Saturday, August 30, 2008
Question: "Have these policies and measures been successful?"
African Slave Trade which began in 1787 can be seen as one of the sources that enabled United States of America to prosper as a multi-ethnic country and also caused several problems such as war, riots, and racial discrimination.
The Southern States of America concerned that they might have economic loss as well as racial equality if slavery was abolished. On the other hand, the North felt that men are equal and there should not be any racism. The coexistence of pro-slavery South America and anti-slavery North America caused conflict that is known as Civil War. It is known to be the first act done to resolve racial issues and racism in America. Slavery was eliminated in U.S. in 1865 when the Confederate armies (Southern States) surrendered. After the war, the U.S. government implanted equal federal legal protections to all citizens regardless of their races and abolished racial restrictions on voting by 1877. From my perspective, although there were thousands of victims who lost their lives during the era, an act to put a stop to the unfair treats was needed for the following generations. Thanks to those who sacrificed their blood, fairly equal opportunities and treats could be given to the African Americans. However, it is said by the historians that institutional reforms were short-lived. They also expressed their thoughts that if less violent measures such as negotiating or signing treaties were done, a large number of people could have been saved and it would have been much more successful.
It was not until the civil rights movement in the 1960's that a profound national policy was developed to have a closer look into racial injustice in the United States. Racial discrimination could be found in the areas of housing, employment, political participation, and social recognition. The progress to reduce racial injustices was done substantially by the government, especially in the areas of education and economy. With reference to this website ( http://www.newsbatch.com ) :
“In 1968, 70% of African Americans were high school drop-outs. Now, the figure is closer to 20% and there has been over a 300% improvement in the rate of African Americans who attend college. There has been a reduction in poverty and an overall economic improvement, especially at the higher economic levels. African Americans have come closer to wage parity with whites. Due to the passage of voting rights legislation, the number of black elected officials has increased dramatically. “
The attitudes have changed positively to a point where an African American is now the Democratic candidate in the 2008 Presidential election. According to the changes that have been made in the United States of America, I have no doubt of insisting that the policies and measures done to manage the racial and religious issues are very successful.
Affirmative Action has been defined by the United States Commission on Civil Rights as "any measure, beyond simple termination of a discriminatory practice, adopted to correct or compensate for past or present discrimination or to prevent discrimination from recurring in the future." Since 1970's, Affirmative Action has been frequently used for university admission policies, and in employing. As a result of Affirmative Action, African Americans and other races in U.S. have achieved equal job opportunities. According to the positive outcomes, although Affirmative Action has been always controversial over its purposes, I strongly believe it is one of the measures that Singapore can learn from U.S.
The National Organisation of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) was established in September, 1976. It was co-sponsored by the Police Foundation and the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration. The mission given to NOBLE is to ensure equity for all communities and to serve law enforcement with regards to justice by action. There has been no doubt that NOBLE has helped all communities to receive fair treats and equal opportunities. There have never been negative side effects of NOBLE until today as its purpose was to support the minority. Hence, I can assure you that it is effective method that Singapore can learn from the United States.
Not only had the government taken part in managing multi-ethnic issues but also the mass media. Particularly, the media has portrayed African American athletes without being stereotyped racially but are respected for their skill. It has contributed to improve racial perceptions between the blacks and the whites. In my opinion, it is never wrong to say that sports gather all people together. Through sports, the citizens can create common identity and sense of belonging to the same country regardless of their races or colour of their skin.
Historically, religion has always been associated with government and politics. For instance, politicians often discuss their religious beliefs in public and churches do take part in political acts in the United States. There have been statistics that show religion influences politics (with reference to wikipedia) :
“There are Christians in both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, but evangelical Christians tend to support the Republican Party whereas more secular voters support the Democratic Party.”
“In 2007, the first Hindu prayer was recited in the United States Senate by Hindu chaplain Rajan Zed. A Gallup Poll released in 2007 indicates that 53% of Americans would refuse to vote for an atheist as president, up from 48% in 1987 and 1999. “
This shows clearly that religion has greatly affected the causes of racial issues in the United States.
The United States was one of the first countries in the world to enact a separation of church and state and freedom of religion. Separation of church and state does not mean that churches should not influence in the public affairs but the government should not favour one particular religion. However, from my perspective, both separation of church and state and freedom of religion were not successful in dealing with religious issues in the United States due to ongoing influences of religion in governing the country. There should not be any religious-based acts when managing a country. I think that Singapore is doing well in managing religious matters as there is no religious propaganda or preconceptions of various religions in the society. However, in my opinion, it would be much better if there were more opportunities to find more about other religions so as to understand differences and respect each other. For example, the school can hold activities so that the students can understand and show higher regards to each other. By doing so, I strongly believe that there will not be any conflicts among different religions in the country.
It is known that their history of becoming an independent country has been the key source that holds them together and creates national identity. However, in the United States’ society nowadays, there have been several disputes whether their national identity is in danger due to multi-ethnic and whether the government is making right decision in order to maintain their national identity. Yet, most Americans feel that the government should plan more policies to stimulate stronger sense of belonging to the country. I would like to give some suggestions of the ways the government of the United States could do to create common identity. It is very important to take national identity seriously while maintaining their heritage as a land of opportunity to would-be immigrants. Firstly, the government should make English the official national language as it is critical to cohesion in an ethnically diverse society. Secondly, the government should let the immigrants embrace the nation’s civic virtues through Extra-Curricular Activities in school. Lastly, they should educate the young generations about their history from establishment until recent days so as to remind them of their sense of belonging to the country.
Sky You Hanul (25).
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9:34 AM
