Beverly Daniel Tatum Describes Racism As A System Of...

Beverly Daniel Tatum describes racism as a system of advantage based on race (pg. 107). Jean Baker Miller believes that once a group is defined as inferior, the people above them or the superiors tend to label them in various ways. In other words, blacks are considered less intelligent than whites. The incarceration rates have grown tremendously since the last time someone can remember. The largest jailer in the world is the United States. Philadelphia, however, has the nation’s highest incarceration rates. Surprisingly, 60% of them are still awaiting trial but 72% of them are black. Research has show’s that mass incarceration rates goes hand in hand with segregated cities. In â€Å"The City: Prison’s Grip on Black Families† article Dawn†¦show more content†¦White people have it easy. Because white people are the dominant group they are able to do so much more once they are out and having â€Å"went to jail† or â€Å"committed a felon† is just a â€Å"mistake† but for a person of a different race, it defines their whole life and stays with them forever. Although all whites benefit from racism, not all of us benefit equally (Tatum, pg.111). From this reasoning one can conclude that not all whites are racist and not all black people or people of different race are prejudice. Yes, all white people can benefit from racism in one form or another but we don’t all benefit equally because white people get caught for their â€Å"mistakes† to and pay the price for it but in the end, even the ones who did go to jail for committing some type of crime still have it easier for most black people in the 21st century. Active and passive racism is also relevant. Tatum describes active racism as being equivalent to â€Å"walking fast on a conveyor belt† (Tatum, pg.110), which means the person engaged in active racism has identified with the idea of white supremacy and is moving with it, basically its m eans that white people are okay with it so they still continue to do it. Passive racism on the other hand is similar to standing still on the walkway. Which is stating that passive racists see that racism is occurring but no effort is being made to stop it or try to change it and are being moved inShow MoreRelatedThe And Race Expert Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum1312 Words   |  6 PagesAbout the Authors Author, scholar, and race expert Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is the former president of the Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia and Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. Tatum received her B.A. in psychology at Wesleyan University, and her M.A. in religious studies at Hartford Seminary. She also received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Tatum began her career serving as an Associate Professor and Assistant Professor atRead MoreEssay on The Passive Racism of Whites773 Words   |  4 PagesThe Passive Racism of Whites In Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria, Professor Beverly Daniel Tatum defines racism as â€Å"prejudice plus power.† This means that a person can only be racist if they benefit from a racist system. Therefore, the only people that would systematically benefit from racism are Whites. Tatum calls this â€Å"White privilege.†. Everyone can be prejudice, but only the dominant race can be racist. Although this is hard to hear, being a White college studentRead MoreWhy Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together?962 Words   |  4 Pagespoor. Now you also Beverly Daniel Tatum where in â€Å"Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?† he describes how african american kids are seen differently so there treated differently. If we go into gender we have Deborah Tannen in â€Å"How Male and Female Students Use Language Differently† where gender matters because you will have slight defects on how you learn. In the beginning of Kozol’s writing he argues that segregation is an issue in our education system this does not lower