Advanced English Conversation about Race and Racism in the US

Hi everyone. I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. Sometimes my language

lessons are upbeat and playful. Other times I aim to be more thought-provoking.

This is going to be one of my more serious lessons. Racism is not a light

issue. It definitely falls into the category of sensitive topics. I ask that

if you choose to post a comment on this video please, keep it respectful. Anything

offensive or with profanity will be deleted. I'm not here to lecture anyone

or politicize the topic. I'm an English language teacher, and I'd like to give

English language learners some relevant information and vocabulary so that they

can follow and participate in discussions about race and racism.

The United States is experiencing a major period of social unrest at the

moment. Whether you're in the U.S. or not, you've probably seen many images of

protests taking place in American cities. There's a lot of anger and frustration

stemming from racism. That's the practice of judging others and mistreating others

based on race. When Americans are asked to fill out official forms and identify

our race, we're usually given these choices: White, Black or African American,

American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific

Islander. And often there's a category called "Other," which we can choose if

we're a mix, or we may be allowed to check off more than one category. A

questionnaire might also ask us if we're "Of Hispanic or Latino Origin" or "Not of

Hispanic or Latino Origin." The use of "Black" and "African American" can be

confusing. What you need to know is that both words are acceptable.

Many consider "African American" to be a politically correct term, but the word

"Black" is not offensive. Some make the distinction that "Black" is about race and "African American" is about ethnicity.

Please know that the words "Colored" and "Negro" are outdated. They are offensive in the U.S. today.

Race and ethnicity can be quite complex in a diverse country like the U.S. I felt

compelled to make this video because the recent unrest has made me reflect more

on how being American is a different experience for people, partly because of

our different races.

I was born a U.S. citizen. I grew up as a native English speaker. When most people

look at me, they see a white woman. My father came to the U.S. as a foreigner. He

eventually got citizenship. English for him is a second language. My father is a

dark-skinned Southeast Asian man, so our experiences of being American

have been different, and yet I know we both love our country. One of the darker

aspects of our country is racism. Right now, there's a lot of focus on what it

means to be black in America, but racism has been experienced by other groups as

well throughout our history. A person who discriminates against others based on

race is a racist.

This person has racist views, racist attitudes, and perhaps racist

practices. A person can experience racism or be a victim of racism. A racist feels

that one race is inferior and another is superior. In other words, they believe

that some people are better than others simply because of race. If a racist is

white and has a sense of superiority and believes that white people should have

control, we identify this person as a white supremacist. "Supremacist" is related

to the adjective "supreme," meaning "being the highest or having the highest

authority." So a supremacist believes in domination. That is power or control over

other races. "Domination" is the noun. "Dominate" is the verb. Some people try to

dominate others.

"Superiority" is the noun. "Superior" is the adjective. Someone can feel superior or

act superior. The recent protests in America are a call for justice.

African Americans or Black Americans want to live in peace. They want to enjoy

freedom from unjust practices. "Unjust" is another word for "unfair." We need to fight

against unjust practices. We need to fight against racist practices. We need

to fight against discrimination. We need to fight prejudice.

As I understand, prejudice is a matter of how you think and feel. A prejudiced

person has an unfair dislike of another person or a whole other race.

Discrimination takes the form of action, so a company that discriminates against

women, for example, treats female job candidates and female employees unfairly.

So, discrimination can take different forms, for example, there can be sexual

discrimination or racial discrimination.

The history of discrimination against African Americans goes back to the days

of slavery, and racism took root in our laws immediately after the Civil War

ended in 1865. Follow me on Instagram if you want to know more about U.S. history.

One of my upcoming clips will explain what Jim Crow laws were. For now, just

know that we once had laws that made inequality for African Americans legal. For

a long time in our country, blacks and whites lived with racial segregation.

That's the practice of keeping whites and blacks separate, including restrooms,

drinking fountains, and other public places. Did you know, by the way, that

interracial marriages became legal in all U.S. states only in 1967? The Civil

Rights Movement began in the mid-1900s, and organizers led African Americans to

fight for equal rights. They fought for social justice, but the fight to fully

end racial discrimination continues today. Even before the Civil Rights

Movement, there were efforts to fight for justice and equality.

The NAACP formed in 1909. This is the National Association for the

Advancement of Colored People. It's still probably the largest organization that

fights against racism. Another group that has received global support is Black

Lives Matter. This is both a movement and a global network of people who fight to

stop violence against black communities. you've probably seen the hashtag #BLM.

That stands for Black Lives Matter.

Civil Rights leaders of the 1950s and '60s largely promoted the idea of

peaceful protests and sit-ins. "Protest" is the noun. Stress falls on the first

syllable: PROtest. "Protest" can also be the verb. Stress can fall on the first or

second syllable: PROtest, proTEST. The people who do this action are protesters.

Note the two different possible spellings. A protest might take the form

of a march down a street. A sit-in is when people sit in a public place and

refuse to leave. They want their demands to be heard and met A concern about

large protests is crowd control. One measure a city or town can take is a

curfew. That's when a mayor or a governor makes it illegal to be outside your home

and on the streets after a certain time at night. Lately, in cities with violent

protests, there have been eight o'clock curfews. A city can announce a curfew, set

a curfew, institute a curfew, impose a curfew. And later the curfew can be

lifted. Note the contrast between a peaceful protest and a violent protest.

In the U.S., people have the right to protest peacefully, but the government

has the right and the duty to prevent chaos. That's complete disorder. "Mayhem" is

another word for chaos, but mayhem suggests violence on top of disorder. So,

what's the difference between "mayhem" and "Anarchy"? As I understand, mayhem is a

bunch of destructive actions, unlawful actions.

A person or a group of people can create mayhem. Anarchy is the state in which

people live without order or laws.

I mentioned that some U.S. cities have used a curfew to help keep the protests

peaceful and avoid violence. I've heard that some arrests have been made when

people break curfew or violate the curfew. Other causes for arrest are

looting and arson. Looting is stealing. It's the act of stealing during a

violent protest or in wartime. Arson is the crime of setting fire to buildings

or other objects, like cars. Sadly, we've witnessed a lot of looting and arson

recently. And although these crimes are taking place during the protests, we need

to be careful not to group the peaceful protestors with the looters and

arsonists. Most reporters are distinguishing between the angry mobs

committing crimes and causing violence, and the peaceful protesters. A mob is an

angry group of people out of control. Mobs create riots. A riot is when people

are angry and out of control. People who participate in riots or rioters. Many

believe that the rioters, the looters, and the arsonists are hijacking the peaceful

protests and creating mayhem. Hardly anyone is condoning the violence and the

destruction we've been seeing. "Condone" means to approve of something. In fact,

many people, even some members of the police force, stand in solidarity with

the peaceful protesters. "Solidarity" means unity.

A protest or riot usually has a trigger. That's an event that sets off a reaction.

Recently Americans witnessed the death of an unarmed African American man at

the hands of a white police officer. This terrible event was captured on video. It

triggered a strong reaction because it's connected to a larger issue of racism

and police brutality. That's the excessive use of force by police

officers. There are at least two arguments being made in connection to

this horrific incident. One is that we have systemic racism. That means that

unfair practices are in our system. They're within our institutions. Is the

police force, is law enforcement full of racism? A counterargument in this case

is that there are many police officers who are good public servants. People who

take this position acknowledge that law enforcement needs to do a better job of

training and get rid of those who are not capable of serving and protecting

the communities and community members without excessive force. Which argument

is right? Where's the truth? Is the truth somewhere in between?

Some argue further that we need to fight against racial profiling. That's the

practice of suspecting people of criminal behavior based on their race or

ethnicity. I think it's true that people can too quickly and too easily make

faulty assumptions about others. The question is are we making assumptions

based on race? Are we giving people an equal opportunity and equal consideration

in every situation? Can we look for the best in people and stop assuming the worst?

We'll end our lesson here. I hope you've gained the language to continue this

discussion with others and to express your views on this topic. Actions will

always speak louder than words, but I'd like to think that through

honest, open discussion we can take a step closer to achieving equality for

all and to fostering respect for all people. If you found the lesson useful,

please like and share this video. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!

Peace to all!

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