Race and power have been two concepts that are interrelated in a different perspective. Depending on the community one comes from the relationship can be either positive or negative. A positive relationship is exhibited when one belongs to the race that is favored such as the majority group while a negative relationship is presented by the unfortunate race which mostly includes the minority. The two factors race and power are seen to influence each other in different ways and at different levels where from one perspective race is seen to be the way to power while on the other hand power can be directed to different races. The power influenced by racism takes different forms which include social power, economic and political. Though many people argue that race is a factor that influences the direction of power in the society I argue that race does not award power to members of a particular community however it is the actions of the racists that creates the notion and making other people look less powerful
According to Madanipour, Cars, and Allen (187) minority groups have always been discriminated against on the economic grounds which makes them feel that the other groups have power above them. The discrimination takes different forms with the most common being the sector of employment. Qualified candidates for any job opportunity in the area who come from the minority loses the opportunities due to their color. race, in this case, acts as a factor that works to deprive them the economic power leading to poverty among the minority groups. The minority groups that manage to get the jobs are also not allowed in the blue-collar jobs that are well paying and enable them to forge a good life.
Instead, they are forced to work in areas that are less paying despite their qualification for the proper jobs. The cumulative effect is that they lack sufficient finances to support their lives and live in poverty. The white assumes and exercise negative power on the blacks making them feel disadvantaged in the society. The minority groups are made to feel less powerful in the economic sector following the artificially created the notion that they cannot secure white collar jobs and make them accept poverty as part of their lives.
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The article by Bois (115) poses emphasis on the policy formulation procedures and the role of the law in protecting the rights of the individual. The laws are formed by the majority groups. Some laws formed are discriminative against the minority groups yet they end up being included as part of the national laws following a high support from the majority members. The laws, therefore, do not favor the inclusion of equality in the job market through poor policy-making that does not include the minority. On the other hand, some policies formed in the education sector also deprive the minority groups the necessary qualifications they need to take a position in the white-collar jobs.
For instance, a policy like having a school for the minority which is separate from the one attended by the majority of people. The action leads to low-quality education since the members if the majority will hire the best tutors for their schools and let the others work in the less fortunate and mostly the fellow minority teachers. The resultant qualification is not accepted among the majority groups which leads to a lack of employment in the sector. The action increases the number of people living in poverty among the minority communities making them accept that they are disadvantaged from the rest of the groups;
Despite the exclusion of the minority members in the economic fields they are also excluded in the social perspectives and being made to see each other as inferior beings who cannot cope with eh situation in the country. For instance, the minority groups are denied the social interaction through a limit to the involvement and resources available in the country. They are excluded from interacting with the fellow citizens in the majority groups through actions such as the formation of the minority schools to set a clear boundary between the two races. In this respect, there are also restrictions that make the whites to live away from the minority groups which is found in the way they construct the households.
Since the minority groups are known not to have sufficient funds to live in the luxurious buildings following the discrimination at the workplace where they are not given access to the white-collar jobs, the majority enjoy this amount and therefore are made to live in the luxurious places. The minority who cannot afford such laxity are forced to congregate with the fellow minority at the ghettos and other places where the buildings are cheap. The result is that there is a clear social distinction between the two groups. Moreover, the structure of the buildings in which each party lives creates a complete distinction of status between the minority and the majority. The action makes the majority to exercise power over the minority due to their wealthy status.
According to Venkatesh (460), the expectations of the minority groups in upholding their economic status is also low. When the Negroes are joining the workforce at a given position they are aware that making progress in the career is not possible. In most cases, the graduates enter the firm at a very low position and do not advance in their career for a long time which is also another form of social discrimination. Members joining together with the minority groups end up advancing faster into different positions within a short period however the case is not the same for the minority. a minority graduate who is fully qualified to take a higher position in the organization are at times left out and a white person who might not have the qualifications end up taking the position just because of the color. The efforts frustrate the blacks and reduce their hopes of becoming successful people in society. They are made to assume the weak status in the eyes of the whites. The whites in this case though might not have the same qualification as the minority people will end up exercising power above the more qualified person just because of the ethnicity.
The majority also exercise the political power above the minority groups which shows a high level of discrimination among the different groups. The minority is not allowed to have any position of honor in the society in all settings including their workplaces and in the country. Some poor policies ban them from vying for position in the government or in other cases they are disputed and not elected. They are denied the chance of being represented politically and also excluded from the voting systems leaving the whites to decide their leaders in the community. In this consideration, the leaders elected do not view the blacks as people with importance and who deserves services just like the other members in the community. The cumulative effect is increased discrimination rates which leads to the minority feeling inferior while the whites exercise power above them.
According to Wilson(120), the minority groups are forced to find their lives in the ghetto. The settlement in the region is under poor conditions and violence is the order of the day. Interpersonal violence is common in the area between the minority and the whites while at some other times the minority groups engage in violence with each other. Life in the ghetto comes with different challenges as it is not possible to get an attractive job in the area and therefore people turn to unskilled labor or the blue-collar jobs to earn a living. The amount earned cannot afford to pay for the laxity which makes them accept their status. the highest proportion of the ghetto dwellers are the minority following the discrimination from the employment which makes them unable to afford most of the items provided in the area leading to no option than endure the ghetto life. The life they face is full of brutality and other unacceptable circumstances which kills their hope of ever having a better life and thus allowing the majority to have power above them.
In conclusion, there is no definite relationship between the exercises of power against other people on the grounds of race. The exercise of power by one ethnic community on the other is triggered by the action in which the racist community performs on the other community making people view them as being more significant than others. The idea of power is gained when the other group believes that one ethnic community is stronger than them either politically, socially or even economically. Racial power in the three sections is however gained through one community disadvantaging the other community and making the members to see themselves as inferior. The actions that lead to the exercise of power by one community over the other is therefore as a result of their actions and not necessarily the race.
