South_Africa

Prejudice and Discrimination Article JustinRyan Allen Axia College of University of Phoenix April 11th, 2010 Professor Stephanie Fleming “We are the entire human race before anything else. Yet, it seems that the only race that human want to win is the one within them.”-Alizabeth Showers. South African has experienced extreme forms of racism and discrimination. “White” South Africans (Afrikaner’s) found a systematic way to disenfranchise the “black” South Africans, also known as the coloureds. South African’s society has endured many years of colonialism, and the implementation of the “policy of apartheid”; the country has become normalized to blatant hatred. During my time there, I learned many of effects of apartheid trickled down, and through time remained very vital in the South African society. This is journalizing their journeys. Introduced by British colonial rulers in the Cape Colony during the 19 century; originality the set of laws were used to prohibit coloureds from going into “white only colonies”. They were given passes in a country that was already rightfully theirs, and were not allowed in the streets after a certain hour. In 1905, the right to vote was completely ripped from the hands of the coloureds and after that numerous laws followed suit. The South Africa Act (1910) completely gave complete power to whites. Being that they had complete political control over all other race groups, parliament only consisted of white South African’s. In 1913 the Native Land Act put a halt on coloureds buying real estate outside of the well contained “reserves”. The “reserves” had land that was tremendously depreciated. The Natives in Urban Areas Bill of1918 was premeditated to force coloureds into the "locations" previously stated. Then the Urban Areas Act came about shortly after. This established a overhaul of residential segregation. Labor and job were also affected by this law because White CEO saw it as an easy way to get work for cheap and even free. Colour Bar Act of 1926, stopped them from going to school to get educations and trade skills. Even worst, the British crown had control over all African affairs and trade policies. Moreover, the coloureds were not the only to suffer. Various other ethnic groups were also disenfranchised by that tyranny of governmental powers. The Indians were put into the same “camps” and had their own set of laws that stopped them from climbing the social latter of the country. So not only did the apartheid exemplify racism but also started a hierarchy of classism within the ethnic groups. Coloureds and Indians were fighting to be in last place and still are. Presently, black Africans still make remarkably less their Afrikaner’s counterpart. Recently I picked up a magazine that stated “I Am African”. I began flipping through the articles and noticed that none of the faces had dark pigmentation. I am all for diversity but the complete phasing out of the “Coloureds” on their homeland seems ridiculous. Yet it continues to happen more often then we think. “I believe that self-preservation has been a clutch that all of humanity holds on too.”-Weusi Baraka. Written by a South African philosopher, this quote tells us stories of the survival. I actually had a sit down with this author, and he told me that his parents were killed during the time of apartheid. He was a very young boy at the time but he can recall the blood stained streets, and the children being taken away from their parents to work in a sweat shop. Unlike many others his family found a way to get out of the country. Yet he still takes pride in his country and he love South Africa Furthermore, the Apartheid legislation of 1950 began the establishment of “Grand Apartheid”. The National Party motioned to pass unfair laws for the benefit of the ‘White” Africans. Over a 15 year period a series of 8 laws were passed. The 2 pillars of “Grand Apartheid” are the Population Registration Act and the Group Areas Act, which made it mandatory for all “tribes” to first get a identification card. The “race” chosen on the identification card was then used to move people of the same “race” with each other. Jim Crow didn’t only exist in America. It was worldwide hatred towards Africans. Also, people of different “races” where not allowed to marry of have sex because of the Immorality Act of 1950. Jobs were also segregated, the right to vote was only given to the white “race” of people, and education was stripped from the minds of the colours. They were made to prepare for a long life in the laborer class. Indians, Eastern Asians, and even some American’s where caught up in the draft of the apartheid. Notwithstanding, race is defined as: “a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock  or a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics”. Never did it once mention the color of skin or the ranking of once social status. Next, ethnic is the relating to large groups of people classed according to common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background. After I read and understood what both definition meant, I came to the conclusion their really is nothing different about the two words. Just like there is not much differences between skin colors. I just don’t understand why the human RACE would feel ordained to “a manifest destiny”, when we have no control over our skin color. The only clear differentiation I see is that race is more national, while ethnicity mentions: tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin. Those are worldly attributes. Any number of people could have those same qualities as you. Race, unless its human puts people into small boxes, and ethnicity doesn’t. In June of 1976 an anti-apartheid revolt broke out in Soweto. The children of the city stood up against the injustice and demanded that schools be intergraded again. The activism of the youth became the most effective of political resistances in the 1980’s. In 1989, President De Klerk unbanned the liberation party and released all political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela in February of 1990. Mandela went on and became the president of South Africa with a 62 percent democratic vote count. The people wanted a change and they got their nation back to where it started. Lastly, “A rose that grows without a thorn could never be called beautiful because nothing is perfect”-Nelson Mandela