Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Racial and Ethnic Inequality

The title of my TED Talk will be racial and ethnic inequality. I would like to see policymakers, activists representing underrepresented groups, people from underrepresented groups, and people from majority groups in society in my audience. My focus is to enlighten them on their role in eliminating the social problem.

Understanding the Social Issue

A Description of the Chosen Issue: Racial and Ethnic Inequality and Why Addressing It Is Important

Racial and ethnic inequality is the unequal sharing of power, resources, and economic opportunity across ethnic and racial groups in society. Racial and ethnic inequality plays a vital role in shaping relations between races. It is mainly displayed in the ethnic and racial disparities in education, wealth, housing, employment, health, and incarceration rates. It is essential to address racial and ethnic inequality because the issue negatively impacts the welfare state by denying people from certain ethnic and racial groups access to universal programs due to a lack of funding for targeted universal programs set to benefit minority races and ethnic groups.

How Racial and Ethnic Inequality “Looks Like” Within Society, People Affected By It, And How They Are Affected

Racial and ethnic inequality is a structural problem in society because it creates individual and institutional discrimination and a lack of access to education, health, justice, and employment opportunities. The people affected by racial and ethnic inequality are underrepresented and minority races and ethnic groups such as African Americans, Latinos, and Hispanics. For example, African Americans have low incomes, forcing them to live in segregated housing that distances them from the inner city and areas with great employment opportunities (Bangs & Davis, 2014). Minority ethnic groups and races are also denied justice in the criminal justice system due to racial and ethnic inequality that has made most of the people within these groups shift to crime, thus creating a perception that they are criminals.

A Sociological Perspective That “Fits” With Racial and Ethnic Inequality

The interactionism perspective fits with racial and ethnic inequality. According to Maines (2017), interactionism perceives ethnicity and race as strong symbolic sources of a person’s identity. Based on this perspective, a person’s identity based on their race or ethnic group puts them at risk of racial and ethnic inequality. Inequality arises from racial prejudice developed during interactions among members of minority and dominant groups. The interactions create an abstract picture of the minority group, allowing the dominant group to justify its views of the minority group and, thus, promote inequality. For instance, most majority groups in society may justify the view that minority groups should not have access to specific resources because of their limited contribution to the labour market and economic growth in society.

The Role of Social Structure

Social Institutions Involved In Racial And Ethnic Inequality

The main social institutions involved in racial and ethnic inequality are education, healthcare, and law and justice. These institutions promote racial and ethnic inequality in different ways. For example, there is unequal access to quality healthcare services among people from minority races and ethnic groups due to limited access to healthcare insurance and poor funding and maintenance of healthcare facilities within these minority communities. Minority races and ethnic groups also face inequality in access to quality education. Many schools serving minority races and ethnic groups do not have access to learning materials, thus reducing the quality of education among these groups. In addition, law and justice contribute to racial and ethnic inequality in access to justice. There is a high incarceration rate among people from minority races and ethnic groups. The law and justice system is also guided by racial prejudice, assuming that people from minority races and ethnic groups turn to crime to meet their needs due to high unemployment and poverty in their communities.

Social Norms Involved and an Evaluation of Whether They Should Be Challenged

Social norms are involved in racial and ethnic inequality because they define social classes that promote discrimination. For instance, African Americans are perceived based on their socioeconomic status rather than their race. Therefore, information on the lower socioeconomic status of a certain race or ethnic group facilitates the expression of discriminatory and racial prejudice behaviour. Social norms also define stereotypes that contribute to racial and ethnic inequality. Negative stereotypes about a particular race or ethnic group may create inequality when they form the grounds for denial of access to opportunities and resources. They also set boundaries that either restrain or encourage how people perceive each other. For example, social norms may create racial and ethnic inequality if they limit the interactions between majority and minority races and ethnic groups.

The Role of the Process of Socialization in Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Socialization plays a vital role in shaping attitudes toward racial and ethnic inequality. According to Hill (2017), racial socialization facilitates the development of a person’s identity and attitudes toward others. Socialization may create acceptance of discrimination, especially among children and young people growing up in a society where discrimination and inequality are accepted as social challenges that cannot be eliminated. For example, parents teach their children to be patient with prevailing inequalities such as limited access to good education and employment opportunities, thus making it hard to fight against them.

The Role of Inequality

Wealth and resources in society are unequally distributed among majority and minority groups. Wealth among white and African American families is unequally distributed, placing African Americans in an economically insecure position because they have limited access to economic opportunities that can be leveraged to generate wealth. African Americans also have limited access to tax-advantaged savings plans, making it hard for them to save and start businesses. There has also been a rise in unequal access to quality education and job opportunities, leading to high poverty among ethnic groups.

Creating Social Change

Applying Amanda Gorman’s (2021) Perspective to the Issue of Racial and Ethnic Inequality

I might apply Gorman’s (2021) perspective by viewing racial and ethnic inequality as a challenge that can be addressed by changing people’s mindsets toward the issues and their causes. Positive social change in society might be characterized by equal access to education, job opportunities, and quality healthcare services for the majority and minority groups.

Using the “Power to,” “Power with,” and “Power within” to Address Racial and Ethical Inequality

I might use “power with” to address racial and ethnic inequality by influencing activists representing underrepresented and minority racial and ethnic groups to propose policies that can effectively eliminate racial and ethnic inequality. I might use “power to” to address the issue by creating a diverse workforce where people from all races have equal access to job opportunities and participation in decision-making. Lastly, I might use “power within” to address the issue by mobilizing minority groups to advocate equality in access to education, healthcare, and job opportunities through online campaigns.

References

Bangs, R., & Davis, L. E. (2014). Race and Social Problems: Restructuring Inequality. Springer.

Gormana, A. (2021). The Art of Being Unfinished and Imperfect. C-Spain. https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4939623/amanda-gorman-2017-national-youth-poet-laureate

Hill, S. A. (2017). Racial socialization*. Childhood Socialization, 89-112. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315081427-9

Maines, D. R. (2017). The Interactionism of Contemporary Sociology. The Faultline of Consciousness, 1-30. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315132013-1

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Compose a 3-page essay in which you:
• Describe the title of your TED Talk and who you would like to see in your audience. Then address the following:
o Understanding the Social Issue

Racial and Ethnic Inequality

 Describe your chosen social issue from Week 1 and explain why it is important to address.
 Using your sociological imagination, explain what your chosen social issue “looks like” within society, who is affected by the social issue, and how they are affected.
 Describe which sociological perspective(s) “fits” with your social issue and explain why.
o The Role of Social Structure
 Explain which social institutions are involved in the social issue and how they are involved.
 Describe what social norms are involved and whether these norms should be challenged. Then, explain why or why not.
 Describe if and how the process of socialization has played a role in your social issue.
 Explain whether inequality is a contributing factor to your social issue.
o Creating Social Change
 In Amanda Gorman’s (2021, January) poetry recital, she offers a hopeful view to the problems within society, as she refers to “a nation that is not broken, but simply unfinished.” Describe how you might apply this perspective to your chosen social issue and explain what positive social change might look like in society.
 Considering what you learned about power from the Public Health Scotland (2017, August 16) video, describe how you might use the “power to,” “power with,” and “power within” from Week 4 to address your chosen social issue.

TOPIC is Racial and Ethnic Inequality

Resource – No Author. (2016). Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World. University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing. https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/sociology-understanding-and-changing-the-social-world

Chapter 20, “Social Change and the Environment”
20.2 “Sources of Social Change” (pp. 760-765)
20.3 “Society and the Environment” (pp. 766-770)
Chapter 21, “Collective Behavior and Social Movements”
21.3 “Social Movements” (pp. 795-805)