Personal Experience With Racism

Personal Experience with Racism
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Personal Experience with Racism
Racism is interwoven with the very fabric of the American culture, which is an unfortunate state of affairs. It is deeply steeped and is as old as the United States. As such, one does not have to walk far before encountering someone with first-hand experience with the menace. Despite concerted efforts by various entities to stem the vice, it continues to abound with far-reaching consequences. For instance, hordes of people have been subjected to undeserving deaths owing to their ethnicity, while others have suffered untold psychological trauma. I am a single white mother of two colored boys, and they have had to contend with racism, which has adversely affected them in different dimensions. Since they are school-going children, I have noted how racism manifests through racial stereotypes and physical bullying, among other means, in learning institutions.
Racial Stereotypes
According to my observation, stereotypes are the most widely used tool in the propagation of racism. The sad truth is that most stereotypes are negative, and people employ them to demean and discredit their targets. In addition, many stereotypes advance distorted perspectives about some groups of people, which, more often than not, has far-reaching ramifications. For instance, many racists believe that blacks or people of color can never be more intellectually endowed than them. Therefore, they use everything within their power, mostly underhand tactics, to pin down anyone who exhibits extraordinary abilities.
This happened to my elder son, who has always been exemplary in his studies and extracurricular activities. He has been the brightest child in his class for the longest time, much to the chagrin of some white boys who resorted to taunting him. I remember him coming home in tears one evening, and when I inquired what the matter was, he tearfully informed me that some boys had formed a habit of referring to him as a “lazy, unintelligent nigger”. To make it worse, some had been hurling bananas at him and making suggestive animal gestures. He was inconsolable for an interminable time, and it took me quite some doing to calm him down. I must also admit that I found maintaining my composure, in the circumstances, a tall order. However, I did my best for the sake of my hurting son since I understood that breaking down would only aggravate the situation. He ...