Race Relationships Management: Knowledge Is Power Report (Assessment)

Introduction: Race Relationships in the U.S.

The history of interracial relationships in the United States is complex and quite painful. Slavery and decades of racial discrimination that followed it left a distinct mark on the intercultural dialogue in the U.S., thus, leading to a range of social problems in the modern community (Henderson 330). Even though the years of rampant racism and uninhibited racial discrimination are left behind, the remnants thereof are integrated deeply into American society. Herein lies the significance of incorporating African American History as a course into the set of school subjects that students will be able to explore since their earliest stages of school education. Although a societal change is bound to take a significant amount of time, the focus on African American History studies will help set the course for proper multicultural relationships in the future (Alridge 357).

Race Issues and Social Trauma: Retrospect

A lack of understanding of the trials and tribulations that the African American community has witnessed, particularly, the emotional weight of the years of oppression, leads to a significant discord between the vulnerable population and the rest of U.S. residents. To embrace the gravity of the social trauma that African Americans have experienced in the U.S., one needs to learn essential facts about the subject matter at the earliest stages of one’s education. Getting familiar with the African American culture and history, thus, must be viewed as a crucial step toward addressing the social trauma that the specified population has experienced (Baker 2). Moreover, the specified approach will help reduce the threat of racial profiling remaining an issue in the future (Alderman 88). While eradicating racism from the realm of American society entirely might not be a possibility due to its complex history, a deeper insight into the development of the African American culture, the impact that colonialism had on it, cultural assimilation, and the opportunities for building further successful dialogue with the members of the African American community.

Knowing African American History as the Means of Addressing the Problem

While the connection between the development of contemporary relationships with the members of the African American community and the complex history of racial confrontations in the U.S. might seem rather loose, an in-depth analysis of the issue will reveal that it may help address some of the current concerns. For instance, the information that students will learn during their African American History lessons will prevent them from developing the stereotypes that poison the relationships between the members of the African American community and the white population of the United States (Franklin 393). Moreover, by providing students with information about African American history, a teacher will prompt discussions related to both the development of relationships with the African American population and the difficulties that the target demographic currently has, especially the ones associated with racial profiling (Dagbovie 321).

Possible Obstacles to Implementing Change

It should be kept in mind that the implementation of a new academic program aimed at raising learners’ awareness about the history of African American people might be fraught with certain difficulties. For example, addressing racial stereotypes and prejudices mentioned above might turn out to be a more difficult process than expected. Whereas managing the problem among younger students is likely to be comparatively easy, older learners may resist the process of overcoming racial biases. Furthermore, it is also crucial to ensure the support of parents in the process of changing learners’ perceptions of African American people. The unwillingness to cooperate, which some parents may display due to their busy schedule, personal prejudices, etc., may jeopardize the success of the change. Thus, building strong and positive relationships with parents must be viewed as a necessity.

Means of Overcoming Key Obstacles: Racial Sensitivity and Community Involvement

Although the problem of prejudices and a lack of enthusiasm among parents are rather serious blocks on the way to successful change in the curriculum and the following improvement of social interactions, the identified issue can be addressed. By placing a strong emphasis on the importance of racial sensitivity as the foundation for the communication process, one will be able to handle the problem of misunderstanding caused by persistent racial prejudices. The resulting openness toward uninhibited communication will lead to a massive improvement in the relationships between the target populations. Community involvement should also be deemed as an essential step toward a gradual improvement. By using social networks and other IT tools, one will be able to engage both learners and their parents in the active discussion of African American History and the effects that it has on contemporary relationships.

Conclusion: Education as the Tool for Improving Race Relationships in the U.S.

The current relationships between the members of the African American community and the white population of the U.S. are very complicated due to the years of oppression that African American people have suffered. Even nowadays, discrimination remains part and parcel of intercultural relationships. Therefore, using African American History as a starting point for introducing changes to modern society must be viewed as an essential opportunity.

Works Cited

Alderman, Derek H. “Tales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era.” African American Review, vol. 50, no. 1, 2017, pp. 87-89.

Alridge, Derrick P. “On the Making of a Scholar-Activist and Educational Historian: An Interview with VP Franklin.” Journal of African American History, vol. 102, no. 3, 2017, pp. 351-361.

Baker, Houston A., Jr. “Intuiting Archive: Notes for a Post-Trauma Poetics.” African American Review, vol. 49, no. 1, 2016, pp. 1-4.

Dagbovie, Pero Gaglo. “Over Forty Years of “Defending the Race” and Writing Black History.” Journal of African American History, vol. 102, no. 3, 2017, pp. 319-340.

Franklin, V. P. “Reparations for the Black Child: Lessons From African American History.” Journal of African American History, vol. 101, no. 4, 2016, pp. 391-394.

Henderson, Carol E. “Humane Insight: Looking at Images of African American Suffering and Death by Courtney R. Baker (Review).” African American Review, vol. 50, no. 3, 2017, pp. 329-331.