Benard Nyarangi

Running head: RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY Racism in the United States Military Student Name Institution 1 RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 2 Racism in the United States Military Introduction The United States military has been able to attract praise and it has earned accolades from different quarters across the world. It is hailed as the most advanced and effective military in the world based on the tactics, the skills and the equipment that it has at its disposal to counter any form of threat inside and outside the territory of the United States. The US military employs several thousands of people drawn from the diverse population that make up the US citizenry. Unfortunately, in the face of all the praise from international players, it is apparent that not much has been done to counter the damning and damaging criticism of racial discrimination targeting specific groups inside the US military and the veteran population that leaves service upon successful missions. The current paper ill detail some of the instances of racial discrimination, the effects they have and the possible solutions that ought to be implemented to address the identified challenge that it poses in the country. Background Information Racial discrimination is a persistent challenge across all the different section and factions of the United States society. The treatment of people fairly or unfairly based on the race that they identify with has remained a permanent issue that has defined all the different sections of the United States. Apparently, the person from race that has the majority of people in the American society has largely been accused of perpetuating discrimination against the people from minority races (Roediger, 2005). In retaliation, the people from minority races have also been involved in ugly incidents against the people from the majority race. In this context, the racial tensions that exist in the United States are clearly hindering the national unity that a nation ought to urge if it is t o realize any form of sustainable development that it could be after in all its undertakings. RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 3 The issue of racial discrimination has spread into the American military, and it has led to the painting of the once respected institution in a negative light. Many people do not respect the military anymore due to the accusations of racial discrimination that have emerged in recent years. The situation seems to be worsening by the day, and more efforts have to be put in place to ensure that challenge is addressed conclusively. The people minority races have been accusing those the majority race that they do not focus on merit when undertaking various tasks relating to the welfare of those serving in the US military. The African Americans and Hispanics have borne the worst of the effects of racial discrimination perpetuated by some of the misinformed individuals from the Caucasian race that dominates the general population of the United States. The minority races have found it hard to be promoted to senior ranks despite holding stellar records of effectiveness and successful performance in their duties with the US military. The situation has been worse for the female service members in the US military hailing from the minority races. It is apparent that something is wrong in the institution of the US military and efforts have to be undertaken to guarantee a positive image that it has enjoyed for many years. The veteran population has also not been left out of the issue of racial discrimination. The McKinney–Vento Homeless Assistance Act of 2000 defines a veteran as a person who has served in the US military and discharged due to any reason except dishonorable (Miller, 2011). Unfortunately, a large section of the homeless population in the United States is drawn from the former members of the US military. Most people who come out of the US military are not able to blend with the civilian population and their military background forces them to denial, an aspects that complicates the nature of life that they end up leading (Mettler, 2005). Among the homeless veterans, the largest group is drawn from African Americans and Hispanics. Worryingly, the numbers of people from the minority races serving in the US military are small raising the RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 4 question of the commitment of the military leadership to address the issues facing people in their after-military life. It is apparent that the lack of social support drives people to being homeless upon the honorable discharge from the US military. Despite the capabilities of the US military, it is apparent that the institution, due to racially instigated unprofessionalism, has failed to address the issues that veterans from minority races face in the aftermath of their discharge from their duties in the US military forces. Levels of Oppression of Racism in the US Military The trends of racism in the US military indicate the existence of different levels of oppression regarding the topic. The US media has documented different cases that have indicated that racism in the US media is indeed a complex topic that has to be discussed from various dimensions if it is to be addressed conclusively. The US military serves an integral role in the safety of the American people hence the need to ensure that the issue of racism is addressed and eliminated to guarantee the attainment of the intended results and objectives of the institution of the military. In this context, the current section ill analyze the three different levels of oppression that have been identified regarding the issue of racism in the American military. The first level of oppression is that of institutionalized racism that has been documented in the US military. Apparently, racism occurs in the context of the institution such that all the people involved in the military understand that racism is an issue that the military as an institution is not able to address comprehensively. It has been detailed that the US military has been involved in the making of policies that push forward the issue of racism instead of addressing it considering the challenges that it poses to the security of the country. In fact, until recently, some races were not allowed into the military due to the perception that they lacked the merit to be effective service men and women. In some instances, the US military has been RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 5 accused of targeting various races during instances of conflict that it is involved in directly without foreign aggressors. In the days following the Pearl Harbor Attack by the Japanese, Americans of Japanese descent were forcefully put in holding for fear that they were sympathizers of the Japanese regime (Feis, 2015). The US military, upon an extensive investigation that did not yield any evidence of the claims raised warranting the action they took, apologized to the American drawn from the Japanese racial group. In recent years, the US military has shown to develop policies that depict people of Arabic descent negatively, an aspect that has further fueled the racial tensions experienced all across the American communities. In this regard, it is apparent that the US is yet to address the issue of institution racism that is present in the US military. The second level of oppression is interpersonal and internalized racism, which has also been documented in the US military. Apparently, many people in the US have grown up knowing that some races are superior to others due to the misinformation that they have encountered from irresponsible media and other platforms. Some members of the military have internalized popular and sublime messages that tend to depict some races as superior to others. As such, the trends of interpersonal racist events and reactions have remained quite rampant across all the divisions of the US military. Individuals acting in a way that suggests the influence of the issue of superiority of their races have been reported in the US military (Alvarez, 2008). Clearly, the issue of internalized and interpersonal racism remains even more rampant among the people serving in the different factions of the US military. Different records have indicated that the Department of Defense and other related bodies and organizations have been developing an effective code that will ensure the issue of racism is addressed conclusively in the US military. RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 6 The third level of oppression is cultural racism, which has remained persistent not just in the US military but also across all the other sections of the US military. It is apparent that the United States has had a history of racism that has shaped many of the trends reported in the country. The history of slavery remains a major issue in shaping the history of the country considering the cultural implications it influenced and that have remained persistent to date. Many of the white people in the United States during the period of slavery believed that African Americans and other races were inferior races that had to be dominated. The American government of the time passed laws that made slavery and the ownership of people as tools of trade formal and legal. The implications of slavery despite the many years that have passed ever since the emancipation declaration was made have not been addressed fully. Many people have grown accustomed to the culture that accepts the white American as the superior race without questioning the rationale of such a belief. As such, the US military has the inherent cultural attribute that ensures the people who serve in its institutions adhere to the cultural make that identifies white Americans as the superior race. In this regard, more has to be done to ensure that the challenge of racism in the US military culture is addressed if true and sustainable progress is to be attained. The white racial framework has also been an issue that has been identified in the United States military. The framework is developed in such a way that people uphold various beliefs and react in a certain way because they have been taught or they have learned on their own the ‘racialized’ knowledge. The white racial framework leads people to act automatically or subconsciously in a specific way based on the interactions that they have in their daily activities. The reaction in most cases emerges with attributes that suggest their belief that white Americans are the superior race while the colored people in the US are inferior. Most white Americans have RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 7 come to accept knowingly or unknowingly that they are the superior race when compared to the other races. Worryingly, due to the psychological makeup of people, the people of color have also been accustomed to their environment and the culture to an extent that they believe that indeed the white people are the superior race. The challenge of the white racial framework has remained persistent in the US military (Loo et al. 2001). In fact, even some military leaders and the people leading the department of defense act unconsciously to support racism without knowing it because of the nature of knowledge they have developed over the years. In this regard, the challenge of racism may take significant investment of efforts, resources and goodwill for it to be addressed in the United States and across all the societies across the United States as a country composed of diverse races in its population. Levels of Practice for Social Workers The issue of racism remains to be one of the most challenging in the United States society. As such, it has attracted the attention of social workers whose work is to ensure that the issue is addressed and positive change is attained (Sue, Rasheed & Rasheed, 2016). Apparently, the US military, given the sensitive nature of the duties that they undertake, has to be helped to overcome the challenge of racism sooner to avert a crisis that can possibly arise unless change is attained. It is apparent that the United States has not been able to address the challenge of racism as comprehensively as required. As such, social workers have their work cut out regarding their role in helping people overcome the issues that are linked to racism. In this regard, the current section is a reflection regarding the role of a social worker in helping the US military to overcome the negative issue of racism in all its undertakings. A social worker will consider a macro level of practice in his or her bid to address the issue of racism in the US military. From such a context, the social worker involved in such a RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 8 setting will be required to address the entire military as a single unit. The macro level of practice entails targeting the whole population that could be involved in the social worker’s plan to address a specific issue (Taylor, Mulroy & Austin, 2005). In this context, the social worker will harness the resources in their possession and ensure that they attend to all the people who may be involved in the identified challenge. In the context of the US military, the social worker has to develop a plan that will ensure all the people involved in the macro level are reached as required. The social worker will ensure that all the members of the US military are helped and advised on the actions that they should indulge for them to overcome the challenge of racism. Upon an elaborate reflection, it is apparent that the issue of racism in the context of the US military will not be addressed at the macro level of practice of social workers. The social worker may also choose to use the mezzo level of practice with the aim of addressing the challenge of racism in the United States military. The mezzo level of practice entails that the social worker will design their plan to address specific groups and departments within the US military for them to push for positive change (Taylor, Mulroy & Austin, 2005). The social worker has to ensure that identified groups are manageable within the time and other constraints that they may have. The mezzo level of practice may not be as effective as aspired given the fact that the social worker may not be able to attain all the intended objectives. Therefore, the current reflection is of the opinion that the mezzo level of practice may not be effective regarding the efforts to address the issue of racism in the US military. The social worker may consider using the micro level of practice, which focus directly with the specific members of the targeted group (Taylor, Mulroy & Austin, 2005). The social worker has to develop a plan to ensure that they target individual members and help them understand the benefits of adopting positive change. In the context of the US military, the social RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 9 worker should ensure that they target the individual members who serve as military officials. The social worker should model their plan to enable them identify the individuals who are most affected for them to be attended to first before moving to the rest of the members of the groups. While the micro level of practice is more effective when compared to the other two levels, it may be difficult to attain all the intended objectives considering the population that makes up the US military. In this context, it is then imperative that the social workers combines all the three levels of practice for them to reach all the members of the US military and help them accept the diversity and equality of all races in the country. Critical Self Reflection on the Racism in the US Military I have been able to study the trends of racism in the US military and identified that it indeed it is a challenge that requires urgent addressing. It is apparent that the US military has had different instances that have pronounced it as an institution yet to address that challenge of racial discrimination in an effective way. Upon an analysis of the available information, I ascertained that recent efforts have enabled an improvement of the situation. However, more has to be done to ensure that the issue is addressed conclusively hence there arises the need for social workers to be incorporated into the efforts to address the situation. The social workers have to ensure they employ macro, mezzo and micro levels of practice for the issue of racism and racial discrimination to be addressed holistically in the US military. Conclusion It is a fact that the United States is contending with a complex challenge of racism and racial discrimination. Several pundits concede that the challenge has affected most of the institutions that support governance in the United States. One such institution is the US military, which plays a critical role in the security of the country. Worryingly, the US military has been RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 10 affected negatively with the issue of racism and racial discrimination, which has left its stellar reputation at the risk of being portrayed negatively. Finally, social work efforts and goodwill from the leaders of the US military and the public have to be adopted if success is to be attained in the fight against racism and racial discrimination in the US military. RACISM IN THE UNITED STATES MILITARY 11 References Alvarez, L. (2008). The power of the zoot: Youth culture and resistance during world war II (Vol. 24). Univ of California Press. Competency–Based Approach to Diversity and Social Justice (2nded). Hoboken, NJ: Feis, H. (2015). Road to Pearl Harbor: The Coming of the War between the United States and Japan. Princeton University Press. Jossey-Bass-Wiley Loo, C. M., Fairbank, J. A., Scurfield, R. M., Ruch, L. O., King, D. W., Adams, L. J., & Chemtob, C. M. (2001). Measuring exposure to racism: Development and validation of a Race-Related Stressor Scale (RRSS) for Asian American Vietnam veterans. Psychological Assessment, 13(4), 503. Mettler, S. (2005). Soldiers to citizens: The GI Bill and the making of the greatest generation. Oxford University Press on Demand. Miller, P. M. (2011). An examination of the McKinney-Vento Act and its influence on the homeless education situation. Educational Policy, 25(3), 424-450. Roediger, D. R. (2005). Working toward whiteness: How America's immigrants became white: The strange journey from Ellis Island to the suburbs. Basic Books (AZ). Sue, D. W., Rasheed, M.N., & Rasheed, J. M. 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