How social classes and stigmas are formed in society dictate the formation of minority groups, who in turn, become oppressed in one way or another. Society dictates who is to be considered for opportunities and who should be alienated. Shellae, Cogburn, Wilkins, and Joseph (2019) articulate that racism perpetrated against members of a particular community is a root for oppression. For example, since time immemorial, the whites have considered Blacks inferior because of their color. This inferiority has resulted in Blacks being oppressed and denied many opportunities in society.
Slavery and social injustices in the pre-colonial and post-colonial periods catalyzed the perception of Blacks as being equal to animals and unequal to whites both in power and ability ( Shellae et al., 2019) . These stereotypes have been passed on through generations, and till today; Blacks have developed a poor perception of themselves.
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Being the inferior class in the US society, Blacks give in to maltreatment in schools, workplaces, and even in social places such as markets and clubs. Black children rarely get the same educational opportunities that their white counterparts do. Most of the people who lack medical insurance are Blacks, and therefore, they cannot get access to effective and quality medical services ( Shellae et al., 2019) . All these forms of oppression are as a result of societal constructs that people have formulated since ancient times.
Remedios and Snyder (2018) also recognize how the overlapping nature of identities influences the perception of oppression. Psychology often overlooks the fact that an individual may belong to more than one stigmatized group because psychologists believe that isolating a single identity as the variable in quantitative research will mean making other social identities such as race constant.
However, the reality is that multiple identities formed by society may lead to perceptions of oppression. For example, society perceives prototypical people of color to be men and prototypical women white ( Remedios & Snyder, 2018) . As society has it, White people are generally superior in a race than Black people, so Black women are stigmatized in that manner. Then when it comes to gender, men are perceived superior to women in many cultures, thus stereotyping women in that regard.
Socially, Blacks are considered inferior to Whites, and this goes even further with Black women considered inferior to Black men ( Remedios & Snyder, 2018) . In such a case, Black women face multiple stereotypes in the form of race, gender, and social status. It is this invisibility of Black women that many times gives them the perception of being oppressed.
Ways to Discourage Oppression
One way to deter oppression is to reject it the moment it is directed towards an individual. Accepting to be oppressed can make oppression seem acceptable or even make it appear normal. Agreeing to be oppressed is similar to endorsing abuse, thus sending messages that it is permissible to maltreat me courtesy of what you think of me. People should resist oppression and stand to defend their honor as human beings who have rights ( Shellae et al., 2019) . Resisting oppression is the first step to speaking to other people who might be facing similar kinds of treatment.
Public education is another effective way of discouraging oppression. Children have grown up watching their parents maltreat others. Parents have instilled in their children ideas that make them perceive others as inferior. Education is either the beginning of oppression in society or the beginning of the end of it. Parents should teach children about equality and respect for all people regardless of their race, status, ability, and income, among others ( Shellae et al., 2019) . Human rights activists and leaders should work to raise awareness against oppression. These actors should discourage oppression or the harmful stigmatization of particular groups of people in society. The school administrations should encourage diversity in the staff members and students. When students from diverse backgrounds share the same classes and are taught by the same teachers, brings unity and oneness, thus bridging the discrimination gap.
References
Remedios, J. D., & Snyder, S. H. (2018). Intersectional oppression: Multiple stigmatized identities and perceptions of invisibility, discrimination, and stereotyping. Journal of Social Issues , 74 (2), 265-281.
Shellae, V. H., Cogburn, C. C., Wilkins, C. L., & Joseph, N. (2019). Appropriated racial oppression: Implications for mental health in Whites and Blacks. Social Science & Medicine , 230, 295-302.
