Racism is not simply prejudice, but rather the combination of prejudice and institutional power. Anyone, regardless of race, can have racist prejudices, biases, or tendencies. However, in the United States, being white means having institutional power and privilege; therefore, racism here is the systemized discrimination of people of color due to the societal belief that whiteness is superior because it is the majority. Racism in America is systemic because it plays a role in our institutions and society, whether we recognize it or not. To truly understand racism is to also understand how it is embedded in institutional and cultural systems, rather than focusing on an individual's thinking or actions.
People of color may sometimes be a party to systemic racism, without intending to act in that manner, and simply because systemic racism is so ingrained in our institutions, cultures, and societies. For example, a black manager may give opportunities for presentations to white employees over non-white because their dialect sounds more "professional."
Anti-Racism refers to anything that actively attempts to challenge systems of racism. This could include strategies, actions, theories, and even language. A large part of anti-racism is first helping people to recognize that racism exists and present ways to lessen imbalances caused by systemic racism, in hopes of someday equalizing those imbalances.
Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander racism has increased significantly in recent years, particularly with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The resources below, while not a comprehensive list, are intended to help educate on this issue and provide options for seeking help for victims of anti-Asian or Pacific Islander discrimination.
Microaggressions can target any minority, but certain microaggressions are disproportionately directed toward Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Latinos. For example questions such as "Where are you from?" or "Where were you born?" or statements like "You speak English well." are microaggressions against these minorities because the speaker, despite his or her intentions, is sending the message that the other person is not American or is a foreigner in their own land.
Hispanophobia is the fear of or aversion to individuals of Hispanic or Latino descent, Hispanic culture, or the Spanish language. While Hispanophobia began in Europe in the early 16th century, anti-Hispanic discrimination has become an issue in the United States due to politically-charged controversies such as bilingual education and immigration reform.
Microaggressions can target any minority, but certain microaggressions are disproportionately directed toward Hispanics and Latinos. For example some people make assumptions the Latinos all come from large families, only eat Mexican food, and are bilingual. These assumptions, whether presented as a statement or in a question, can be hurtful because they define a person solely on the stereotypes surrounding his or her culture or heritage.
What is Juneteenth?
Written by: Rebecca Hankins, Professor and Curator at TAMU Cushing Memorial Library & Archives
Juneteenth, also called Freedom Day, is the combining of June and the 19th day to commemorate the day enslaved Africans were freed in Texas June 19th, 1865, the last Confederate state to enforce the Emancipation Proclamation (EP). It is celebrated as the day the last enslaved Africans were freed, two years and 6 months after President Abraham Lincoln signed the EP freeing all enslaved Africans in the 10 remaining Confederate states, January 1, 1863.
Why wasn’t the EP enforced in Texas, because at the time of Lincoln signing the EP there were no Union soldiers in Texas to enforce the order. Many of the white slave owners fled to Texas in the hopes of using it as a sanctuary and garrison against the Union, a place where they could maintain their status. On June 18, Union Army General Gordon Granger arrived at Galveston Island with 2,000 federal troops to occupy Texas on behalf of the federal government. On June 19th the proclamation titled General Order Number 3 was read by General Granger:
"The people of Texas are informed that in accordance with a Proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired laborer."
Stories are told of freed people wearing their best clothes and walking everywhere so they could be seen as free. Many left their plantations as a symbol of their freedom. Others traveled to nearby states attempting to find family members sold away. Many of the freed enslaved men and women claimed land left after slave owners abandoned them to the Union Army. The newly freed celebrated by dragging their former slave cabins away from the slave quarters and into their own fields. Women reduced their labor in the fields and could now devote more time to childcare and their own homes. Now families could work for their own prosperity and livelihoods. It was a time of celebration and uncertainty. The election of Andrew Johnson as President, himself a former slave owner, changed the trajectory of the freed men and women in particular after he restored many of the liberated lands to the former slave owners. This led many freed people to enter into sharecropping and other forms of servitude to former masters that inevitably caused them to lose their land and independence.
For years African Americans celebrated Juneteenth by returning to Galveston, Texas as an annual pilgrimage to the place where they first learned of their freedom. They went to share prayer, food, commemoration, and celebration. African American Former Texas State Rep Al Edwards who was born in Houston in 1937 and first elected as a state representative in 1978 from Houston. A year later, in 1979, Edwards authored and sponsored House Bill 1016, making June 19th (“Juneteenth”) an official paid state holiday in Texas, although it is not a Federal holiday. Representative Edward continued to spread the observance of Juneteenth across America; he passed away this year, April 29, 2020.
Covers social issues and includes pro and con viewpoint articles, reference articles, full-text magazines, academic journals, newspapers, primary source documents, government and organizational statistics, multimedia, and links to pertinent websites.
Search 16 ProQuest social science databases at once.
Titles covering Art, Architecture, Design, History, Philosophy, Music, Literature, Theatre and Cultural Studies.
Focuses on broad issues, such as war, genocide, terrorism, human rights, poverty, famine, globalization, world trade, nuclear proliferation, and global warming, as well as more specific events and topics in the news.
Explores cultural differences and contributions and influences in the global community.
Containing hearings and committee prints, legislative histories on the landmark legislations, CRS and GAO reports, briefs from major Supreme Court cases, and publications from the Commission on Civil Rights.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly organizations and educational institutions in Australia and New Zealand. Major subject areas include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Full-text academic journals locally published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in European countries: France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Spain, and Portugal.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in East Asian and South Asian countries. Includes business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in East European and Central European countries. Includes business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Multidisciplinary resource providing full-text, scholarly journals published in India. Subjects include business, medicine, science, technology, social sciences and humanities.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in Latin American countries, Spain, and Portugal. Subjects include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in many Middle Eastern and African countries. Subjects include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in Turkey. Subjects include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, education, and humanities.
Full-text academic journals published by scholarly publishing organizations and educational institutions in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Subjects include business, science, technology, engineering, social sciences, and more.
Tomorrow Makers: A Penn College Podcast
Coming to you from the campus of Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, PA, this tomorrow-minded podcast dives into impactful topics like diversity and inclusion and engaging societal and cultural considerations. Stories explore how we learn, live, work, and play at Penn College and across the world. Through authentic dialogue with faculty, students, staff, and industry experts, our goal is to spark meaningful conversations that satisfy the curiosity that connects us all. Each unique episode taps into our guest’s “passion project” or area of expertise.
Pod Save the People
Organizer and activist DeRay Mckesson explores news, culture, social justice, and politics with analysis from Kaya Henderson, De'Ara Balenger, and others.
Still Processing
From The New York Times, this podcast covers a variety of social and cultural topics.
Throughline
The past is never past. Every headline has a story. Join us every week as we go back in time to understand the present. These are stories you can feel and sounds you can see from the moments that shaped our world.
Videos
Websites
In the interest of full disclosure, the creator of and collaborators for this guide identify with some, but not all of the oppressed identities presented here. As members of the Penn College community, we strive to encourage diversity, inclusion, awareness, equality, and equity. While I have made an attempt to collect and present some of the more timely, relevant, and quality resources on the topics of oppression, I recognize that my collaborators and I are still susceptible to our own implicit biases, privilege, and perspectives. Given our own limited experiences, any thoughts, comments, or suggestions, particularly from members of any marginalized populations, are sincerely welcomed and greatly appreciated.