Running head: RACIAL FORMATION 1

Racial Formation

Name

Institution
RACIAL FORMATION 2

Racial Formation

According to Omi and Winant, racial discrimination is still dominant in the United States

of America. To address the racial discrimination gap across the country, various scholars and

researchers have researched racial social construction based on recent events to understand the

impact of race and ethnicity in racial formation. Currently, there is a big divide among the Blacks

and Whites in the U.S. The murder of George Floyd is a good example that demonstrates how

the Whites treat black Americans as an inferior race. White people are immensely invested to

ensure America remains the way they want it to be regardless of other races (Tavernise, 2021).

As a result, Omi and Winant highlight that race and ethnicity are socially constructed influencing

political, social, and economic forces that shape the formation of race categories and hierarchies.

Omi and Winant believe that racial formation is a process that involves the creation,

formation, and destruction of various racial identities. Hence, these two authors outline that the

role of race is embedded within all institutions in the U.S leading to separation, political struggle,

and separation. For instance, when Barack Obama was elected as the president of the U.S, white

people hated him for being black and because he also elevated the black race. The Whites

believed America belonged to them and a Black president would change that sense of belonging

(Tavernise, 2021). To this end, I support Omi and Winant’s argument that racial transformations

are critical since they allow each racial categorization to understand the role of race at macro and

micro levels as well as their role in economic and civil movements. However, I believe America

belongs to everyone and not only the Whites.

With that said, Omi and Winant also outline that racial transformation is based on racial

politics. Racial politics significantly contributed to the formation of the Black Lives Matter

Movement, which fights for the civil rights of Black people (Westerman et al., 2020). For
RACIAL FORMATION 3

instance, after the killing of George Floyd, a Black-American, protesters aligned to the civil

movement protested the killing with a message of Black lives matter (Hill et al., 2021). These

movements exist in every country and are based on racial politics which supports Omi and

Winant’s argument that racial change can only happen if actors and institutions such as

government agencies work together to support racial transformation. Indeed, racial

discrimination can only be eliminated if all people regardless of race work together as one for the

common good.

In conclusion, Omi and Winant outline that if all people despite race work together, the

complexities of race can be eliminated in the contemporary United States. According to

Treisman (2021), even if the family of George Floyd was compensated, justice and

accountability are still very important when it comes to police brutality and the use of deadly

force. Also, Kirkpatrick and Feuer (2021), state that law enforcement agencies should investigate

all crimes in-depth and ensure justice is served. Therefore, I support the ideologies of all the

authors that individuals and law enforcement agencies need to understand the forces that

promote discrimination and inequality to work together as a society to eliminate them.

RACIAL FORMATION 4

References

Hill, E., Tiefenthäler, A., Jordan, D., Willis, H., Stein, R., & Triebert, C. (2021). How George

Floyd Was Killed in Police Custody. Nytimes.com. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/31/us/george-floyd-investigation.html.

Kirkpatrick, D., & Feuer, A. (2021). Police Shrugged Off the Proud Boys, Until They Attacked

the Capitol. Nytimes.com. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/us/proud-boys-law-enforcement.html.

Tavernise, S. (2021). The Officers Danced at a Black Lives Matter Rally. Then They Stormed the

Capitol. Nytimes.com. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/us/rocky-

mount-capitol-riot-black-lives-matter.html?

action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage.

Treisman, R. (2021). Minneapolis Reaches $27 Million Settlement with Family of George Floyd.

Npr.org. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2021/03/12/976525200/minneapolis-

reaches-27-million-settlement-with-family-of-george-floyd.

Westerman, A., Benk, R., & Greene, D. (2020). In 2020, Protests Spread Across the Globe with

A Similar Message: Black Lives Matter. Npr.org. Retrieved from

https://www.npr.org/2020/12/30/950053607/in-2020-protests-spread-across-the-globe-

with-a-similar-message-black-lives-matt.