Complexities of Racial Inequality in the US

Background

Throughout the history of this great nation, it has been imperative that numerous individuals from different backgrounds co-exist in the same location. The voyages of the 15th Century began as a means of Europeans seeking a direct trade route that would directly lead to India. However, they stumbled upon the American continent where a discovery of other races led to significant interaction. The foreign sailors were not happy with maintaining an equal correlation with these different ethnicities that had vast resources, but barely utilized them. The European forces incorporated the use of superior weapons and popularizing their superiority as a race as a primary factor to assert their authority. The practice bore the beginning of racial inequality in the continent and across the world. The utilized violence and slavery as an effective tool of demonstrating that other races like the blacks were primitive and inferior to their powers. 

Since the settlement of the white man in the American continent, there have been significant advancements made in how people relate to one another. For instance, the whites who moved to the thirteen colonies no longer wanted association with the British monarchy as they demanded their independence. However, they were reluctant to grant the same freedom to the African Americans who were living in deplorable conditions (Woubshet, 2017).. Numerous attempts by people of color have been made since the 19th century to seek the intervention of the federal government in granting freedom and rights equal to that of the whites. It was only late into the 20th century that these pleas were heard. The constitution recognizes the rights of these ethnicities and the importance they hold in the society (Woubshet, 2017).. However, multiple events continue to occur that demonstrate that these rights are insignificant as they continue to be ignored and disregarded. Police brutality against African Americans is equated to the assassinations of great leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., Malcom X, and Medgar Evers. These events seem to indicate that racial inequality may never come to an end.

Hypothesis

The film “I am not your Negro” is a documentary that narrates the critical thoughts of James Baldwin in his unfinished manuscript Remember This House , as he explores how racism has been a basic part of American history and is yet to leave anytime soon. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers are entwined in racism, exploitation, injustice, and violence which will be integral in recognizing the cause and possible means of eradicating its continued incidence. 

Literature Review

James Baldwin as depicted in the documentary identifies that stating that white innocence in the actions of violence and injustice against the minority African Americans is completely wrong (Scott, 207). One of the major cultural beliefs of the American society is that to ensure low levels of crime, an individual should report any wrongdoing to the nearest law enforcement authority. The practice has been an enlightening depiction of the nature of the relation between the community members and the government forces (Coleman, 2017). The belief is that the two complement each other and it is nearly impossible to achieve success without supporting one another. However, when it comes to the issue of racism, very few individuals who are white are willing to speak up about the issue. They will identify how they are not involved in the negative treatment of these minorities but their lack of action is equivalent to supporting the atrocities. 

The film “I am not your Negro” represents the importance of civil disobedience as an effective means to achieving the appropriate treatment of human beings. Baldwin notes that the people of a society do not have to be wicked to ensure its destruction; they only need to be spineless (Scott, 207). The description means that the people are fully aware of the events taking place around them, but they choose not to be involved in rejecting and making a change to these practices (Coleman, 2017). The community as a whole should work in unison to reject practices by the government that demonstrates favoritism of one race over another. The assassinations of King, Evers, and Malcolm X are clear indicators of spineless society where whites are unable to protest against this injustice just because it does not affect them directly. They leave the burden to the African American people to fight their battles which will likely end in loss as the oppressor maintains a lot of power. 

The Civil Rights Movement that came to an end in the mid 1960s would lead to a decline in the violence and tension between community members. The constitution was only rectified to recognize the African American and colored peoples in the society. However, there was significant failure in addressing the attitudes of the people who share by word of mouth the beliefs and stereotypes of these minority groups. Through Baldwin’s work, it is evident that the society should call attention to this issue to prevent the recrudescence of an issue that should have been eradicated more than five decades ago. The incidence of the Black Lives Matter movement is an indicator that indeed such an occurrence is a possibility. The act of diminishing the humanity of the African Americans could resurrect a period of oppression for the group. It is important to identify effective strategies that will prevent such an occurrence and push towards equality for all. 

Theoretical Perspective

Functionalism is one of the major sociological theories that provide a critical explanation to the relations between individuals in the society. Theorists such as Emile Durkheim, Herbert Spencer, and Robert k. Merton among others recognize that the different parts of society are integral to establishing an effective and stable community. In this regard, the theorists identify that the society is more than just as a sum of its parts, rather it is the functionality of each that ensures the stability of the whole (Coleman, 2017). The functionalists believed that a single institution remains important to the whole if it is capable of performing a vital role in the functioning of the society. The film “I am not your Negro” looks into the significant importance of the black people in the American community as a whole. This practice has been a primary factor in causing discrimination against the African American people and was mainly used to uphold slavery in the antebellum period. The implementation of functionalism identifies the failure of society to take advantage of talents evident in the marginalized community. The practice is a critical factor in causing dysfunctions in the society where members are unable to ensure effective cooperation among members. 

Conflict theory is another sociological theory that identifies the inequalities of gender, race, social class, and ethnicity. In this case, the history of the United States serves as an excellent example to describe the nature of society in the process of interaction. The struggles evident between the ruling social class of the whites and the racial and ethnic minorities have been a major factor of conflict between the groups (Woubshet, 2017). The former group would usually perceive various actions of the latter as a threat to its dominance and take it as a means of retaliating and ensuring complete domination. The rising power of the black Americans following the end of the civil war resulted in the implementation of the Jim Crow laws that would segregate the minorities from the majority. The laws would limit the African Americans in terms of theor political and social power. The film “I am not your Negro” critically describes this practice where members of the society seem to discriminate against African Americans in more subtle practices. The assassinations of Malcom X and Dr. King are clear indicators that the white majority do not want a society where its members are directly threatened by the rule of the minorities. Through the assassinations, they serve as a warning shot to all others who may seek to take up such power. In this way, racial inequality may never come to an end. 

Interactionism is another critical explanation to the institution of the community. According to these theorists, each members of the society identifies race and ethnicity as a critical symbol of identity. Some will propose that some symbols of race and not actually race itself have been a driving factor for the incidence of racism in the society (Scott, 207). In this regard, the racist views are developed through interactions between members of the dominant group (Scott, 207). For instance, the members of the white community may share their views that African Americans are violent people due to the incidence of crime in the neighborhoods. The ability of these members to support these views of the subordinate group results in maintaining the status quo in the society (Coleman, 2017). In “I am not your Negro”, the film demonstrates the need for mixing between the different ethnicities as a critical factor of putting an end to the racial inequalities (Scott, 207). There are numerous individuals who remain unaware of the critical factors that lead to the enforcement of racially directed views. Through increased interaction between the different members of the community, it is possible to put an end to their daily struggles.

References

Coleman, A. L. (2017) James Baldwin Documentary I Am Not Your Negro Is the Product of a Specific Moment in History . Time, Retrieved from http://time.com/4680673/james-baldwin-documentary-history/  

Scott, A. O. (2017) Review: ‘I Am Not Your Negro’ Will Make You Rethink Race . The New York Times, Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/movies/review-i-am-not-your-negro-review-james-baldwin.html  

Woubshet, D. (2017) The Imperfect Power of I Am Not Your Negro. The Atlantic, Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/02/i-am-not-your-negro-review/515976/