Race, inequality, and public policy: Racism
Executive summary
Racism is the hatred or discrimination of an individual or group of individuals due to their skin color, culture, language, or place of birth. Racism is caused by prejudice, stereotyping, categorization, legal vulnerability, social and political marginalization, educational and economic disadvantage, and psychological victimization. In policy-making domains like the criminal justice system, healthcare, citizenship, technology, employment, and education, racism significantly influences how legislators enact and implement some policies. The government, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, and the entire society should adapt some strategies and policies to reduce or eliminate racism in all areas. The government and other policy-making bodies should legislate and implement more strict laws against racism and racial bias since the existing policies are very permissive and ineffective.
Scope of racism
Racism may be defined as the belief that a certain race is superior to another and that the races should be apart or remain segregated from one another. Racism involves the hatred or discrimination of an individual by another because of their skin pigmentation, culture, language, or place of birth (Donnelly, 25). Racism is caused by prejudice, stereotyping, categorization, subtle bias, and discrimination. Racism is experienced in academic, religious, philanthropic, professional, corporate, and social fields. Racism is experienced in policy making in policy domains such as criminal justice system, healthcare, citizenship, technology, and education. In such areas, racism has significantly influenced how legislators enact and enforce some public policies. In education, racism has influenced student performance because some racial groups experience some type of bias. Racism and race bias play a significant role in determining career opportunities and job placements in the fields of education, criminal justice, citizenship, among other fields.
Policy Analysis: Causes of racism
Racism is caused by several factors such as legal vulnerability, social and political marginalization, educational and economic disadvantage, psychological victimization, discrimination, prejudice, and racial intolerance. The perception and belief that one race is superior or inferior to another cultivates racism and racial bias (Hacker et al., 156) For example, many whites have been cultured to believe that they are superior to other minority races such as Blacks or Latinos. Again, there exists several stereotypes about some racial groups such as a particular race being lazy, aggressive, brainy, or poor. For example, anti-Semites view Jews subhuman, devilishly cunning, powerful, and skilled while Blacks are seen as mere subhuman and more like animals than people. Such stereotypes further encourage racial discrimination and biases. Racism is also caused by the tendency to blame other races for some social problems (Donnelly, 15). For example, a community or individual may believe that the other race is taking their jobs, resources, or getting government handouts. Such blames can lead to hatred and discrimination towards a particular racial group.
In policing, racism has significantly affected how some policing decisions by the government in some fields. An illustrative example is the “shooter-bias” which reflects how people implicitly associate Blacks with weapons. A Black man holding a gun is viewed as being more likely to shoot faster as compared to a White man holding a gun in a similar situation. Regarding decisions about who to stop and search for investigatory purposes, law enforcement officials are more likely to stop and conduct decretory searches on Blacks and Hispanic people. Due to some stereotyped believes such as Blacks are violent and aggressive, police officers can use lethal force on them as compared to other races. Although the constitution prohibits racism and grants equal protection rights to all individuals, the courts and policy making bodies are a bit permissive when it comes to cases involving racism.
Policy Recommendations
The government, civil society groups, non-governmental organizations, and the entire society should adapt some strategies and policies to reduce or completely eliminate racism. More research should be conducted to track the effects of racism and related intolerances and avail the information to all people and stakeholders in policy making domains. Racial biases in research that perpetuate and reflect racial disparities in medical, educational, employment, or other fields should be eliminated because they promote racism. People should also be educated about interracial and historic understanding of human rights at all formal educational levels. Understanding human rights at intercultural or interracial approaches makes people tolerant to other races and view them as fellow human being rather than inferior subhuman beings.
The government and other policy-making bodies should legislate strict laws against racism and racial bias and enforce them more strictly. Some of the existing policies against racism and racial profiling and bias are very permissive (Micheal and Howard); thus, there is need to fill the loopholes such policies leave. The government should implement a zero-tolerance policy for law enforcement officers who kill or use lethal force on black people or other minority races.
Works Cited
Donnelly, Ellen A. “The politics of racial disparity reform: Racial inequality and criminal justice policymaking in the states.” American Journal of Criminal Justice 42.1 (2017): 1-27.
Hacker, Jacob S., Suzanne Mettler, and Dianne Pinderhughes. “Chapter Four Inequality and Public Policy.” Inequality and American democracy: What we know and what we need to learn (2005): 156.
Micheal Omi and Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States. New York: Routlege. 2015.