At this writing, the country, and in fact, the world, are waiting with bated breath for the conclusion of the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer charged with murdering George Floyd and sparking the Black Lives Matter protest. Sadly, as we wait, examples of racism, the belief that one race is superior to others, resulting in unequal or demoralizing treatment of other races, continue to make the news. These incidents are rooted in not only prejudice, a preconceived judgment or opinion of other people and races that leads to preferring one kind of person over another, but also discrimination, the unfair or differential treatment of individuals and groups based on race and ethnicity. Let’s take a few minutes and use sociology to consider other examples of racism, prejudice, and discrimination.
In various cities across the U.S., there has been a dramatic rise in crimes directed toward Asian Americans. These incidents are examples of hate crimes, crimes perpetrated on the basis of ethnicity, nationality, race, religion, or sexual orientation. Victims of hate crimes typically are members of a minority group, a disadvantaged group with significantly less economic, social, and political power and resources. In contrast, a majority group is a group that controls the economic, social, and political power and resources in a society. A minority group’s status is not about numbers or percent of the population. Minority group status is about power, the ability to exert control over others and achieve goals with or without the support of society. While hard to conceive, it is possible for a population or district to consist of over 50 percent minorities, but still not have power in the society. In sociology, these groups are called a majority-minority. The experience of Black South Africans under apartheid clearly illustrates the concept of majority-minority. Apartheid in South Africa lasted from 1948 to 1994. It was a system of policies, regulations, and laws implemented by a government to keep racial and ethnic groups separate. Under apartheid, Blacks made up 76% of the population and had no power, while Whites made up 13% of the population and were the majority group with the power.
The other big news story recently has been the push by lawmakers in at least 43 states to limit voting rights. Some of these laws restrict access to absentee and early voting, reduce polling station hours and increase voting ID requirements. The state of Georgia has received an avalanche of attention for making it illegal to give people standing in voting lines food or water. On the surface, this sounds like no big deal. Businesses across the country restrict food and beverages on their premises, including in many college classrooms. But, when you realize that the number of polling stations in minority communities across Georgia was dramatically reduced ahead of the 2020 election, and some people had to wait 10 hours to vote, you begin to understand how problematic this law could be. Standing in a voting line for 10 hours with no access to food or water would be difficult, if not impossible, for many.
Opponents of these types of laws have called them 21st-century Jim Crow laws. Historically, Jim Crow laws were a form of institutional discrimination, societal patterns that produce negative treatment against groups of people based on their race. These laws legalized segregation, the separation of groups based on differences such as ethnicity, gender, race, social class, or religion, and promoted internal colonialism, the exploitation of a society’s minority group by its dominant group. While the laws being created today may not smack of blatant racism, many worry that they will disenfranchise legitimate minority voters to the benefit of the majority.
