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Running head: MODULE 2

Discrimination and Prejudice

Jennifer Oberle

OGL 350: Diversity and Organizations

Professor Gupur

September 5, 2019
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As a white person, I try to be aware of how I have automatic privilege in society.

However, as much as I try, I know that there are times where I can be racially biased because

racism “permeates every facet of our societal pores” (Blake, 2014, para. 34). There have been

times in my life where I catch myself feeling defensive of people of color if I am out by myself.

The mistakes I have been making are telling myself I feel defensive because I am a young

woman out in public all alone, justifying my defensive feelings. As I get older, and become more

educated on race issues, I realize that I feel more defensive around people of color than white

people if I am alone. This is what John Blake calls “racism without racists” (Blake, 2014).

Racial bias is ingrained into our society. Many of our actions, while maybe not being overtly

racist, can be considered racist. This unconscious form of racism is in the tone we use when

talking to people of color, our body language, our increased defensiveness, and in our responses

to stereotypes. Sue describes these actions well: “Racial microaggressions are brief and

commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, and environmental indignities, whether intentional or

unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative racial slights and insults to the

target person or group” (Sue, 2007, p. 3).

When I try talking about discrimination with other white people, it is usually harder for

them to wrap their head around racial biases. They don’t want to be labeled as racist or they say,

“But I’m not racist.” Additionally, it is hard for white people who grew up poor, to accept the

fact that they still grew up privileged. Pager and Shepherd state, “Differential treatment occurs

when individuals are treated unequally because of their race. Disparate impact occurs when

individuals are treated equally according to a given set of rules and procedures but when the

latter are constructed in ways that favor members of one group over another '' (Pager &
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Shepherd, 2008, p. 2). Many white people believe that if everyone is given the same

opportunities, then there is no racism involved. However, the issue with this mindset is that just

because people are given the same equal opportunities, does not mean that one cannot be

subjected to racial discrimination. Many of these studies use the example of those applying for

jobs are subjected to racial discrimination to highlight how even though white and black people

are given the same opportunity to apply for a job, ultimately black people will have a 50/50

chance at actually receiving the job (Pager & Shepherd, 2008, p. 2). Through studies such as

these, I’ve learned how important equity versus equality is in racial discrimination.

As I watched The New York Times’ short story titled “A Conversation With Police on

Race” I was surprised by the comments made by retired detective Glenn Cunningham. He

seemed very defensive about the notion that police officers are systematically racist. What really

shocked me was his comment about how he has no issue stopping a group of black kids walking

around in a “white neighborhood” and if they gave him attitude, he would essentially escalate the

situation. Of course, there are many racial issues that are systematically ingrained in police

enforcement. I feel as if the most common issue is using racial bias when trying to target possible

crimes. Stopping a group of black kids just because they are walking around is only naturally

going to increase the tensions between them and the police officer. I would only assume those

kids are going to give him an attitude because the reasoning of the stop is because they’re black.

This officer’s defensiveness is definitely a response to society coming forward and calling out

the police officers that are in the wrong when it comes to race issues. “I believe most officers are

afraid to talk about the realities and the negative aspects of policing.” (Weatherspoon, 2015,

3:48). The issues between police officers and race are obviously very complex. I believe that a
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lot of officers today don’t witness blatant racism amongst themselves and so when they are

called out for discrimination, they get defensive.

In the “Coping While Black: A Season of Traumatic News Takes a Psychological Toll”

radio story by NPR, Cheryl Corley discusses how traumatic racial events can cause mental health

issues among black people everywhere, even if they are not directly linked to it. While I was not

aware of this prior to listening, I am not surprised. The amount of media coverage on racist

events is directly accessible because of social media. When an event takes place, it is on social

media within minutes. Having direct access to horrific racist stories that have been taking place

since the birth of this nation, and still continue to take place can create an extremely heavy

burden on a community as a whole. What I don’t understand is how this trauma is, not

necessarily overlooked, but almost cast aside by the psychology community. Nuru-Jeter states

“You know, there are lots of forms of mistreatment or unfair treatment that people report

experiencing, so there's no reason why racial discrimination should be singled out as one form of

discrimination that we belittle” (NPR, 2015, 3:49).

For my Race Implicit Association Test, my result was “Your data suggest a slight

automatic preference for White people over Black people.” This doesn’t surprise me because

everyone is racially biased. While I may wish to not have a preference for one particular race, it

is not realistic as the society I grew up in has a racial bias. Naturally, this bias is ingrained in my

perspective on the world. That being said, I wish to further educate myself on diversity and racial

bias so I can learn more about what I can do to not act on my biases.

Currently, I am an employee for Starbucks and more often than I thought, I witness my

coworkers treat customers differently based on their race. I live in the Bay Area of California

which is a rather diverse part of California. At work, I don’t witness my coworkers use racial
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microaggressions to black people, but to Asian people and those who do not speak English. I see

them talk to them when they are ordering and grow frustrated or talk with a lack of

understanding and crassness. Even though I am just a barista, I have never had an issue pulling a

coworker aside and telling them how their actions can be perceived. When coworkers make

jokes in accents, I tell them that that is not cool. I don’t want to work in an environment that is

exclusive, and just flat out rude. I am unsure if I am just becoming more aware of these issues as

I grow older and more educated, but I see this happen more now than I did three years ago when

I first started with Starbucks. I believe it’s important to call these actions out because while it’s

not blatant racism, it still is a form of racism.