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Anayeli Gonzalez

AAS 201

Professor Lee

5 March 2018

Race Project

Race is a concept that has been used to separate human beings by categories in society. With race

comes racism based on one’s skin color, eye color, hair texture, and many more physical

markers. Society has become a pedestal of social classes with the colored racial minorities at the

very bottom and the white race on top. In a world where color defines the worth of a person its

the minorities who suffer the consequences of living in a colorblind society that is based on

white privilege. Not only is race a factor of discrimination but also class, gender, and sexuality

among these racial minorities like Latino Americans and Asian Americans. These minorities are

only two of the many who are discriminated by stereotypes based on race on daily basis. After

interviewing a few racial minority individuals I have gained personal insight about the reality of

racism that is associated with race.

During my analysis on race I have encountered a glimpse about the hidden reality of the racist

America we live in and its political and social forces that have been created to hinder the image
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of minorities. I have learned about the importance of race, class, gender, and sexuality in the

lives of the minorities who are discriminated on a daily basis. Based on the topics we have

covered in class like the video of ​Tim Wise "On White Privilege" I have been able to recognize

this issue among the lives of my interviewees. When interviewing people of minority most

admitted to struggling with discrimination because of white privilege in our society. I noted that

Latino Americans, people of color were the ones who were most affected. One of my

interviewees shared that the color of their skin has been great reason for discrimination in our

society because of the stereotypes. This person shared that their dark skin complexion has

created barriers in the workplace field as they are given less opportunities compared to their

white peers. Other shared that skin color has socially placed them as a lower class because they

have less resources to succeed. White privilege has always been an undeniable problem in our

society which has discriminated the people of color in the education system , workplace, and

other institutions. ​“While white Americans vary by class and gender in the scale and type of

white privileges and inherited wealth, most in all walks of life have benefited to some degree

from white privileges and resources (Racist America, p. 21).

As for the few Asian Americans I interviewed they related to the model minority myth

which is a stereotype that discriminates this community. One of my interviewees shared that

growing up in a traditional filipino home they never felt the pressure of being the stereotypical

Asian student with straight A’s. In fact they felt that the only pressure was at school when other

students expected them to be smart because of their race and this was a psychological and social
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issue. Another Asian American I interviewed shared that they struggled with growing up as a

HAPA because often they found themselves trying to prove their multiracial identity. It was

interesting to analyze how among the Asian American community some struggled with the

discrimination of looking “too asian” while others struggled to prove that they were Asian.

While Asian Americans have been placed on a higher social class pedestal than those minority of

color they have also been degraded by the model minority myth. Asian American students are

those who have suffered the consequences of white privilege in our society. The stereotypes have

created a wave of racism in which Asian people are not viewed as individuals but as “thousands

of ultra-achieving Asians”.

When analyzing the effects of gender and sexuality among the racial minorities I was surprised

to find that over the years the discrimination in these areas has diminished. When I interviewed

Latino American minorities most of the women had more to say about the role gender and

sexuality has played in their lives. Some of my interviewees shared that although times have

changed when it comes to women in our society they struggled early on with being women of

color. One of my interviewees shared that as an immigrant woman of color she struggled with

discrimination in her workplace. Unfortunately they were looked down upon because their skin

color defined them as “inferior” and made them victims of harassment. Another female

interviewee shared that gender was a bigger emphasis in her life because of her race. This

women felt that because she was latino she was held down by the standards of failing in the
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american society. As a young women who worked hard to succeed she was not as discriminated

because her race was not reflected in her skin but still that did not take away from her strong

sense of culture. Whenever people asked about her cultural background she never hesitated to

respond but in return she was always judged by the stereotypes. She shared that those who

watched her succeed were the one who discriminated her and hoped to see her like all the other

latino girls who dropped out of highschool because they were pregnant.

When I asked my Asian American interviewees about the effects of race on gender and sexuality

I received feedback from both genders. As for the men one shared that being an asian minority

has been a struggle in society because often they are degraded as men. One interviewee shared

that at a younger age they struggled with the image of masculine white men which was always

heavily portrayed in the media. They shared that not seeing asian representation in the media was

a mental struggle as they felt that they had to prove their masculinity. The Asian American

women I interviewed shared that although gender did have an affect in their lives it was not not

because of their race, or at least that's how they felt. My interviewees only shared the struggles of

being a woman in our society and how they have at times felt less equal to men in places such as

work.

From my analysis I have gained great knowledge about these racial minorities and the

issues they deal with based on their race, class, gender, and sexuality. I have learned much

more about the similarities and differences that unite these minorities in our society. While
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most of my interviewees arrived to this country as undocumented immigrants many shared

their stories of success and failure in a new country. It's truly inspiring to learn about the

struggles these minorities have overcome to succeed and become a part of a society that

has only discriminated them. Althoug the word minority is representation a portion of a

whole, I believe that thes people are what make this society a whole. These populations are

what make America diverse, unique, successful, and beautiful.

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Works Cited

http://csun.kanopystreaming.com/video/tim-wise-white-privilege

Feagin, Joe R. ​Racist America: Roots, Current Realities, and Future Reparations​. 3rd ed.,

Routledge, 2014.