Magazine Article-

Race: Is it a myth or a social construct?

In the times we live in Race is a topic of discussion almost daily. The topic of race is often considered uncomfortable and can offend many but it is something that needs to be discussed. As a black woman in America, I am faced with challenges because of the color of my skin and I am not blessed with the privileges my white counterparts have. The question above is a question that shouldn’t even be asked but it is a thing. Is race a myth or social construct? If you aren’t aware of what a social construct is it is an idea that has been created and accepted by the people in a society. Race is a social construct and anybody saying it is a myth is delusional.  Race affects us in how we speak, treat, or even respect others because of their race or skin complexion. As people, we don’t like to admit it but we feed into biases and stereotypes about other races, and it’s not our fault we were taught them. We learned these biases from either our family or in mainstream media but that doesn’t make it right. In our mainstream media, Black people are portrayed as “thugs” or “slaves” and Hispanics are portrayed as “gangsters” or “immigrants”. While white people are portrayed as “kings/queens” or “heroes”. Race is often defined by physical aspects like the color of your skin or even the color of your hair. When a person sees me they usually assume I am “Hispanic” or “African American” and a person with a lighter skin tone could be considered “white” or “Hispanic”. Subconscious ideas like this can hurt a person in ways that cannot be fixed, when people look at me I am viewed as “bossy” or “loud” because I am a Black woman. That is something that I will be viewed as for the rest of my life and it makes it very hard for me to even want to try to achieve my goals because people will always think of me as the “loud rude bossy black girl”. In our world, people of different races have been separated and denied the same rights or luxuries for centuries. In the past, we were separated by Segregation. Segregation is the enforced separation of different racial groups in a country, community, or establishment. Segregation in the U.S separated African Americans and whites in schools, bathrooms, public transportation, and even areas of communities. This lasted from the 1840s to 1950, over 100 years Black people were separated because of the color of their skin. Segregation was made illegal but there are modern ways of segregation like red-lining. Red-lining is a discriminatory practice by which banks, insurance companies, etc., refuse or limit loans, mortgages, insurance, etc., within specific geographic areas, especially inner-city neighborhoods. Living in New York City, you can notice red-lining by driving through the White-Stone bridge. One side of the White-Stone bridge is a predominately white neighborhood while the other side of the bridge is a Black and Latino neighborhood which is considered the “ghetto.” The fair housing act made it illegal to discriminate in the sale or rental of housing on the grounds of race, color, religion, or national origin.  However, it is still happening and impacting people of color. In the end, race is a social construct that affects the way people in society think and live. Living in America as a Black woman it is hard to find comfort in a country where a system is built to set you up for failure. It makes it hard to want to succeed in ways I know I can. People need to acknowledge how race is a social construct and people of color are at a disadvantage. If we continue to live our lives with race as a social construct it will continue to impact people.