Racial Discrimination Among the Youth in the United States

In research, the issue of racial discrimination and stereotyping among the young population in the United States is significant. It targets the youth, and therefore it is essential to investigate how ethnic groups contribute to racism in ways that are straightforward. Because the white community control almost every sector of the economy of the United States, the people of color struggle to represent their views. According to many researchers, the United States is one of the countries that minority immigrants move to. In the world today, there are diverse cultures as well as ethnic groups because of immigration. There are several cases of racial discrimination and stereotyping despite the growth in cultural diversities. This study is aimed at highlighting some of the issues relating to racial prejudice and coming up with recommendations to deal with such cases with the help of already existing data from the young population who have encountered racial discrimination directly or indirectly.

            Significant findings include the impact of racial prejudice on the people with color. Additionally, the investigation offers recommendations to end racial discrimination among the youth; the government needs to adopt a multicultural education system, follow the legal process to challenge racial discrimination, as well as adopt a more substantial social change ideology.       Considering how race is presented in the United States today, it looks like this investigation would indicate a correlation that racial discrimination among the young population is likely to be reinforced through the government institutions whether knowingly or not.

Introduction

“This is England” illustrates how the ideas of white culture conflicts with individuals from other ethnic groups. Racism makes people feel inferior to others, an aspect that prevents them from achieving their potential. The issue of race has held up back those who are directly affected (Jackson and Nadine 26). The most affected people are the children and the youth. The existing theories fail to consider some of the changing aspects which can be used to address the issue of race and racism (Swayne 31). Many of those that exist focus on the past but fail to give a way forward that will ensure that the issue of racism is addressed comprehensively. The existing structures favor the past notions, an aspect that promotes stereotyping based on the race.

            Because of fluctuating political, economic, as well as sociocultural circumstances, the definition of youth has changed continuously. Lower birth rates, as well as longer life expectancy in industrialized countries, has contributed to the youth forming a smaller proportion of the total population. The youth form a social group facing specific problems as well as uncertainties concerning its future, and problems that are linked to limited opportunities for employment. Young children face even more problems in developing countries because of limited opportunities for education, training, appropriate employment, as well as health services. The youth are important in the continuing development of the societies in which they live because of their imaginations, ideas, as well as considerable energies. Therefore, there is a need for the study of racism among the youth and how the problems related to race as well as racism can be solved. In the life of the society today, the youth aspire to full participation.

Problem Statement

One of the major issues in the United States is the increasing number of cases of racial discrimination among the youth. According to research, ethnicity, as well as racial discrimination among the whites and non-whites, is rampant in the United States in as much as growth has been seen in culture as well as diversity. For the new communities migrating into America, the cases have always been severe.

Purpose of the Study

The research aims to find out the impacts of racial discrimination on non- whites. Additionally, the study aims at coming up with recommendations that will help combats racial prejudice and stereotype among the youth. In the long run, the cultural practices of the non-whites will be preserved.

Research Questions

The research will collect data relating to factors of racial prejudice among the non-white youth as well as the experiences they have had. After the data has been analyzed, educators will be able to know the best ways to deal with prejudice. Some of the questions that will be asked of the participants include:

1.    How does racial prejudice affect an individual??

2.    How racially discriminated people get justice in the United States?

3.    How does it feel being a non-white in the United States?

Literature Review

In the world today, the young population is facing the most of hardships within the society. For instance, the youth in India remains the most subjugated as well as marginalized although they constitute a big chuck of the population. Many countries have not achieved the status of a developed nation because the youth are provided with limited opportunities education, training, appropriate employment, as well as health services. The youth form a crucial role in the continuing development of the societies in which they live because of their imaginations, ideas, as well as considerable energies.

            The research is focused on the most underprivileged youth who live in urban slums, with meager resources as well as persistently looking for a reason to live. To develop a productive generation, the research comes up with ways to work up with the youth. In the coming years, the whole urban slum society is predicted to erupt since people have not devised a solution to the problem of racism amongst the youth.

            According to Mulvey, Hitti, and Killen (2010), the Native Americans are the original owners of the United States of America. However, McKown (2013) asserts that the United States was built by immigrants. Immigrants were allowed to settle in America after the Immigrants law was passed in 1965. Also, students from different ethnic groups interacted because of the coming up of scholarship programs. Through justice as well as equality, people from different ethnic groups viewed the ideology differently. Cases of racial prejudice have been on the rise because of the growth of non-white immigrants in America.

            In 2010, a study presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies showed a strong relationship between racial prejudice as well as depression. 88 percent of the study population agreed to have experienced racial discrimination after being asked if they have been discriminated against in 23 different ways. Additionally, the researchers demonstrated that racism goes hand in hand with depression after surveying the mental health of the children. According to the researchers, children from the minority communities experience racial bias in multiple contexts, for instance, in schools as well as with the peers and so on. In 2006, the publication of Child Development published the investigation of approximately 700 black youth. The children who are likely to report cases of racial discrimination are the ones who endure name calling as well as race-based insults and so on. On the other hand, the children weathered the challenges of racial discrimination when they have supportive parents as well as friends. Additionally, children are less likely to develop problems when the parents kept track of their whereabouts as well as treated them with affection and so on. The research looks at some of the terms that are connected to racial discrimination.

Prejudice

Prejudice refers to antagonism based on faulty generalization. In most of the time, it can either be felt or expressed. Most researchers have used the term to refer to a negative attitude. Zannoni (2008) argues that the world in which people live is organized by prejudice. On the other hand, prejudice provides a material advantage as well as enhances self-esteem. Sociologists have emphasized on the tasks that are based on groups, although psychologists have stressed on the bias as an attitude of an individual. Sociological theories have stressed on extensive structural as well as social dynamics about race. Members of traditionally disadvantaged groups hold prejudices towards advantaged group members since prejudice represents the level of psychological favoritism of an individual. Therefore, prejudice encourages the creation of classified relations amongst groups.

Stereotypes

A stereotype is a term used to refer to what comes to mind when thinking about a specific social group. Stereotypes are mental diagrams used by social perceivers to process information on other people. The characteristics of groups are assumed by people from the social roles they play. This leads to individuals of lower socioeconomic status to be seen as less competent to higher status group members. Therefore stereotypes can be defined as beliefs as well as associations about the attributes of a group as well as its members.

Discrimination

Discrimination is seen to have a pejorative meaning with regards to intergroup relations. Additionally, it refers to the unfair or inappropriate treatment concerning one’s membership to a specific group. Discrimination occurs when a negative treatment is directed towards an individual. As a result, for the contemporary volume, discrimination refers to a behavior that favors some groups and the individuals it is comprised of.

Methodology

The survey will be conducted on one hundred and fifty individuals from the city of New York. The participants include students, intellectuals, as well as leaders of the community. Different races form part of the study population, for instance, Hispanic Americans, African Americans, as well as Native Americans. Moreover, the study population will comprise of a young population from 18 to 24 years old. A random selection will be made to come up with the fifty individuals.

Study Population

The research will be conducted on the young population from the non-white community living in the city of New York that has experienced racial discrimination. Also, some people have witnessed others being racially abused. The social, as well as community leaders, will take part in coming up with the final data.

Findings

The effects of racial discrimination in the young population manifest as depression (Back and John 21). The youth tend to separate themselves into cliques that are based on race as they age. As a result, some of them feel alienated. When children use racial discrimination to bully their classmates, more problems arise. The youth are affected negatively when they are ridiculed as well as ignored because of their race. Children suffer from behavioral issues when they encounter racial bigotry. In some instances, some children drop out of school because of racism. Sadly, sometimes peers are involved in discriminating the youth. The young population that has strong support systems can overcome the challenges presented by racial bigotry.

Implication of Results

The ideology of the research is to experience minimum problems of communication as well as allow individuals from different racial groups have interactive sessions. The first session will comprise of all the individuals, the second session will constitute of male participants, while the last meeting will represent the male participants.

Potential Limitations

A literature review of existing data is used to conduct the research. Although the response turned out to be high, the sample size of the participants is small. Additionally, the research looks at the major categories in the racial discrimination process, through the parameters investigated.

Mechanism to Assure Quality of the Study

In the course of the research, data will be stored in both hard as well as soft copies for future use. To curb biasness, the investigation will be conducted on both non-whites as well as young white population.

Recommendations

Scholars, as well as activists, have made several recommendations on how to end discrimination towards the people of color in the United States. One of the proposals is to focus on education that enhances diversity, for example changing the culture of racism. Education can eliminate racism as well as discrimination. In particular, this perspective includes advocates such as educators committed to classroom diversity. Such educators believe that just like white immigrant groups, the American society will accept people of color. For that reason, the only thing that is required is to educate people about celebrating their different cultural backgrounds that makeup America.   Advocates of this point of view argue that the idea of racial discrimination and stereotyping will be changed through multicultural education. The youth need more than learning about the history of racism. Whether they are people of color or from the white community, the young population need to know the role they play in white privilege as well as racism. It is important for the youth to learn how to see privilege, overcome structural racism as well as the fight against cultural norms that are dominant.

            Also, legal reforms make it easier to challenge acts of racial discrimination as well as stereotypes. Other researchers argue that a more substantial social change to repair discrimination cases that have happened in the past can reduce or end discrimination cases. To tackle the issue of racism, the youth need to be offered substantial opportunities. Several agencies can create equal opportunities, for example, schools, non-profits as well as government agencies and so on. Through programs that can be led by the youth, the young population can create their opportunities.

Works Cited

Back, Les, and John Solomos, eds. Theories of race and racism: A reader. Psychology Press,   2000.

Jackson, John P, and Nadine M. Weidman. Race, Racism, and Science: Social Impact and      Interaction. ABC-CLIO, 2004.

Mulvey, Kelly Lynn, Aline Hitti, and Melanie Killen. ”The development of stereotyping and         exclusion.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science 1.4 (2010): 597-606.

McKown, Clark. ”Social equity theory and racial‐ethnic achievement gaps.” Child             development 84.4 (2013): 1120-1136.

Swayne, Matt. ”Social Stressors Like Racism And Discrimination Can Impact Healthy             Functioning.” Medical News Today, MediLexicon International, 7 Mar. 2011,             www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/218209.php.

Zannoni, Federico. ”Stereotypes and racial prejudice in children’s minds. Images, discussions,     perspectives.” Ricerche di Pedagogia e Didattica. Journal of Theories and Research in          Education 3.1 (2008).