Indigenous Peoples And Cultures1478 Words   |  6 Pages Rationale: The lesson sequence targets AITSL Standard 2.4 and affords Indigenous Australian peoples justice by helping to destroy misconceptions about them, their histories and their cultures. Unfortunately, Australian schools have been identified as a major setting of race-based discrimination (Lester, 2000, p.12). However, children and adolescents are at periods of substantial development in cognitive, social and emotional skills when they are at school (Aboud Levy, 2000, p. 270) and schoolsRead MoreKill A Mockingbird : Five Paragraph Analysis1288 Words   |  6 Pagesnovel travels a thin line between a light-hearted narrative of the siblings’ childhood with their single father, a defense attorney named Atticus Finch, and the injustices that arise within their close-knit community. The complexities include extreme racism, a peculiar social hierarchy, and general misunderstandings of certain people within the small town. These are all seen as â€Å"Maycomb ways†, almost as if they are considered facts. Through her writing, Lee conveys an important message that an essential