Where Race Lives

Based off of prior knowledge concerning social justice in the political world of today, I firmly believe that matters of social justice are intertwined with issues dealing with power, discrimination, and oppression. Questions often arise surrounding the grey area of whether certain minorities are treated with due justice. One issue that is often associated with these assumptions is the question of race. Minorities have often been deprived of their God-given rights due to the color of their skin. Though we have progressed with great strides since the time of slavery, white only voting rights, public segregation, and so on, people are still discriminated against as a result of the stereotypes that are placed upon their genetic background. The first subconscious action that a plethora of people tend to make is classifying others by their appearance. This subjective act causes people to automatically assume traits or characteristics about the person, which may not necessarily be true. By stereotyping these characteristics in a discriminatory manner, we unleash the potential to hinder one’s true ability. In the American government of today, racial minorities are underrepresented, ultimately skewing the political system. If a certain racial minority is not represented fairly in the governmental system, certain rights may be overlooked. Also, certain minorities may not be given a fair chance of employment and equal wages to those of a white male.  According to these concrete examples, justice directly correlates with matters of oppression, power, and discrimination because each of these facets is utilized to infringe on the rights of another, thus causing harm to the common good.