LESSON LightofRestorationPeace,WorldCulture,Heavenly 36 RACISM LESSON OBJECTIVES 1 Understand what racism is. 2 Understand historical efforts to address racism. 3 Find out what you can do on a personal level to address racism. TERMS TO KNOW • Racism • Reconciliation
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Racism What is Racism? The classification of people according to their region, physical characteristics, and skin color is called race. The most common racial division based on skin color include white, yellow, and black. The negative emotions or attitudes toward people of other races with prejudices that they are inferior to their own race are called racism. Racism begins when people have a preconceived notion without a deep understanding of other races. In the 1800s, the southern states of the United States mainly produced tobacco, a favorite of European aristocrats, and cotton. Most farms or plantations used black laborers. American farmers kidnapped or bought cheap black skinned people from Africa and loaded them onto ships to work without pay. If the slaves ran away, the farmers would chase after them on horseback and shoot them to death or catch them alive and whip them. This brutal slavery was abolished by President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. However, the segregation policy of black and white people continued even after that. Segregation prohibited black people from using the same facilities that the white people used, and activists such as the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. launched a human rights movement for the black people. Efforts to Address Racism Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., born in the United States on January 15, Figure 36-1 The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863
36. Racism 3 1929, experienced discrimination, and assault because he was black. Through his experience and insight, he was determined to end racial discrimination. In the 1950s, phrases such as “for whites only” or “no blacks and dogs” were common in public places in the United States. In the city of Montgomery, bus seats were segregated according to race. In December of 1955, Rosa Parks, exhausted from work, boarded the bus home. At the time, bus drivers demanded that black passengers yield their seats when the whiteonly seats were full. That same day, the driver saw a white man standing and demanded for Rosa Parks to get up and give away her seat. However, Rosa Parks, thinking that the demand was unreasonable, did not rise and the police arrested and fined her. In response to this incident, Martin Luther King Jr. conducted the “Don’t Ride The Bus” movement. The black people joined forces and continued the movement for over a year. As a result, on November Figure 36-2 Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. speaking at the Washington Peace March
First, it is necessary to recognize and acknowledge that regions, physical characteristics, and skin color are only external differences, and that everyone has the same human rights. Second, everyone should study different cultures so that we do not have biases or prejudices against other races. Third, be careful not to make racist remarks or jokes. If you have a friend who makes racist jokes, you should be able to tell them that they are wrong.
During Martin Luther King’s speech in 1963 at the Washington Peace March, Dr. King stated, “I have a dream. It is a dream that one day this nation will accept the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equal and live the true meaning of it as a creed.” Martin Luther King Jr. won the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the abolition of racial discrimination, moving many people’s hearts in the hope of freedom and equality for the black community.
4 36. Racism 13, 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the division of bus seats and discrimination on basis of race should be prohibited. After that, Martin Luther King Jr. developed the ‘civil rights movement’ so that all black people could enjoy equal citizenship with the white people.
What can I do to address Racism? Even today, there are still problems caused by racism. With the advent of the era of globalization where multicultural and multiracial people live together, racial discrimination is a problem that needs to be solved more than ever. What can be done to promote racial reconciliation?
36. Racism 5 Reviewing the Lesson 1 What is Racism? 2 What historical efforts have been made to address racism? 3 What can you personally do to address racism? Activities 1 Have you ever heard racist remarks? If not, think, write, and share about how would you feel assuming you heard racist remarks. 2 Supposed that you have a friend who makes racists comments. Write down what would you like to say to that friend and share it.
Lesson36. Racism 5th floor 20, Nambusunhwan-ro 347-gil, Seocho-gu, Seoul, South-Korea Tel. +82 02-514-1963 Fax. +82 Thehwpl@hwpl.krhttp://www.hwpl.kr02-514-1961firsteditionon31 July 2022 Published by Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light Copyright 2022 Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light All rights reserved. You must get consent from a copyright owner to use all or parts of the contents of this book. Image Credits Figure 36-1 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Emancipation_Proclamation.jpg Figure 36-2 Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site, CC BY 2.0, https://flic.kr/p/XcNSBK
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