racism 101 powerpoint - SURJ POLITICAL ED SITE - Home · Dutchman and the Scotchman were sentenced...
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Transcript of racism 101 powerpoint - SURJ POLITICAL ED SITE - Home · Dutchman and the Scotchman were sentenced...
As early as 1640, however, before the word "white" ever appeared in colonial law, the colonial courts began to make racialized distinctions that set up white privilege.
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OneoftheearliestexamplesoftheestablishmentofwhiteprivilegeinvolvesthreeservantsworkingforafarmernamedHughGwyn;thethreeservantsattemptedtorunawaytoMaryland.Intherecordsfromthecase,onewasdescribedasaDutchman,theotheraScotchman;thethirdwasdescribedasaNegro.TheywerecapturedinMarylandandreturnedtoJamestown,wherethecourtsentencedallthreeto30lashes-- aseverepunishmentevenbythestandardsofthattime.TheDutchmanandtheScotchmanweresentencedtoanadditionalfouryearsofservitude.Theblackman,namedJohnPunch,wasorderedto"servehissaidmasterorhisassignsforthetimeofhisnaturalLifehereorelsewhere."
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Bythe1730s,legalandsocialracialdivisionswerefirmlyinplace.HistorianEdmundMorganwrote:“OnlyonefearwasgreaterthanthefearofblackrebellioninthenewAmericancolonies.Thatwasthefearthatdiscontentedwhiteswouldjoinblackslavestooverthrowtheexistingorder.”Thelandowningeliteconstructedraceandwhitenessasatoolofcontrol,persuadingpoorandworkingclassEuropeanimmigrantstogiveuptheirlanguageandcustoms,assimilateintowhiteness,andignoretheireconomicandsocialcommongroundwithpeoplesbroughtfromAfricaintoslaveryandIndigenouspeoplesbeingforcedofftheirland. MostBlackpeoplebroughtforciblyfromAfricaandtheirdescendantswereenslavedandevenfreeBlackpeoplehadnorighttovote,beararmsorbearwitnessincourt.Blackpeoplewerealsobarredfromparticipatinginmanytradesduringthisperiod.Duringthisperiod,colonialgovernmentsregularlymadeandbroketreatieswithIndigenouspeoples,takinglandandpushingwholenationsofpeoplewestward;ourcurrentgovernmentcontinuesthisprocess.Meanwhile,immigrantsfromEurope,whowouldmergeovertimeintowhiteness,gainedtherighttocorn,money,agun,clothingand50acresoflandattheendoftheirindentureship.Often"free"whitemenfoundpaidworkinthecaptureandcontrolofrunawaysandIndigenouspeoples.SlavepatrolsandNightWatchesweredesignedtomonitorthebehaviorofenslavedandIndigenouspeople;infactthesepatrolsweretheoriginofourmodernpolicedepartments. Inother
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words,poorwhites“gainedlegal,political,emotional,social,andfinancialstatus...directlyrelatedtothe...degradationoftheIndigenousandtheenslaved.
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Ratherthantalkexplicitlyaboutthis,weofferthepopularnarrativethatweareanationofimmigrants.We neglecttomentionthewaysinwhichmanyimmigrantgroupsfromEuropewereinitiallydespisedalthoughalwaysgrantedeventualaccesstocitizenship.TheAmericandream,wearetold,isastoryofpeoplewhocometotheUnitedStates,workhard,andbecomesuccessful;leftunsaidishowsuccessismeantonlyforthosewhocananddomergeintowhiteness,onlymeantforimmigrantsfromEurope.
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Thelinein thesandhasalwaysbeenandisstillrace;immigrantsofcolor,immigrantsfromsouthofourborder,fromtheMiddleEast,fromIndia,fromJapanandChinahaveneverbeeninvitedintocitizenshipinthesamewayastheirEuropeancounterparts.ThehistoryoftheU.S.isahistoryofexcludingandexploitingimmigrantpeopleandcommunitiesofcolorwhilealsoblamingandcastigatingthemforbeingtheracialized,“dangerous”other.
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Anindepthlookatour nation’shistorywillshowthat everyinstitutionintheU.S.participated inconstructingraceandracialcategories.
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Whiteprivilege andinternalizedwhitesuperiorityarealsopersonal,institutional,andcultural.So,forexample,wetellourselvesstoriesabouthowwearenotpersonallyracistandthereforedonotbenefitfromracismwhilebenefittingmaterially(institutionalaccess)andpsychically(regularvalidation)asaresultofbelongingtothewhitegroup.
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Thisprocessofbenefittingwhilecreatingnarrativesthatwedonotbenefitworkstorenderinvisibletomanyofushowracismoperates,whichreinforcesityetagain.
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SURJhas developedathreeprongedapproachtochange:1. Delegitimizeracistinstitutions2. Fightforafaireconomythatrefusestopitcommunitiesagainsteachother3. Shiftculture(meaningtheunderlyingbeliefsfolkshaveaboutpeopleandthe
world)inawaythatunderminessupportforwhitesupremacy
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SURJbelievesthatwemustunderstandhowwhitesupremacyisintegraltoeconomicinjustice,patriarchyandotherformsofoppression.Racismandwhitesupremacykeepthemanydividedforthebenefitofthefew.Ourwork,then,istocreateaninclusive,open-heartedapproachtoorganizing,callingpeopleintoour mutualinterestinaraciallyequitableandjustworld.
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Ifyou'renotpartofachapter,joinachapter!CheckthelistonthewebsiteIfyou'renotpartofachapter,startachapter!Newchapterorientationsareeverythursday at6eST andit'sagreatfirstplacetostart.Ifyou'renotupforstartingachapter,holdahouseparty(wecansendthemtothetoolkit)GIVE
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