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Race Oppression Analysis

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The concept of race and its effect on the power imbalance has been an ongoing struggle in our society. In the United States, these racial differences and inequalities were created right around the point in history when slavery was introduced. From this point on, the difference in skin color became an important characteristic and the idea of race was born. This was not a subject that was voted on, or decided by the general public. It was created by the people who had the upper hand and held a majority of the power. At the time, this group of people were the rich, plantation and slave owning, fair skinned Europeans colonist. Due to their skin color being “white” and their African imported slaves skin color being “black”, the racial inequalities, prejudices and privileges created during their time period forever impacted and left an awful impression on the future generations to come. Although unfair, a reality the world has had to deal with since the birth of the races is the difference in color of one's skin greatly impacts how the course of their lives play out, whether impacted intentional or unintentional, through privilege, oppression and power domination. Two articles that support this claim with various observations, facts and argument points are “Privilege, Oppression, and Difference” written by Allan Johnson and “Domination and Subordination” written by Jean Baker Miller. Both articles provide detailed accounts of how much race is used as a critical point on which social and political power is distributed in our society. One main way that the dominant white group maintains their position of higher social and political power is through controlling and monitoring the work force and distribution of jobs. “Out of the total range of human possibilities, the activities most highly valued in any particular culture will tend to be enclosed within the domain of the dominant group; less valued functions are relegated to

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