RACIAL DISCRIMINATION: THE SOUND OF SOCIAL PROFILING

WHAT IS RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ?


Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their race, ancestry, ethnicity, and/or skin color and hair texture. Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain group.

Governments can discriminate explicitly in law, for example through policies of racial segregation, disparate enforcement of laws, or disproportionate allocation of resources. Some jurisdictions have anti-discrimination laws which prohibit the government or individuals from being discriminated based on race (and sometimes other factors) in various circumstances. Some institutions and laws use affirmative action to attempt to overcome or compensate for the effects of racial discrimination.

In some cases, this is simply enhanced recruitment of members of underrepresented groups; in other cases, there are firm racial quotas. Opponents of strong remedies like quotas characterize them as reverse discrimination, where members of a dominant or majority group are discriminated against.

RACISM IN HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Racial bias exists in the medical field affecting the way patients are treated and the way they are diagnosed. There are instances where patients’ words are not taken seriously, an example would be the recent case with Serena Williams. After the birth of her daughter via C-section, the tennis player began to feel pain and shortness of breath. It took her several times to convince the nurse they actually took her self-said symptoms seriously. Had she not been persistent and demanded a CT scan, which showed a clot resulting in blood thinning, Williams might have not been alive. This is just one of hundreds of cases where systemic racism can affect women of color in pregnancy complications.

One of the factors that lead to higher mortality rates amongst black mothers is the poorly conditioned hospitals and lack of standard healthcare facilities. Along with having deliveries done in underdeveloped areas, the situation becomes complicated when the pain dealt by patients are not taken seriously by healthcare providers. Pain heard from patients of color are underestimated by doctors compared to pain told by patients who are white Leading them to misdiagnose.

Many say that the education level of people affect whether or not they admit to healthcare facilities, leaning to the argument that people of color purposefully avoid hospitals compared to white counterparts[citation needed] however, this is not the case. Even Serena Williams, a well-known athlete, was not taken seriously when she described her pain. It is true that the experiences of patients in hospital settings influence whether or not they return to healthcare facilities. Black people are less likely to admit to hospitals however those that are admitted have longer stays than white people.

The longer hospitalization of black patients does not improve care conditions, it makes it worse, especially when treated poorly by faculty. Not a lot of minorities are admitted into hospitals and those that are receive poor conditioned treatment and care. This discrimination results in misdiagnosis and medical mistakes that lead to high death rates.

Although the Medicaid program was passed to ensure African Americans and other minorities received the healthcare treatment they deserved and to limit discrimination in hospital facilities, there still seems to be an underlying cause for the low number of black patients admitted to hospitals, like not receiving the proper dosage of medication.[citation needed] Infant mortality rates and life expectancies of minorities are much lower than that of white people in the United States. Illnesses like cancer and heart diseases are more prevalent in minorities, which is one of the factors for the high mortality rate in the group. However are not treated accordingly.

Although programs like Medicaid exists to support minorities, there still seems to be a large number of people who are not insured. This financial drawback discourages people in the group to go to hospitals and doctors offices.

Financial and cultural influences can impact the way patients are treated by their healthcare providers. When doctors have a bias on a patient, it can lead to the formation of stereotypes, impacting the way they view their patient's data and diagnosis, affecting the treatment plan they implement.

DIRECT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

This happens when someone treats a person or group less favourably than another person in a similar situation because of their race. 

An example of direct discrimination is a letting agency not letting a flat to someone or an employer refusing to appoint them to a particular role specifically because of their race.  

INDIRECT RACIAL DISCRMINATION

This happens when an organization or entity has a particular policy or approach to their work that puts people of a particular racial group at a disadvantage.

An example of indirect discrimination is a university or employer insisting that candidates should have UK qualifications, the banning of wearing headscarves, or insisting on the wearing of skirts at work.

Sometimes indirect race discrimination can be permitted if the organization is able to show that there is a legitimate reason. This is known as objective justification. 

An example of objective justification is a bank refusing an asylum seeker a current account, stating they need to have been resident in the UK for 12 months and have a permanent address. The bank would need to prove that its policy was necessary for business reasons (such as to prevent fraud or money laundering) and that there was no practical alternative. 

RACIAL DISCRIMINATION

 Racial harassment is any unwanted behavior which a person finds offensive, intimidating, humiliating, hostile or degrading, which occurs because of their race. It can happen on its own or alongside other forms of discrimination.

Unwanted behavior could include:

spoken or written words or abuse

images and graffiti

unwanted touching, pushing, grabbing or other invasion of personal space

offensive or intimidating comments or gestures, facial expressions, jokes, pranks, mockery or mimicking

ignoring or inhibiting participation such as excluding someone from a social activity or conversation

RACE/HATE CRIME INCIDENTS

'Hate crimes' and 'hate incidents' are terms used to describe acts of violence or hostility directed at people or property because of who they are or who someone thinks they are. Race hate crimes and incidents are motivated by hostility or prejudice towards a particular race or races.

A race hate crime is any crime that is targeted at a person because of hostility or prejudice towards their race.

A race hate incident is any incident, which may or may not constitute a criminal offence, that is perceived by the victim or any other person to be motivated by hostility or prejudice based on race. 

You do not have to be a member of the group the hostility or prejudice is aimed at to experience a hate crime or incident.

Bath Spa University has a zero-tolerance approach to all racial discrimination, harassment and hate incidents; any member of the community who is a victim of such experiences will receive our full support.

Reporting any incidents allows us to better understand and deal with what is happening. You may be querying whether the incident is serious enough to be reported, and we would encourage you to do so, particularly if you are distressed and want to speak about it or have a record of what happened.

RACE DISCRIMINATION IN EDUCATION

It is illegal for any school or college to discriminate against someone because of race. This applies to both state and private schools and colleges.

A school or college must not discriminate in any of its policies and practices. This includes its:

admissions policies

treatment of pupils

exclusions

decisions about a pupil’s special educational needs or disability (SEND)

Schools and colleges also have a duty to protect pupils against racial abuse and violence from other pupils, both on school premises or on the way to or from school.

HELP WITH TAKING A RACE DISCRIMINATION CASE

If you want to take legal action about race discrimination, you may be able to get some help with your case.

You can get advice about this from your local Citizens Advice or from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Search for your nearest Citizens Advice.

If you qualify for legal aid, you may get free legal advice and assistance from a solicitor. This comes under Legal Help (advice and assistance) scheme in Scotland. You might also be able to get help with the cost of taking a case to court under Legal Representation.

THANK YOU!!