The Impacts of Slavery on History and the Present Moment
Section I: Systemic Racism and Sociological Theory begins with a chapter by Hoda Mahmoudi titled “The Past in the Present: Slavery’s Long Shadow.” It has been over 150 years since slavery was outlawed in the United States, yet we still deal with racism as a society. Discrimination against non-white populations is extremely prevalent, yet each group faces prejudice that takes on nuanced differences and forms. The discrimination against African American people in America is unique, and a major factor is the long history of race-based chattel slavery and its deep-rooted integration into the foundational documents, ideals, and structure of this country.
Race-based discrimination and prejudice against black Americans can be found throughout society and impact all of the basic structures and functions of the culture. From housing to employment, to incarceration, to healthcare, there is a long line of racist policies and failed solutions leading back to the invented idea that race exists and is a reasonable basis upon which to build a hierarchy.
It can be difficult for those who do not experience racism firsthand or those who do not know the full history of racism in America to understand how the social construct of race took such a firm and enduring hold. How did people in the past, and even people today, reconcile the seeming paradox of holding ideals like liberty and justice while simultaneously withholding all those rights and human dignity. As Ta-Nehisi Coates writes, “the need to confirm one’s humanity while committing inhumane acts is key” (Mahnoudi, 2022, p. 17). Believing in race allows the othering and disconnection necessary to justify subjugating and limiting one group for the social, political, and economic benefit of another.
Mahmoudi points out that our failure to address racism is not only a failure of policy. It also represents a spiritual and moral failing. While race-based discrimination exists, our society completely fails to embody the values and ideals we espouse. We deny people their human rights and human dignity and prevent them from achieving all they could achieve given an equal world.
The data is conclusive; in so many areas, black people have worse health outcomes, limited generational wealth due to policies like redlining, and disproportionately high incarceration rates for crimes that are committed at similar rates by black and white people. Despite this preponderance of evidence, it is still a struggle to get many segments of the population to even acknowledge that racism is a problem that exists and needs to be addressed. Education about racism is severely lacking at all levels, from elementary schools teaching about the founding fathers to the highest reaches of academia, where non-white voices are excluded and silenced.
Because ideas of race and racism are so ubiquitous in our society, patchwork policy solutions will never be enough. Systemic changes are needed to address systemic problems. This volume looks at the systemic problems present throughout so many facets of our culture, and this section, in particular, will examine the applications and solutions that can be found in sociological theory. This type of in-depth analysis is necessary to untangle the interwoven threads of America and racism, as well as to find solutions that will not serve only as bandaids.
About the Author
Stella Hudson is a Graduate Assistant with the Baha’i Chair for World Peace. She graduated from the College of William and Mary in 2021 with a B.A. in English. She is attending the University of Maryland and pursuing a Master’s of Library and Information Science.