Racial Literacy: A Reflection on Personal Experiences and Beliefs

This essay is a personal reflection on the concept of racial literacy, exploring the author's understanding of race and discrimination. The author discusses their reactions to racial prejudice, highlighting the importance of resolving racially stressful encounters. The essay delves into the author's Korean cultural background and its impact on their identity, beliefs, and values, emphasizing how culture shapes perceptions of the world. The author explains how they learned about race and their views on it, including the belief that race is a social construct. The author concludes by reaffirming their stance against discrimination and the significance of cultural influences in shaping one's perspective. The essay also includes references to relevant literature.

Student’s Last Name 1
Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Subject
October 23, 2018
RACIAL LITERACY
Discrimination in the United States has been rife since the colonial era. It continues to
persist even in the present times. Blacks, for example, have continued to suffer from racial
prejudice them by the whites(Jones, 2018). The ability to resolve, recast and read racially
stressful encounters is referred to as racial literacy. Racial literacy is quite important especially
for individuals living in societies where discrimination by race is high. This paper presents a
reflection on my racial literacy.
If someone asked a question like what are you? I would look them in the eye disdainfully
and walk away to avoid any physical confrontations. Such a question would sound offensive and
disrespectful. I feel bad about this question because it shows a lack of respect for the human race.
I have never been discriminated against, but I have seen some of my colleagues being
discriminated against especially in the wake of police brutality against some members of the
African American community. I have also never discriminated against anyone. I strongly believe
that it is not the right thing to. As an individual who has seen people suffer because of
discrimination, I understand what it feels (InterNations, 2018).
I believe that races are a creation of the mind and that such does not exist. Since the
concept of race cannot be proved genetically, I believe that the existence of different races is
only a social construction that cannot be proved scientifically. One of my philosophies is that no

Student’s Last Name 2
race is superior to the other since all individuals are made of same genetic composition. My other
principle is that no person deserves to be discriminated by their racial identity.
My Korean Culture has played a leading role in the shaping of my identity. Growing up
in the Korean Society, I acquired the Society’s attitudes and values. Through constant
interactions with members of the Society, I have been able to acquire my current identity. As a
social being, my beliefs, behavior, and knowledge have been acquired from the social groups I
have grown up(Stevenson, and Stevenson,2014). For example, my Korean culture has
introduced me to certain customs and beliefs that have impacted how I perceive the world around
me. It has affected how I socialize, my choice of friends, career, and clothing among others. The
larger world has also played a role in shaping my identity(El Dib, 2013).
I first learnt about race in my early years in School. I first learnt about the black and
white races from one of my teachers. The race was often talked about in my home. Sometimes I
heard my parents complain about how racial discrimination had become such a big social issue
in Korea. Race was also talked about in my school. I feel quite uneasy when talking about race
because I do not believe in racism ( Rex,2018).
To me, Culture is simply the way of life for a group of people. A people’s culture
represents their beliefs, customs, and social behaviors. I grew around people who spoke my
language, resembled me and had similar customs as mine. At no instance have I felt out of place
because of any aspect related to my culture, class, sexuality, gender, religion or
ethnicity(Schwartz et al.,2010).
I am a big fan of literature books. I read widely and wildly. To me, any good book is
worth reading irrespective of the culture, ethnicity or race of the individual who has written it. I

Student’s Last Name 3
also consume arts from people different from me such as movies, music, fashion, and television.
Through my cultural context, I have acquired an understanding that the concept of race is
socially constructed. I have also acquired an awareness that different races have different social
attributes that make them unique from other races (Rex, 2018).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the race is a socially constructed concept that cannot be backed by
scientific evidence. I find cases of discrimination on race basis to be quite absurd and
unnecessary. If someone treated me inhumanely based on May race, I would just stare at them
and walk away. Race is a concept that I was introduced into in my early years in school. My
personality has been significantly shaped by my culture which is a system of beliefs shared by a
group of individuals.

Student’s Last Name 4
Works Cited
El Dib, Nadine. "Does Culture Shape Our Identity?." Inspirational Art, by Nadine El Dib. N.p.,
2013. Web. 23 Oct. 2018.
InterNations. "Racism And Discrimination In The US." Internations.org. N.p., 2018. Web. 23
Oct. 2018.
Jones, Brian. "Growing Up Black In America: Here's My Story Of Everyday Racism." The
Guardian 2018. Web. 23 Oct. 2018.
Rex, John. "The concept of race in sociological theory." Race and Racialism. Routledge, 2018. 35-
56.
Schwartz, Seth J., Jennifer B. Unger, Byron L. Zamboanga, and José Szapocznik.Rethinking the
concept of acculturation: Implications for theory and research." American Psychologist 65.4 (2010): 237.
Stevenson, Jr, and Howard C. Stevenson. Promoting racial literacy in schools: Differences that
make a difference. Teachers College Press, 2014.