Reference no: EM133203929

Turn the following opinion piece into a script:

Being black in America means taking caution. African Americans generally lack freedom due to their color, they can't live blissfully because of discrimination and harassment. There are various definitions of a safe space for various people and communities, which is unreal for a black American. It is the nature of humans to express their emotions, earn respect, and generally have a sense of belonging. Feagin states," Being black in U.S. society means always having to be prepared for antiblack actions by whites-in most places and at many times of the day, week, month, or year. Being black means living with various types of racial discrimination from cradle to grave." African American individuals are deprived of self identity and expression, due to constantly having to alter their character to make other races feel more comfortable.

Discrimination is an ethical issue because it refers to people's "unequal treatment" based on their race, ancestry, color, and other characteristics. Neglecting its presence as a systemic type of dominance and injustice magnifies and amplifies its negative impacts and provides legitimacy, whether on purpose or accidentally (Williams et al., 2022). The continuing systematic inferiority and discrepancies that racial and cultural minorities usually endure calls for an urgent examination of an ethical perspective on racism.

Blacks have to generally mimic the American lifestyle in public places to be seen as "respectable individuals". This kind of behavioral adjustment is casually referred to as "code-switching," which has long been a strategy for black people to successfully navigate interracial interactions and has large implications for their well-being, economic advancement, and even physical survival. Broadly, code-switching involves adjusting one's style of speech, appearance, behavior, and expression in ways that will optimize the comfort of others in exchange for fair treatment, quality service, and employment opportunities. 

About 52% of black adults say being black has hurt their ability to get ahead at least a little, with 18% saying it has hurt a lot. Most white Democrats who say being black hurts a person's ability to succeed point to racial discrimination (70%) and less access to good schools (75%) or high-paying jobs (64%)(Horowitz, 2021).

People of color have to escape reality and regain their identity by stepping back into their own persona, where whites can't dim their culturally influenced personalities.The element is evident in Michelle's article "our group chat is a sacred space (Johnson, 2022)." in the safe space, they can decolonize their minds and restore their repressed qualities by supporting each other emotionally and physically.

Kinyel Ragland, a black male graduate student wrote an article titled 'Black Skin in White Spaces' about being taught to code switch at a young age. "There is a certain way that you have to speak and act in front of the white man"(), his father would tell him. Over the years he has trained and mastered acting in a manner that is non threatening to the whites, trying not to invoke any stereotypes. Kinyel not only feels that living this "double life" is a burden, but a compromise to his true self (Ragland, 2020)

Healthy expressions of one's identity creates self-alignment, and allows you to live the most authentic version of yourself. Adequate self-expression promotes healing. For the black community their healing comes from creating those safe spaces,  Where they can be their authentic selves without white people's judgment and insecurity suppressing that expression. To reclaim parts of themselves that have been repressed. They can redefine themselves and support one another in embracing who they are (Johnson, 2022)