Do your remember learning about our nation’s history of slavery and the Jim Crow laws passed in history class? Have you ever watched the news and listened to a story about a black man who was treated unfairly by a white cop? Due to events like these, African Americans have been given many stereotypes. Such events can be defined as prejudice and are a form of discrimination. Discrimination and prejudice are 2 things that have been going on not only in our nation but, around the world for a long time.
Unfortunately, these thing are still occurring today. Although slavery has been abolished and the Jim Crow laws have been lifted, African Americans are still looked down on, stereotyped, and have become victims of unnecessary violence.
Discrimination is an unjust treatment of groups of people for things such as age, sex, and race. Prejudice can be described as a preconceived opinion that is not based on a personal experience of even a justified reason.
So, what makes discrimination different form prejudice? Unlike discrimination, prejudice is a preconceived notion about a person or a group of people that have something in common. In today’s society, some people are prejudice toward black men because they assume that if they are wearing a hoodie or a du-rag that they belong in a gang. Or that if they sit next to you should move your purse because they might steal from you. Discrimination was demonstrated a long time ago during the time of the Jim Crow laws and during slavery.
During that time, African Americans had no rights, had to be separated form whites, and were enslaved and used for labor, getting nothing in return. At the time, the whites believed that they were better than the African Americans and treated them poorly.
Although discrimination and prejudice are very different, they are somewhat similar. In both, someone is treated unfairly due to misjudgment. Discrimination and prejudice both target a group or a person based on an unjust and unfair reasoning. It is never appropriate to use either of them because they are very offensive. You would not want anyone to treat you unfairly and poorly. Using prejudice puts people in a box that they may not want to be in. Also, it is a form of stereotyping and we as humans were all made differently in the hands of God. As kids, we are taught the saying, “Treat others how you would want to be treated”. It is never ok to bring anyone down or feel like you are better than anyone. Using discrimination separates us a nation. Sometimes, discrimination and prejudice can take place in your own race, age group, or gender. Therefore, separating us as a community. Romans 12:10 in the NIV says, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”
About The History of Slavery in The Country and The lLaws of Jim Crow. (2022, Feb 24). Retrieved from https://paperap.com/about-the-history-of-slavery-in-the-country-and-the-laws-of-jim-crow/