Holt People & Place: Issue Research Project Draft by

Discrimination Against Black Americans Through A Legal Lens

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 15:38:19 UTC

Jim Crow Laws

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 16:03:17 UTC

"Jim Crow laws were a collection of state and local statutes that legalized racial segregation. Named after a Black minstrel show character, the laws—which existed for about 100 years, from the post-Civil War era until 1968—were meant to marginalize African Americans by denying them the right to vote, hold jobs, get an education or other opportunities. Those who attempted to defy Jim Crow laws often faced arrest, fines, jail sentences, violence and death." (History.com Editors)

Source: History.com Editors. Jim Crow Laws, A&E Television Networks, 2018.

https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws

Accessed 27 July 2024

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 16:04:39 UTC

1965

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 16:42:47 UTC

Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot during a peaceful protest and passed 8 days after the shooting. His death inspired the march that led to The Voting Rights Act of 1965 being passed. "On 7 March 1965, the day the march first set off from Selma, Sheriff Jim Clark’s deputies attacked demonstrators with tear gas, batons, and whips. Images of the attack were nationally televised and at least one network interrupted regular programming to broadcast the violence of “Bloody Sunday.” Two white civil rights workers, Viola Liuzzo and Reverend James Reeb, were later killed during the campaign. In August, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed into law." (Stanford University)

Source: Stanford University. Jackson, Jimmie Lee. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/jackson-jimmie-lee. Accessed 27 July 2024

Discrimination Against Asian Americans Through a Social Lens

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 16:47:05 UTC

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:16:23 UTC

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:27:18 UTC

Neil G. Ruiz, Carolyne Im amd Ziyao Tian. Decrimination Experiences Shape Most Asian American Lives. Pew Research Center 2023. https://www.pewresearch.org/2023/11/30/asian-americans-experiences-with-discrimination-in-their-daily-lives/

Analyzing the commonalities between different lenses of racial discrimination and their influence on Modern America

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:51:23 UTC

Descrimmination Against Arab Americans Through A Relgious Lens

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:54:03 UTC

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:55:12 UTC

Arabs in the U.S. are often assumed to be Muslims. A common misconception in the U.S. is that Muslims, Persians, and Arabs are all the same. This feeds into stereotypes and ropes "Muslims" into the race category. Similar to how people who follow Christianity are called Christians, the people who follow Islam are called Muslims. The following is a quote from news covering Arab Heritage Month, “Muslim and Arab identities have long been conflated, particularly by those who seek to villainize both, making anti-Muslim hate part and parcel of anti-Arab” racism, according to the organization." (Anti-Arab Hate, Harassment and Threats Loom Over This Year’s Arab American Heritage Month, 2024)

There are two major points of discrimination I aim to highlight

Arabs are discriminated against (not hired, cap levels of promotions, etc.) because people either assume they are Muslim or hold prejudice that they are a person of color.
Discrimination against someone because they are assumed to be Muslim is discrimination based on the religion as well as the person.

Anti-Arab hate, harassment and threats loom over this year’s Arab American Heritage Month. (2024, April 13). NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/arab-american-history-month-2024-rcna146874

The Correlation

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:57:50 UTC

Although each race was paired with one form of discrimination, they are not limited to the ones associated with them here. Discrimination against Asian Americans through a social lens can be applied to Black or Arab Americans. Slurs, derogatory words, and comments can and are also something those groups face. Each group of people discussed has stereotypes that bleed from culture to religion and race. Until people open their eyes enough to learn that Muslim is a religious term and not a race, black people are not inherently violent, and the Asian population in America is comprised of more than Chinese backgrounds/ancestry, the bias against these people in America will not go anywhere.

Critisms on this Topic

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 17:59:51 UTC

The most common criticisms on this topic involve the denial of its existence. People who refuse to acknowledge the issue typically do so because they don't see one present. They argue that everyone is equal in the law and any other form of discrimination is rare or "will die off with the oldest living generation"

Relevance and Importance

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 18:00:55 UTC

Discrimination is relevant today in America because it is still prevalent. While laws like Jim Crow don't exist anymore, their effects impact modern-day America. Prejudice is passed through generations. Protests for black equality have probably been the most frequently talked about in the media. It's an undeniably important issue and when discussing it, one should think about all the races that slip through the cracks of inequality.

Works Cited

courtneymarieholt — 2024-07-27 18:02:30 UTC

Sources: History.com Editors. Jim Crow Laws, A&E Television Networks, 2018.

https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws

Accessed 27 July 2024

Stanford University. Jackson, Jimmie Lee. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/jackson-jimmie-lee. Accessed 27 July 2024

Jim Crow Laws. PBS, https://www.history.com/topics/early-20th-century-us/jim-crow-laws