“Ten Simple Things You Can Do to Improve Race Relations”

According to Gallagher (2012) there are ten simple things one can do to improve race relations. These include talking to your family, avoiding stereotypical language, acknowledging that racism is not funny, being introspective, being a good citizen, appreciating the fact TV rap and rock appeal to the lowest common denominator, learning your family history, teaching through example, stepping out of your comfort zone and knowing yourself. Speaking from experience, these ‘things’ can indeed help to improve one’s race relations.

Learning about my family history has notably improved my racial relations a great deal because I came to realize that my forefathers originated from at least five different ethnic groups. First, it dawned on me that I am not an original “white”-American (Suleiman, 2012). Secondly, I realized that racial relations have changed significantly since the time both my parents and grandparents were children owing to some major historical events such as the Civil Rights movement, Martin Luther King. Jr.’s assassination, the American Indian Movement (AIM), La Raza and the L.A. Riots (Gallagher, 2012).

Even though ethnic groups are still very prevalent in America, the fact that assimilation has occurred cannot be overlooked. Assimilation is particularly evident among European immigrants who came to America in the 1950’s (Steinberg, 2012). These immigrants have become ‘white’ Americans as opposed to Russian-Americans, Italian-Americans or other non-native Americans (Suleiman, 2012). This assimilation can be attributed to intermarriage across ethnic lines and the fact that at least two generations have been born since the immigration. Intermarriage has over the years resulted in the erosion of ethnic cultures, which has ultimately translated into multiracial Americans who cannot trace their culture to any particular ethnic group or race. Studies have shown that while first-generation immigrants keep their native languages, the second generation are bilingual, and the third generation speak only English.

Being a part of the third and fourth generations, one can barely tell that their forefathers were non-native English speakers. The fact that we use American English as our first language has led many to believe that they are native-Americans. Worse still, others have gone ahead to discriminate against other non-native citizens on account of their race and countries of origin oblivious of the fact that their parents and grandparents were also foreigners at one time. Personally, I do not believe I can discriminate against any race or ethnic group more so those ethnic groups that can be traced in my lineage.

One of the many challenges faced by non-native Americans and foreigners is the inability to speak English fluently. On several occasions and especially in their formative years, they are mimicked, mocked and ridiculed because of their funny accents. My first school was not an exception. As young children, we used to find most foreign accents to be very funny so we mimicked other students who could not speak fluent English. Even though we were just having fun and had no intention whatsoever of hurting the feelings of those we mimicked, our behavior, as I later came to find out, had negative implications on the long-term psychological well-being of those we mimicked. Racial ridicule and mockery more often than not contribute to insecurity, emotional instability, and low self-esteem, which might have long-term effects on individuals (Carter, 2005). One day my parents overheard me mimicking a friend who had a Scottish accent and making fun of the fact that men in Scotland put on ‘skirts’ (kilts). My mother was very furious with me so she reprimanded me for the behavior before we had a long discussion about her origin and the sacrifices that have been made by outstanding individuals in history to fight against racial discrimination. From that day, I gradually came to appreciate the cultural diversity in our school, and I do not think I have ever made fun of anyone else based on their race or ethnic background.

References

Carter, R. T. (2005). Handbook of racial-cultural psychology and counseling. / Vol. 2, Training and practice. Hoboken, N.J. : Wiley.

Gallagher, C. A. (2012). Ten simple things you can do to improve race relations. In C. A. Gallagher, Rethinking the color line : readings in race and ethnicity. (pp. 623-626). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.

Steinberg, S. (2012). The Melting Pot and the Color Line. In C. A. Gallagher, Rethinking the Colour Line (4 ed., pp. 337-342). New York : McGraw-Hill: 2012.

Suleiman, M. W. (2012). The Arab Immigrant Experience. In C. A. Gallagher, Rethinking the color line : readings in race and ethnicity (pp. 353-364). New York : McGraw-Hill.