Throughout the United States’ history, racial divisions have been socially and politically enforced, but never explicitly defined, despite their continued use to sustain the unequal distribution of opportunities and treatment of Americans. The various racial classifications used in this country — white, Black, Asian, Native American, Pacific Islander, and beyond — influence how we categorize and perceive each other through cultural trends, the stereotypes we maintain, as well as the effect of our laws and policies despite these divisions being completely arbitrary and limiting for many people that do not fit neatly within the established options. Cultivating our understanding of racial divisions is important on an interpersonal level to prevent prejudices between groups that can lead to conflict and discrimination as well as at the political level to prevent systemic disadvantage against whichever groups may be targeted.
Asian Journal