Sociology

Social justice is the responsibility of individuals to advance the well being of the vulnerable, particularly by the critique of social structure and social institutions (Alexander, 2005, p. 4). Elizabeth Martinez in her essay Seeing More than Black and White drew an evident concern on the influence of racism as a phenomenon of social interaction. She claimed that there is a need to have a fresh and fearless thinking about racism, which analysis might begin with U.S. racial issues in the strict Black-White terms. While it is true and according to Alexander in his book Racism, African Americans, and Social Justice (2005), many Whites have claimed that the existence of racism in society has long been gone, and in parallel to Martinez, the major challenge is to contextualize the impact of racism.

Martinez made it clear that while Black-White issue or framework is prevalent in the U.S., such influence of racism is a component of a wider structure of multiple disadvantage and exclusion. Suffice to say that while there has been no wide popularity of racism in the U.S. other than the Blacks, the minority population for lack of terms, AsianPacific Island-American, Latino, Native AmericanIndigenous, Arabs, who are neither white nor black, have been subjected to incidents on arbitrary violence to which the authorities have apparently turned a blind eye. It is at one hand a form of racism still.  The authors proofs on this are the statistics she presented as well as reports in newspapers citing the multiple incidents directed to each race.

The authors factual evidence, more importantly are enough to warrant that there has been an underlying concern with which each individual is challenged to be mindful about.  On the other hand, the authors claim, adverse it maybe, is a subtle attack to the Whites, and when she further advance on the advice as to knowing how Whites think, it may in the psychological sense consists a campaign against them. It is a form of attack when the author revealed how the Whites, in its attempt for economic advancement has exploited thousands of people in Chile, and Mexicans. It is contained in the wide range of how racism has been practiced.  It is condemning racism and could include warning people of White behavior.

The author presented her argument quite uniquely and purposively. After putting up her claim, she showed statistics, the demographic data as to who were the inhabitants of United States at present and the projection as to what will compose the U.S. community in the year 2050, following issues of migration.  Further, the author had inserted humor amidst a serious issue she raised. What humor could we not draw from a group of Korean restaurant entrepreneurs to hire Mexican cooks to prepare Chinese dishes for mainly African-American customers, as happened in Houston Texas In the end, she had to claim that such situation isnt unusual anymore.

Moreover, as readers, we might think and ask what is the relation between presenting the composition of U.S. society at present and projecting the future with regards to the presence of races other than the Blacks That is what the author is trying to convey. While there has been the presence of different races in the U.S. other than the Blacks, what was noted and mostly known or dominant to the parts of the globe relating to issues on racism is the Black-White terms of racial issue.  The Black-White racial issue models a complex racial issue the Whites are into - the racial treatment they give to non-blacks. Racism exists and is employed by Whites even if you are not Black. Could racism be a time immemorial practice by the Whites long before they migrated to their New World

The authors introduction moving into the second paragraph barely saying the requirement of knowledge and wisdom is a dominant appeal on the necessity of liberating ones mind to a social issue of a moral and political debate  racism.  It is sensible and meaningful enough to say that while racism is a denial of humanity and a means of legitimizing inequality, all who potentially witness it have a role in its identification, explanation, condemnation, and elimination (Brown and Miles, 2003, p. 11). Further, the author appeals to the emotions (Pathos) of the readers when she took into example two small Latino children in San Francisco who were found in 1997 covered with flour from head to toe. When asked for reasons, all they could say was to wish that their skins are white enough for school. Another instance is the case of the Chinese engineer who was killed by a shot by the policemen. The latter thought that victims gesture of waving a long stick puts them in danger because of the advanced thought that martial arts will be used against them. These are some revelation of how racism takes its form, nurtured by a dominating racist society.  In the authors employment of Pathos, she appealed not just to one emotion but specifically emotions situated at separate poles like pity and anger.

Now we are down to the question why the Black-White model. As iterated by the author, there are sociological and psychological reasons for such models persistence. History tells us that before, while Whites are the dominant settlers of the place, next to come in a great number are the Blacks. It is a complex social process nurtured through time, and individual as well as collective differences across cultures. The main point is, the existence of such Black-White model could still be present until today, and in reality is extended in its sense not only to the Blacks but to the rest of the race that entered into the territory. To this point the author had the occasion to say that Black-White term could be inappropriate because racism has been employed by the Whites regardless whether you are pure Black or not. Moreover, racism indeed evolves, as what the author again pointed. To some point, it is unclear as to why the author is insistent upon the inclusion in the information wide enough to include the world as its audience that racism occurred to the rests of the race other than the Blacks.  The reason lays hanging and is left to the mind of the readers as to what and how much advantage the recognition of majority in print would affect issues on racism, its evolution, and perhaps against its advocates.  More importantly, the author could be relying on the importance of informing or educating the public.

Moving on, the dominant and convincing evidence that the author employed is her use of statistics, and factual documented reports throughout the essay.  These relevant facts, far more convincing as to real events support the authors claim.

In summary, the author has a convincing point in the presentation, and analysis in the existence of the social phenomenon  racism. She made the readers experience and be aware of how racism was employed, how it affects society, and dehumanizes individual.  In a subtle way, she also campaigned for awareness as the first step to set up a fight. Racism is not gone, it has evolved, and will continue to evolve and everyone is challenged to its condemnation, elimination, and move towards social justice.