Racism And Racism

The people who live in Jamaica also vary from the people of the United States greatly. Jamaica is approximately 90.9 percent African, while, on the other hand, in the United States Africans are considered a minority only making up roughly 12 percent of all people in the United States. Even though, the official language of Jamaica, and the language taught in their schools, is English, matching the language of the United States, the vast majority of Jamaicans speak Patois in their everyday life. “Patois is an English-based Creole language with West African influences. The pronunciation and vocabulary of Jamaican Patois are significantly different from English, despite heavy use of English words or derivatives. Jamaican Patois displays similarities to the Pidgin and Creole languages of West Africa, due to their common descent from the blending of African substrate languages with European languages” (Jamaican Patois). Patois is as well the language used in nearly all popular local music in Jamaica. Additionally our tour

Colorism is so destructive that it has long infected and affected the black community in ways that some people may not understand. While reading Zora Neale Hurstons “ Their eyes were watching god” Colorism is shown in a couple of different ways here's one “ Janie's coffee-and-cream complexion and her luxurious hair made Mrs. Turner forgive her for wearing overalls like the other women who worked in the fields. ”(Hurston 140) The citation from the novel shows the whole idea of colorism because Mrs. Turner forgave Janie for wearing overalls due to her lighter skin complexion in contrast to if Janie’s skin color was darker Mrs. This occurrence of colorism is not something that has just started.

In the 19th and 20th centuries Europe was thriving and wealthy while most of their colonies in Africa were suffering under their rule. The Europeans all wanted a piece of Africa’s land with its plentiful resources and free labor. Around this time, Europe was going through the industrial revolution and because business was booming the European countries need more resources than they already had. The Africans had the land the Europeans wanted to use to continue having booming businesses, they also had African slaves and workers that they can use so they don’t have to pay for labor. In the 19th century leader of the Europeans countries want to discuss how they will divide Africa without the leaders of Africa knowing. The Europeans then started to invade Africa and take control over the citizens. As the Europeans got more powerful, the Africans become more miserable. Unable to match the guns Europe had, African countries began getting claimed, one by one with the exception of two. The Europeans ruled in a cruel way that left many Africans dead or suffering. Many countries tried and successfully broke away from Europeans after many years under colonization. The Europeans had a negative impact on the lives of many Africans in the 19th and 20th centuries, especially with racism and assimilation. People were taught to be a human they had to be like a European which led to many racist views on African people and culture and is why some nations like France used assimilation to make

Between America and other European nations, stereotypes and misrepresentations have ultimately plagued the continent of Africa. To every side there is often another story, yet unfortunately for the many countries of Africa, they are ultimately victimized and suffer through further oppression. According to Curtis Keim’s book Mistaking Africa, Keim suggests that Africa is essentially under the public microscope, it tends to be scrutinized, and compared to European nations and America. Keim elaborates on human natures need to group people, places, and things, which creates the theory of superiority or dominance over races, cultures, and even religions.

Jamaica 's original inhabitants were the Arawak Indians, who called the island Xaymaca, meaning either “land of wood and water” or “land of springs.” Columbus landed on the island in 1494. The Arawaks were decimated within a few decades by European diseases and the harsh life settlers imposed on them. The Spanish occupied the island until 1655, when it was captured and colonized by the English. By the late 17th century, the English had established sugarcane plantations and were importing large numbers of slaves from Africa. Some slaves managed to run away and establish settlements in the mountains, some of which remain today; called Maroons, descendants of these runaway slaves enjoy some political autonomy. Slavery was abolished in 1838. Jamaica remained under nominal British rule until it gained full independence in 1962. Jamaica is a very interesting country to research; the location, geographic features, population, climate, language, tourism and the way the people dress have the most interesting facts about this country.

In America, a culture of sustained racism and sexism influences foreign policymakers, which results in colonialism and imperialism, the desecration of nations, and militancy. The authors of the articles, Michael L. Krenn and Laura McEnaney, with differing skill sets, provide evidence of racial and gendered bias in foreign policy. In “The Adaptable Power of Racism,” Krenn expertly examines the history of racism within foreign policy; how racism adapted in the face of religious and scientific challenges, and the overall effects of racist foreign policies.1 McEnaney, in “Gender Analysis and Foreign Relations,” provides a lackluster account of the application of gender analysis to foreign policy, specifically in relation to the policies of the Cold War and Spanish-American War.2 The history of racism and sexism in America provide a blueprint for foreign policymakers, where racist militancy and sexist excuses override basic human rights.

In the age of Imperialism, European countries sought to colonize the world. It all came crashing down as European countries became involved in conflicts and could not sustain this infrastructure. In South Africa, European ideals were held so strongly in the government that segregation was the norm long after Europe and North America had become desegregated. Africa was seen as a place to steal from, whether it was slaves, minerals, riches, or land. From the constant European intervention and inability of nations to function on their own and control their people, Africa has become a vacuum of centralized power with new puppet democracies controlled by dictators and warlords. European control was a very hands-on way of controlling every aspect of African life in the government, infrastructure, culture, technology, religion. When African countries became independent, it was a struggle to adopt their new identity Because of the overpowering European dominance in every aspect of live, Africa was deprived of the chance to learn and develop on its

Colorism, as defined by Margaret Hunter of the Sociology and Anthropology Department of Mills College is “a function of racism and social stratification, first introduced by Europeans during the colonization of the New World.” Through colorism, an “institutionalized hierarchy of complexion” was developed. Thus making skin color an identifier and a way to racially oppress those who have not assimilated (Hunter 2007).

Hues are properties of light by which colors of objects are classified in reference to the spectrum. As people, we decide what hue is intriguing, how it makes us feel, and unfortunately how it makes us different. We are calmed by the blueness of water, and we are awakened by the yellowness of the sun. It was not until the evil intentions of slavery crossed mankind’s thoughts that hue became our downfall, our separator. White supremacy eroded the idea of equality, and darker hues began to symbolize worthlessness, inferiority, and ugliness.

Historical archives discovered by Dorman show that colorism had tangible boundaries within the African American community during the 1920s (47). It is stated that blacks often divided themselves into four subcategories which consisted of “black”, “brown”, “light brown”, and “yellow” Negros (Dorman 47). The above ranking would be listed in a hierarchy from “black” being at the bottom of the socially accepted hierarchy to the “yellow negro” being the most revered and desired socially.

An analysis of gender, class and westernization all combine together into multi layered complications that Africans faced in the colonial and postcolonial period. These challenges come from examples such as the slave trade and the break from colonial power to the political complications that limit the development in the rest of the country. Westernization dismantled a lot of social and political authority within Africa and created a new standard of class that favors those who are affiliated with European heritage and its is still being embedded today. Gender plays into this role as well as it can be used as a way to deprive one's dignity and status or can be a way to show one’s wealth.

Looking at Africa as a single entity has been an issue facing how the world perceives it. When news of Africa hits the stands it is rarely talking about specific places but rather a story about the whole of Africa. Viewing Africa as a single thing has lead most of the world, especially Western cultures, to see it in a generalized way which has led to a negative stereotype of Africa and its people.

Colorism is the “prejudicial or preferential treatment of some people based solely on the color of their skin,” usually of the same race, as defined by author Alice Walker who coined the term in her 1983 book “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens.” (p. 290) White Supremacists are among the wealthiest and “elite” of the world, in every social, economic, educational and judicial and fiscal sector. Their racist agendas push through their companies and the positions they hold. Perhaps the most prominent of such agendas is the beauty industry. White hegemony beauty standards affect countries all around the globe, through deliberate or side-eye promotions of white aesthetic tastes. Subliminal or not, colorism is present all throughout social media,

In life there is a constant feeling to want to fit in with everyone else in society, so much that it can cause one to feel like what they have to offer is not good enough. Outside forces often try to mold us to become what they believe is socially and morally correct, and it can make us feel like strangers to these outside forces and even ourselves. This can be said as a result of colonialism in Nigeria where England pushed their culture onto the less powerful nation. It caused a conflict as to who the people believed they should be, educated like the English or like their tribal ancestors. This can prove true for the Nigerian writer, Jude Dibia who demonstrates how he faced the battle between cultures in his story 'Among Strangers'; he felt torn between his fathers Igbo culture, his mothers Igala culture and his own unidentifiable personal culture. It was difficult for him to find a place where he felt comfortable in his own skin, and even into adulthood Dibia was torn, but he eventually found his place and no longer felt like a stranger to the world around him. Jude Dibia is an example of how post colonialism can have an effect on the culture of a land that once existed and he helped to prove it is important to follow one's

Throughout the novel Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe (1958) discusses the pattern of conflict between traditional African values, as practiced by the Igbo society, and those of the