Race And Racial Inequality By Amanda Lewis - 2763 Words

Racism is an obstacle that continues to play an active role in daily lives across the global. Currently, Americans are outraged by the actions of white police officers toward black men. In Ferguson, Missouri an unarmed, black teenager was shot by a white police officer and a black man was choked to death by a white officer in New York City. Racial tensions run deep in the United States, but race is social construction that is learned. Sociologist Amanda Lewis’s book, Race in the Schoolyard: Negotiating the Color Line in Classrooms and Communities defends the notion that schools are institutions in which children learn about race and maintain racial inequality. The author, Amanda Lewis, conducted a study in the 1990s to examine how race and racial inequality are reproduced on a day-to-day basis in schools. She argues that the curriculums, educators, and the children themselves create and reinforce racial lessons. She picked three elementary schools in Southern California: Foresthills, West City, and Metro2. The schools were selected based on their location and cultural composition. At each school she was paired with a teacher who would be the best help for the study. She observed the behaviors and interactions of students in fourth/fifth grade classes. Interviews were conducted with the students, teachers, members of the school community, and parents as well. The first school, Foresthills, was a suburban school in a predominantly white suburb. Most of theShow MoreRelatedThe Phenomenology Of Racism And Racism3579 Words   |  15 PagesGrowing up my parents always taught me to respect everyone for who they were regardless of their ra ce or culture . Even though my parents was raised in a racially segregated environment that had a strong impact on their world view and sense of others in the world. I grew up in a privileged family in the suburban area of Atlanta, Georgia. Not many African Americans attended my school with me . My parents and grandparents experienced racism in their community.I am pushed by my family to work hard and