Maya M.

Murray
Adrienne Cassel
ENG 1201 228
27 March 2016
The World We Live In: Coincidence or Conspiracy
Why do we confine things to fit into a box definition? Why do we feel the need to label
everyone in society in order to interact? I am enrolled in three sociology classes this semester.
One of the classes is Social Problems in which we look at issues in the world and connect them
to sociological perspectives. These questions came from an assignment that made us think about
the reasons people need to know the sex of a baby before being able to connect with him or her.
People don't buy clothes, assign a name, decorate their room, etc. until they know. For example,
the gender decides whether the room is pink or blue. These colors are labeled as feminine or
masculine. But why?
Lets start with some key definitions. According to Google, a label is when someone
assign to a category, especially inaccurately or restrictively. A prejudice is preconceived
opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience. Bigotry is defined as intolerance
toward those who hold different opinions from oneself. Lastly, a stereotype is a widely held
but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. When I hear
these definitions I automatically think of African Americans troubles throughout recent decades.
Since black history and other minority groups are being removed from textbooks, I feel this is
the perfect time to expand my knowledge by exploring their history.
First of all, the term African American began in 1619 when Caucasian settlers bought and
brought Africans to American to serve as slaves in what is now Jamestown, Virginia ("Slavery in

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America"). This started African American cruelty. Slaves were controlled by whites and forced
to preform strenuous manual labor in the scorching heat of the South. This labor was intended
to aid the production of such lucrative crops as tobacco and cotton to build the economic
foundations of the new nation ("Slavery in America"). Slavery spread with westward expansion
in the 17th and 18th centuries in the South while anti-slavery movements matured in the North
("Slavery in America"). This created a division that lead to the gruesome Civil War that lasted
from 1861 to 1865.
Although the Unions success freed 4 million slaves, slavery continued to influence
American history, from the tumultuous years of Reconstruction (1865-77) to the civil rights
movement that emerged in the 1960s, a century after emancipation ("Slavery in America"). This
is prevalent in the following events starting with Rodney King. King was a taxi driver whose
beating, by the police officers of Los Angeles in 1991, was nationally shown on television.
Police violence calmed on a public level as our first black president was inaugurated into the
White House in 2008. The media was focused on Barack Obamas presidency until a series of
police killings stole media attention. On February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin, 17, was killed by a
neighborhood watchman, George Zimmerman, while walking home from the store in Sanford,
Fl. (From Trayvon Martin to Walter Scott: Cases in the Spotlight 28) Zimmerman was not
charged. A 68-year-old man was shot and killed in his driveway by a white public-safety officer
in North Augusta, S.C., named Justin Craven (28). Craven got 10 years (28). On April 30, 2014,
Milwaukee police officer Christopher Manney fatally [shot] Dontre Hamilton, an unarmed 31year-old African American with a history of mental illness, [14 times] in a downtown park (28).
Manney was fired but not charged (28). July 7, 2014, 43-year-old Eric Garner died after being
choke slammed to the ground by NYPD, yet no officers were indicted (29). On August 5, 2014,

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John Crawford III, 22, [was] shot [by white cops] inside a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio, after
picking up an air rifle from the shelf (29). No officers were indicted even though the 9-1-1
caller admits to false accusations of Crawford. Ohio has an open carrying policy by the way. On
August 9, 2014, Darren Wilson, a white Ferguson, Mo., police officer, fatally [shot and killed]
unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown without charges (29). On September 4, 2014, Levar
Jones, 35, [was] shot multiple times by 31-year-old Sean Groubert, a white South Carolina state
trooper, seconds after being stopped for a seat-belt violation, all of which was caught on the
officer's dash cam (29). Jones survived. Groubert was charged up to 20 years but released for
paying a percentage of his bond. On November 22, 2014, Tamir Rice, 12, [was] fatally shot and
killed in a Cleveland park by the police as soon as they arrived (29). On December 2, 2014,
Rumain Brisbon, 34, [was] shot and killed by a Phoenix police officer (29). On March 1, 2015,
Los Angeles police officers [shot and killed] a black homeless man named Charly "Africa"
Leundeu Keunang (29). On March 6, 2015, Naeschylus Vinzant, a 37-year-old unarmed black
man, [was] shot in the chest and killed by Paul Jerothe, a police officer in Aurora, Co. (29). Also
on the 6th, Tony Robinson, a 19-year-old biracial man, [was] shot by a white Madison, Wis.,
police officer (29). On March 9, 2015, Anthony Hill, a black 27-year-old Air Force veteran,
[was] shot and killed in Chamblee, Ga., by Robert Olsen, a white DeKalb County Police
Department officer (29). On April 4, 2015, Walter Scott, a 50-year-old black man, [was] shot
and killed [by a 33 year-old] North Charleston officer, Michael Slager (29).
This list only includes some of the African American victims of police brutality. In 2014,
there were more blacks killed by police officers than on September 11, 2001 (Ortega).
According to the Centers for Disease Control, there were 215 black victims of the 9/11 attacks
(136 men, 79 women) 109 of those victims had college degrees (Ortega). Based on

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information collected at KilledByPolice, there were at least 238 deaths of black Americans by
police in 2014 (Ortega). Many forget the past when all these new cases arise, but this publicized
brutality has been going on for decades. Here is a link to a video that shows how blacks are
treated by the police: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJNe5A7-k8c (POLICE STATE).
With all the discriminatory acts imposed on blacks by the police, blacks have built a
prejudice against the police. Blacks are extremely cautious when interacting with the police
because of the constant violence they experience. Blacks tend to use police brutality and the legal
system as a scapegoat to why they cannot succeed in society. The interactionist theory explains
that prejudice is a learned through who we interact with and what we pick up from those we are
around. If blacks are portrayed as violent criminals on the news and you dont have personal
interactions with them then your perception of them as violent is learned from the news. Laws
against slavery and segregation change the guidelines on paper but did not immediately change
the mindset. Some have used science to justify slavery by arguing that Africans were a
different sort of human, in need of the civilizing influence and religious enlightenment that
Europeans could provide within the context of slavery. (Crutchfield 5). A similar idea was used
to explain the history of Native Americans, who were perfectly fine prior to colonization.
To obtain and sustain power, Whites have socially constructed themselves as to be the
superior race. The conflict theory explains how prejudice is used by the powerful to divide and
control the perceived inferior. The minorities are soon becoming the majority. Whites fear
another Civil Rights Movement type of rebellion so they use every stipulation possible to try to
keep the chains on African Americans. The current issues resemble the KKKs usage of
government officials and police officers to legally practice racial acts while escaping the laws.
Scientific racism continued to be a basis for opposing equality for blacks in the United States

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well after emancipation (Crutchfield 5). Whites use science to justify slavery yet try to obtain
black characteristics like darker skin and fuller features while blacks are still discriminated
against for these things.
In an article about attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder amongst African Americans,
Olaniyan describes a study conducted on five groups of parents who had children under the age
of 17. A series of questions about the opinion of adolescent behavior problems in relation to
ADHD found that the five groups identified some major perceptions about ADHD and how these
perceptions go along with racial inequalities in the community. These results included themes on
causes of behavioral problems in children, the legitimacy of ADHD as a diagnosis, attitudes
about doctors, opinions of medication, and perceptions of the school environment (Olaniyan).
Parents felt that behavior issues, including those accompanying ADHD, were caused by
inappropriate parenting and disciplinary practices. Some viewed the diagnosis as a label applied
with racial inequality to exert social control over AAs (Olaniyan). Olaniyan also talks about a
fear of medicine and doctors in the black community. Parents feared treating ADHD with pills
could lead to addition that would continue into the childs adult life (Olaniyan). They felt
awareness can eliminate the stereotypes of disruptive kids by showing that there could be an
actual problem amongst African American youth in regards to ADHD that explains their
behavior (Olaniyan). If the disruptive student stereotype penetrated the mind of an African
American with ADHD, and it is not diagnosed and controlled, it can affect his or her education.
In terms of education, about 40% of the African American population has less than a high
school diploma (Doak). Approximately 66.1% graduate High school and 75.3% are in college
(Doak). Of those college students, 74.2% have only had some college courses but did not acquire
a degree, 77.7% have their associates, and 82.5% have their bachelors degree (Doak). In terms

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of education and employment, about 12.4% of the African American population with less than a
high school diploma is unemployed (Doak). In terms of unemployment, about 12.4% who did
not graduate high school are unemployed (Doak). Approximately 7.7% that graduate High school
and 5.8% of those in college are unemployed (Doak). Of those college students, 6.2% with some
college courses but no degree, 5.1% with their associates, and 2.9% with their bachelors are still
unemployed (Doak).
There are a few programs that are already helping this issue. Affirmative Action is a
program that sets a quota for the minimal amount of minority groups that need to be admitted in
schools and the workplace. As a whole I think Affirmative Actions is a plan that sounded good
but does not completely fix the problem. The quality of resources and education in different
school systems is the problem. Yes, Affirmative Action gave minorities opportunity in college,
but they are likely to fail without the proper foundation. In 1965, President Johnson said, You
do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to
the starting line of a race and then say you are free to compete with all the others, and still just
believe that you have been completely fair (Affirmative Action). An educated person knows
their rights and can use that to counteract possible extremes with the police, like in the video
above. Police sometimes dont go for the kill but can still ruin a life. There are cases of drugs
being planted on victims who as charged as felonies and spend time in prison before justice is
served. Knowing this makes me wonder how many similar cases are unknown. Temp services
provide jobs to felonies and these are not just minimum wage jobs. I worked for a temp service
called Staffmark last summer receiving $11/hr. I just wanted a summer job but wages vary and
some build careers from this opportunity. Lastly, police now have to use body cams to prevent
the he said, she said aspect in cases. This new procedure provides hard evidence of what

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happened. The legal system still finds ways around this, but for the most part this is a helpful
addition to the police uniform.
In order to fix this problem, people need to become more open minded to learn about and
interact with different types of people. Instead of degrading someone because they are different,
or trying to get them to assimilate as the Anglo-conformity model preaches, get to know
someone for who they truly are. That person could become a good friend to you one day, but you
wouldnt know unless you give it a try. Dont hate out of ignorance. Treat others how you would
want to be treated. The cycle of hatred has to change on an individual level before a whole
corporation can change. One person has to change their mindset and persuade others to follow
suit. If you see or experience prejudice or discrimination in the workplace, report it.
As far as police brutality, the problem in todays society is more than the African
Americans vs. the Caucasian man. Its beyond white police and black thugs. It is now become
a matter of Community vs. Government. If we, as a people, cannot turn to our law force to
protect us then who has our back? We cannot fight the government with the government, we will
never win. But we have the right to choice who we place in those positions? The first President
of the United States of color shocked many. Why? Most thought it would never happen and that
was a dream that would never become reality, but it did. Barrack Obama jumped out and made a
difference. Prior to Obama, there was rarely talk of anyone of color running for any office, so
maybe it is a matter of just trying something to see where is gets you. We need more diversity in
the law enforcement department, in the judicial system, and in the White House, etc. Not so
blacks will vote in favor of blacks but to prevent the superiority issue from growing.
A better tomorrow starts today, and it starts with you! Know your rights and use them to
create a better tomorrow. Make a change. Dont talk about it, be about it. I am active with this

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belief. I had an incident, my junior year at a new high school, with a racist classmate. She openly
admitted to fearing blacks based on the violent news reports and because of her minimal
interactions with blacks due to her upbringing being in a small country village. She had a
prejudice of all blacks being violent thieves. I could have steered clear of her, ignoring her
ignorance, but I challenged myself to make a change. We had a 3-hour daily lab together for two
years. I gradually made her feel comfortable around me and the two other blacks in our class.
She later admitted to her fear to us and we began to talk facts with us. The news is slanted, I
explained to her. I asked her if she felt I was violent, mean, cruel, or a thief. She replied with a
sincere no. We became close friends and still talk to this day. So if I can change one persons
mindset, what can you do? Be a better person by getting to know people for who they are before
placing judgment or categorizing them. Treat others how you would like to be treated.

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Works Cited
"Affirmative Action." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. The Leadership
Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund,
n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Conard, Anthony. "Labeling Questions." E-mail interview. 18 Mar. 2016.
Crutchfield, Robert D. "From Slavery To Social Class To Disadvantage: An Intellectual History
Of The Use Of Class To Explain Racial Differences In Criminal Involvement." Crime &
Justice 44.1 (2015): 1-47. Criminal Justice Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
Doak, Melissa J. "Employment status of the population aged 25 years and over, by educational
attainment, sex, race and Hispanic ethnicity, 2006-07." Careers and
Occupations: Looking to the Future. 2008 ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Information Plus
Reference Series. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.
"From Trayvon Martin to Walter Scott: Cases in the Spotlight." Time2015: Expanded Academic
ASAP. Web. 1 Apr. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Slavery in America." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009.
Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
Olaniyan, O, et al. "Community Perspectives of Childhood Behavioral Problems and ADHD
among African American Parents." Ambulatory Pediatrics 7.3 (2007): 226-231 6p.
CINAHL Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.

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Ortega, Tony. "Black Americans Killed by Police in 2014 Outnumbered Those Who Died on
9/11." Raw Story. N.p., 8 Apr. 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2016.
"POLICE STATE - Colorado Cops Arrest & Charge Two Men For Being Black." YouTube.
UrbanWarfareChannel, 05 May 2015. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.