The transition of integrated races is a topic that raises many issues in today’s society as well as centuries ago. Race is typically defined by ones’ ethnic background while discrimination is typically defined by age, skin color, educational and religious backgrounds as well as political, wealth and society interactions. I’d like to discuss predominately the Italian American Immigrants and how their transition from Europe to America has steadily increased within the modern day world. Prior to the twentieth century, Italian Americans were considered “inferior races by native-born Anglo-Protestant Americans.”

Fifty years after the early decades of the nineteenth century, Italian immigration began to increase rapidly. Once the Italian government had unified Rome as the nation’s capital, the Italian immigration would turn into one of the greatest migrations ever to take place within world history.

The vast majority of Italians were settling on the lower tip of Manhattan where they together formed comfort with familiarity and for security from the animosity given by the natives. By the early 1930s, a population of about 4.5 million immigrants have migrated to the United States where their ideas of a brighter future that would primarily consist of cheap labor. The Italian immigrants began settling in areas such as Mulberry, Second Avenue and the Bowery. In these places, also known as the “slums” were compacted so tightly of Italians due to abuse given by employers. “The Italians were brought into the district by contract labor agents who paid for their passage.” Most likely, these Italians would be doing heavy construction jobs, such as building railroads, digging tunnels and building the first skyscrapers. During these times, these contract labors would compact the basements to their businesses with Italians because they were in such need of food and shelter and overcharging that they would compensate and accept the abuse in exchange for the required needs in order to survive. Once these dwellings were overflowing, the Italians eventually began to leave the slums and searched for work and residences elsewhere, such as Greenwich Village and Northern New Jersey. Women were also a part of the new working world for Italian Immigrants. They were held accountable for bringing home an income just as much as the men, if not more; for they were the ones who had to keep domesticated and maintain households and care for children and elders. Italian women began to bring work home, such as repairing clothes, cooking and looking over other family’s children. They formed a close-knit network in order to keep a strong family unit within the Italian community. A phrase began to leak out stating “There are more Italians in New York City alone than in Rome, Milan, or Naples.”

Adults as well as Italian children remained only involved in non-American relationships. Schooling for Italian immigrant children were focused on to Americanize through the English Language. Involving the children in daily patriotic flag drills, assemblies with patriotic themes dedicated to patriotic ideas and speeches held by children on Holidays such as Washington’s Birthday was a way to make these children learn English as quickly as possible. The families at home keeping within their heritage had difficulty being accustomed to American culture; and although it was difficult for parents and grandparents, etc; the children attending schools learned English quickly for they could identify within the comfort level given and supported to them by relatives. The immigrants tried to grasp the English language from the their children that were learning through their schooling but it would only go as far as a broken dialect.

The identity and character changes that were taking place were being more noticeable when the relationships between the Native Americans and Italian immigrants were encountered that the Italian were overly eager to become Americanized. Many started changing their names, changing religions and moved into non-ethnic neighborhoods. Some parents even went to the extreme of forbidding their children to learn Italian.

Religion was a serious demand amongst Italian Americans. Sunday mass was mandatory and afterwards many would get photographs taken in their finest attire to commemorate their religious dedication to Catholicism. While every nationality had their own churches, every Sunday they were all filled. Every family contributed whatever they could afford that Sunday; whether it be 5 cents opposed to 5 dollars because support by attending families in Italian communities gave you pride and respect by others. Even though these Italian communities had their own churches, there were a number of Irish and Protestant priests leading these masses.

Due to the rise of status within the Italian American population, they were brought into the mainstream of American politics. The first Italian American to ever become involved in a political position was a man named Vito Marcantonio who was from East Harlem. He was elected into congress in 1934 and in defense of immigrants and abolishing poll tax, he soon realized that arguing for unpopular causes was in opposition towards the Democratic Party and therefore ran on the Republican ticket. Because Vito Marcantonio’s political career was rooted in Italian American radical tradition and Catholicism, the Italian American communities would therefore call themselves “Republicans.”

As the progression of Italian American culture dominated most of New York, Boston, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Detroit the acceptance of the first generation Italians became more transitional and acceptable towards the Native Americans. Their offspring could only strive to become what America wanted them to be. World War II Americanized the entire second generation because more than 5% of the Italians had served in the war to support the Americas Along with the Americanization of the second generation came a great pride and interest in entertainment and music changing the way media was surfacing. Their highly motivated interest in entertainment and music would bring many famous and celebrated entertainers of the twentieth century who would change the face of “personality” and media. Within the late 19th century into the early 20th century, the Italian Immigration that took place from Italy into the Americas would be classified and noted as one of the greatest migrations to take place within world history.

“I have broken many social norms. I have not regretted the things that I have done. I have enjoyed being contradictory.”¹ These are the words of Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo as compiled from interviews done in 1949 and 1950 by Frida’s longtime friend, Olga Campos. These words seem to mirror both Frida’s political beliefs as well as her artistic stance. Throughout her career, Frida Kahlo pushed the boundaries of what was expected from a traditional Latin American female artist. Frida led a life full of emotional and physical pain. From an early diagnosis of polio, to a life altering bus accident, to a marriage riddled with infidelities, Frida’s often-difficult life was the inspiration for her art. Her exploration of herself and the world she lived in broke social norms, artistically, and politically, causing both outrage and awe from those who viewed her paintings. However, throughout her life, Frida’s most interesting and prolific subject seems to be herself.

Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907 in the town of Coyoacan on the outskirts of Mexico City, the fourth of five children. Frida was born after the death of the only son in her family. After her birth, Frida’s mother fell into a deep depression and handed over the care and nurturing of Frida to a nanny. The nanny, however, was drinking while breastfeeding Frida and offered little nurturing or care.² Some have theorized that this early lack of bonding led Frida to lack a sense of self as an adult. Without the care and direction of a caring adult figure, Frida had to create her own identity; she needed to find her own place in the family and the society in which she lived. This shifting idea of identity can be seen in many of Frida’s paintings. Frida painted over 55 self-portraits, none of which depicted the same “self.” In fact, within a single painting, Frida often presents many versions of herself, as evidenced in “Self Portrait Drawing.” In this sketch Frida at first appears to be rendering a basic sketch of her mirrored reflection. However, there is more than one Frida image portrayed in this sketch. The artist appears to be viewing herself from afar, drawing what she sees, and then drawing what the secondary Frida can see. Five arms grow from her head, arranging her hair, holding a sketchbook, supporting her face. The effect is to create a disconnection between the artist and her depiction of herself. The Frida we see in the sketch seems to be still deciding which version of herself she wants to portray.

In 1925, Frida experienced the first of what she called “the two accidents from which I never recovered.³ On September 17, 1925 Frida was on a bus that collided with an oncoming streetcar. The impact of the crash and the resulting fire left Frida naked, impaled by an iron guardrail that had entered at her left hip and exited at her vagina. In addition, the gold dust carried by another passenger on the bus had exploded and covered Kahlo’s naked, impaled body. Her spine had been broken in three places, her right foot had been crushed, and her right leg and collarbone were fractured. Kahlo spent three months in the hospital and suffered chronic pain for the remainder of her life, as she was forced to wear a rigid series of corsets to support her spine and suffer through many operations to repair her damaged foot. It was during this recovery period, that Frida was given a set of paints by her father and began to paint.⁴ Because of these life-altering experiences, Frida developed a critical and perceptive style. She had little tolerance for affectation or pretension.

One year after the accident Frida produced her first painting, a portrait dedicated to her boyfriend at the time, Alejandro Gomez Arias, leader of the Cachuchas.⁵ In 1925, Frida began an apprenticeship with Fernando Fernandez, a commercial engraver. During this time, Frida was to copy the female nudes and portraits of Swedish artist, Anders Zorn. While she showed talent in this area, Frida’s style tended to a more expressive and original style. She began to experiment with Modernist forms in “Pancho Villa and Adelita,” in 1927. In the early thirties, Frida made a break with her stylistic past in a portrait of horticulturist Luther Burbank. During this time, we began to see the major elements of Frida’s characteristic style, a type of symbolic illusionism.⁶

As Kahlo reevaluated her artistic stance, she also became more active in politics. A year after she painted her first portrait, she joined the Young Communist League. This political stance seems to have been brought about by two main causes. First, the leaders of the Mexican Communist Party were also the leading artists of the time. Siqueiros, Orozco, Guerrero and Frida’s future husband, Diego Rivera were all members of this party. Under the cover of a public arts program, these artists pushed forward the idea of a socially meaningful art.⁷ Though Kahlo never demonstrated any real style of social realism in her work, she seemed to feel her own political consciousness and ideas about the society in which she lived could be most effective through inclusion in this movement. Secondly, the Community party was a place where Frida could find several other female artists whose independence and self-direction was more accepted than in traditional Latin American artistic circles. Modotti and Kollontai were both supporters of women’s emancipation and peace in Mexico while maintaining their individual artistic styles.⁸ Perhaps in joining the Communist party, Frida was not only taking a political stance, but also positioning herself as an artist to be taken seriously, regardless of her gender. She was continuing her defiance of accepted practices and conventions, particularly the role of women in both the artistic and greater world.

In 1929, Kahlo, was involved in the second of what she called “the two accidents from which I never recovered” when she married fellow communist and artist Diego Rivera, who was 21 years her senior. Their marriage portrait depicts Rivera as a dominating figure, towering over Kahlo while grasping a palette and brushes.⁹ Soon after their marriage, Rivera and Kahlo spent three years in the United States, where Kahlo began to more deeply explore her own artistic sensibilities. While Rivera worked on commissions, Frida spent time visiting museums and meeting female artists, the likes of which included photographer Imogen Cunningham, Georgia O’Keefe and Lucienne Bloch. It was at the San Francisco Women Artists Sixth Annual Exhibition in 1931 that Frida’s work was first seen in public. While Frida’s art was gaining recognition in small circles, Rivera suffered many setbacks, including the destruction of his Rockefeller Center mural, and after three years in the states, the Rivera’s returned to Mexico.¹⁰

The return to Mexico along with Rivera’s depression led to a strain in Frida’s marriage. This was not a productive time in Frida’s career, and Frida and Diego began to keep separate residences. During this time, Kahlo demonstrated her lack of convention regarding sexual practices, by engaging in numerous affairs, with both women and men. Kahlo’s sexual relationships with women have been seen as yet another form of resistance; a defiance of accepted sexual and gender roles. Kahlo’s “Two Nudes in the Jungle” is sometimes seen as an affirmation of Kahlo’s relationships with women in that it depicts a seemingly intimate relationship between two nude women, either of which could be seen as Kahlo herself.

Kahlo’s affairs also included Russian leader, Leon Trotsky. While her affair with Trotsky did not last beyond his trial in Mexico, the political upheaval of Mexico at the time seems to have pushed Frida towards a more productive period. In fact, in 1937 alone, Frida completed 15 paintings and was included in a group exhibition in The Galeria de Arte, part of the National Autonomous University of Mexico.¹¹ It was at this exhibition that Andre Breton first saw Kahlo’s work and requested an exhibition in New York and Paris.

Though Frida did not agree with Breton’s “academic and theoretical” ideas concerning art, it is his initial interest in her work that led to Frida’s international establishment as an artist. Throughout the 1940s, Kahlo received numerous awards and honors as well as commissions. The Mexican government began to see Frida as a resource and asked her to become a founding member of the Seminario de Cultural Mexicana. In this position, she was responsible for spreading Mexican culture by lectures, exhibitions and articles. In addition, Frida was awarded the National Prize of Arts and Sciences. Outside of Mexico, Kahlo’s art was being shown in London, Paris, New York and Stockholm.¹²

As her international success grew, Kahlo’s marriage ended with a divorce from Rivera in 1939. However, in 1940 Rivera and Kahlo remarried. Though their second marriage seemed to be propelled by the political needs of their country, the love affair between Rivera and Kahlo has become something of a legend. Their arguments, separations, love and hate have crept into the understanding of Frida as an artist and a woman. It can be argued that what bound Kahlo and Rivera, more than their love, was their art; their most deep connections, their deepest communication seems to have occurred on an artistic level. While Frida never adopted Diego’s artistic style nor did Rivera ever master Frida’s ability to express emotion in painting, they complemented one another and seemed to have grown as artists by having known each other. In fact, Frida wrote of Digeo, “..at every moment he’s my child, my child born every little while, every day, from my own self.”¹³

In 1946, Frida traveled back to the United States to have surgery to fuse five of her vertebrae. After this surgery, Frida began to rely heavily on morphine and alcohol to lessen the extreme pain. In addition, she was often unable to leave her bed.¹⁴ A well-known painting from this time period is The Little Deer, in which Frida’s head is on the body of a deer that has been pierced by numerous arrows. The message seems to be that of severe emotional hurt and physical pain. A year later, in 1947, Frida painted Self-Portrait With Loose Hair. On first look, this painting may seem similar to any of Frida’s earlier portraits, however upon closer inspection, the Frida in this painting seems much older; her eyes are tired and her face is wrinkled and worn. As Frida grew older, her art seemed to focus more and more on her physical suffering. She dwelt on the pain she felt, charting the assaults on her body throughout her life. Even as her physical ability to paint lessened, Frida continued to keep a diary in which she drew more subtle self-portraits than were ever seen before. These portraits show a Kahlo that has lost much of her physical dexterity and motor control, but continues to focus on revealing her fears, passions and failings.¹⁵

In the last years of her life, Frida was forced to have her right leg amputated due to gangrene. She now rarely left her house and was even more dependent on painkillers. On July 2, 1954 Frida attended a protest against American involvement in Guatemala, her wheelchair pushed by Diego Rivera. On July 13, Frida died at home of a pulmonary embolism.¹⁶ However, Frida’s dramatics did not end on the day of her death. During her cremation, a blast of heat was released, forcing Frida’s body into a sitting position and lighting her hair ablaze.¹⁷ For the mourners present at this moment, it must have seemed like a final rage against convention, even in death.

Kahlo’s portraits contain meaning on many levels. While Kahlo often painted herself, these paintings were never truly only about Frida. Instead, these portraits often include references to the political situation in her homeland, the severe physical suffering Frida endured throughout her life, as well as a commentary on the social and sexual roles assigned to women and working people during this time. She mixed symbols from both her personal and political life to show relationships and convey her point of view. A notable example of this can be seen in Kahlo’s The Two Fridas.

The Two Fridas, completed in 1939, is a 68” by 68” oil on canvas painting that depicts two different images of Frida Kahlo sitting side by side. This painting can be seen as a political illustration of varying self-images. Against a cloudy sky, Frida positions two versions of herself that cannot possibly be in the same space. She seated the two Frida’s on a rustic bench in a non-descript space. This painting could be of any woman, from any country. In this way, Kahlo is making the transition from mere viewing to interaction easier for those viewing the painting.

The figures share a circulatory system, connected by two separate hearts. Rivera referred to this style as “occult materialism.” This implies a mystic and physical connection between the two Frida’s. There is a symbolic physical connection between these women. In addition, one of the images is holding a small emblem of Rivera, associated with the monjas coronadas.¹⁸ In this way, Frida is perhaps representing one of her selves as a devotee and lover of Rivera; someone who views Rivera as something apart from the earthly world. This idea of Rivera as something ‘other’ and of a higher plane can be seen throughout Frida’s art as well as in her writing on the subject. In addition, it is important to note that only one Frida is holding the picture of Rivera. In fact, during an interview done at the time the painting was shown, Frida commented that, “one was the self that Diego once loved, and the other the one he no longer loved.”¹⁹ By only one woman holding the emblem, Frida is commenting not only on her deep love for Diego, but also his inability to love all sides of her.

Kahlo separates the two Frida’s by generation. The women are dressed in differing clothing based on differing generations. The Frida on the left is dressed as a Victorian woman, while on the right she wears a traditional Mexican Tehuana skirt and blouse. In this way, Frida is separating her two selves into a woman defined via Victorian customs and the traditional Mexican woman. She is perhaps commenting on the inability of these two women to exist within the same person, without suffering some sort of disconnection of self. The women’s costumes shift their meanings in the cultural realm. Kahlo is expressing images of herself in this painting, but also creating alternate versions of herself. In this painting, she is both the European and the Mexican traditional woman. In both the Victorian and Mexican dress, Frida is expressing her lack of control in relation to patriarchal powers and is creating her own image by melding these two. These women exist together but separately, much like Frida herself.

The Two Fridas is an example of the arts’ ability to help us see beneath the surface. Kahlo’s visual narrative conveys the emotional pain and isolation of two conflicting identities: one representing her Mexican heritage and the other her European heritage. The Two Fridas vividly expresses the physical and emotional suffering of a crippling disability and also touches on Kahlo’s failed marriage to Diego Rivera. The ideas presented in this painting, are like most of Frida’s work, commenting on both her personal truths and what she sees as the greater truth of the world. Although this work is essentially autobiographical, The Two Fridas allows a glimpse into the nature of our own conflicted and fragmented selves.

Kahlo further explores the idea of self in Self Portrait with Cropped Hair. In this painting, the Frida image is seated in a chair surrounded by the remnant of her sheared hair. She has a short, masculine haircut and is wearing a man’s suit. In Self Portrait with Cropped Hair, Frida is more directly commenting on the idea of women in society. There are no social icons of the feminine in this portrait. In fact, it is the coils of her sheared hair that seem to symbolize a new found freedom for Kahlo. It is the riding oneself of a feminine ideal (long hair) that ultimately leads Kahlo to be grounded and strong. The idea is further solidified by the lyrics of a popular song painted above the image of Frida: “Look, if I loved you it was for your hair. Now that you’re bald, I no longer care.”²⁰

Kahlo is defying what at the time was both socially and legally punishable. She is holding scissors, instead of the typical female fan held in many portraits. Also, she has a masculine haircut and is wearing an oversized man’s suit. In this way, Frida is openly defying the social conventions of the time; she is refusing to acquiesce to the idea of what a woman must look and/or act like. She is questioning the prevailing idea of women at the time. In seeing this painting, the viewer is forced to rearrange his expectations of the female. Perhaps most importantly, Frida is staring directly at the viewer. In this way, Frida is almost daring the viewer to look deeper, to rearrange the ideas he or she came to the painting with.

Citations:
¹Grimberg 2008, 92  ²Tibol 1983, 11 ³Hardin 1997, 35 ⁴Hardin 1997, 37  ⁵Lowe 1991, 25 ^|6Lowe 1991, 30 ⁷Lowe 1991, 20 ⁸Lowe 1991, 22 ⁹Cork 2005, 44 ¹⁰Hardin 1997, 43 ¹¹Lowe 1991, 24 ¹²Lowe 1991, 25 ¹³Tibol 1983, 27 ¹⁴Hardin 1997, 105 ¹⁵Lowe 1991, 30 ¹⁶Hardin 1997, 108 ¹⁷Hardin 1997, 108 ¹⁸Lowe 1991, 59 ¹⁹Lowe 1991, 59 ²⁰Lowe 1991, 61

Bibliography:
Grimberg, Saloman. Frida Kahlo: Song of Herself. New York: Merrell, 2008
Lowe, Sarah M. Frida Kahlo. New York: Universe Publishing, 1991.
Hardin, Terri. Frida Kahlo: A Modern Master. New York: Todtri, 1997.
Tibol, Raquel. Frida Kahlo: An Open Life. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1983.
Cork, Richard. 2005. See My Pain. New Statesman (London, England: 1996) v. 134. 44)

Siddhartha Gotama was born a prince and lived a lavish life in his father’s palace. His father kept him from leaving so that he couldn’t experience what the world was really like outside the palace walls. It wasn’t until Siddhartha finally left his home, that he learned what the world was truly like.

Siddhartha and his charioteer’s first encounter was a sick man. Siddhartha asked if it were possible for him to get sick as well. The charioteer replied, “yes.” Further down the road they encountered a man that was near death. Again, Siddhartha asked if they too would one day be near death and the reply was “yes.” They pushed on and encountered a dead man being carried away. The prince learned that he too would one day die. As they traveled back to the palace, they met a monk. The prince decided at that moment that he wanted to follow the monk’s lifestyle of wandering and contemplation. His path was now clear that he had to find an end to human suffering.

Siddhartha didn’t like society and the caste system. It wasn’t fair to him that some people didn’t have the same rights as others. After confronting his father about leaving the palace forever, he was granted permission. He would not return until he became a Buddha and gave away all of his possessions upon leaving. He wandered in search of the remedy for suffering, rebirth and death. One place that he liked to meditate was vulture peak. It was isolated enough for privacy but close enough to the city to be able to go and ask for food.

Siddhartha now had gained followers and studied with numerous masters, but none of these masters satisfied him. He eventually abandoned all religions. He began to only eat when food presented itself to him such as a falling leaf. He fasted and meditated for six years until he became too weak to continue this way. Upon meeting a woman who told him he would never make it this way, he decided to accept the middle and refused extreme lifestyles.

There was a period of five nights where Siddhartha gained the five truths. He was at the base of a bodhi tree when he achieved purity, freedom and nirvana. He had become the Buddha, the enlightened one. He then dedicated his life to showing others how to achieve what he had achieved.

Spice Gold is the most effective and popular herbal smoking blend, made from quality organic ethnobotanicals. It has recently been made available in USA and is sold by just a handful of distributors. For years, it has been gaining popularity in the UK and has sold by the millions. It’s an incredible mood enhancer that provides up to five hours of stimulation. The ethnobotanicals found in Spice have been used by ancient cultures for hundreds of years. The ingredients are: Blue Lotus, Baybean, Lion’s Tail, Lousewort, Dwarf Scullcap, Indian Warrior, Maconha Brava, Pink Lotus, Marshmallow, Rose, Red Clover, Siberian Motherwort, Vanilla, and Honey.

Spice Products (including PEP Spice, Spice Silver, Spice Gold and Spice Diamond) are shipped in resealable packages to ensure freshness. They don’t contain any chemicals or nicotine. For the strongest blend, try new Spice Diamond

The manufactures of Spice have recently come out with some new blends: Spice Arctic Synergy and Spice Tropical Synergy. Both are similar to Spice Diamond but are much smoother and enjoyable. Spice Genie is also another recent blend, but isn’t as potent as Diamond, and the Synergy blends.

Where Can I Get It?

Within the past year, Spice has become illegal in most areas but you can find reviews of spice-like products and where to buy at Spice Gold Review.

Reviews

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Christianity is said to have begun around 30AD at the time when Rome had replaced the Jewish King. The apostles had been gathering together to talk about their dark futures under Roman rule. Fifty days after Jesus’ death, tongues of fire appeared over the heads of the apostles and they began speaking in different languages. The Holy Spirit had filled their hearts and minds. This confirmed their belief that Jesus was the savior of Israel and each knew they needed to carry on his message.

Simon Peter began gathering new followers, which eventually grew into a community. These followers sold their possessions and gave to those in need. As the community grew, trips were organized to spread Jesus’ message to further lands. James, the brother of Jesus, supposedly headed the religion. He is considered the first true Bishop of the Christian Church and the leader of the Jesus movement.

This movement began moving away from traditional Judaism. Different beliefs and practices such as eating food with blood in it were prohibited for Orthodox Jews. Stephen, a teacher of the Jesus movement was arrested for blasphemy when he told the Jews they were responsible for Jesus’ death. He became the first Christian Martyr. At the same time, Saul considered himself a true Christian enemy. In time, he heard the voice of God and totally converted to Christianity. He became one of the major influences in the growth of the religion. He took the message all over the world, changing it slightly to meet the needs of each new community.

This new religion made its way back to Rome and grew even more. The Roman society became aware of it and prosecuted many of the Christians. People were burned alive, crucified and beheaded. It was one of the darkest periods of Christian History. All of the Christian leaders were killed and the Jewish temple was destroyed. People began to move underground and carry on their practices in catacombs. This is where the first Christian Churches were built. Since other groups lived in the catacombs as well, Roman traditions slowly seeped into Christianity.

Around 200AD, there were many offshoots of Christianity, but one thing remained the same throughout all of them: the Eucharist. Ignatius wanted to group all of the churches into one large one. They resembled it after the Roman church. This new church was the centralized Christian church, which was now accepted in Rome.

Hinduism is possibly the oldest religion known in the modern world. It is believed that inspired sages heard the Vedas (words of truth and knowledge) directly from gods in ancient times. It is considered to be sacred when these Vedas are recited. Hinduism has changed a great deal since these times because most of the ideas of modern Hindus are never mentioned in the Vedic texts.

After the Vedic age, Hindus practiced meditations and developed beliefs in reincarnation. These practices developed out of revolts against the caste system. People needed to find another way to practice their religion after being banned from rituals because of their status. Karma became a major belief in Hindu life, as well as the belief in one God, Brahman, with many reflections, such as Vishnu and Shiva. There are so many different beliefs and customs within the Hindu religion and everyone seems to adopt their own approach. Some Hindus believe that they must work towards enlightenment throughout their entire lives, while some follow a four-stage progression in their lives. These people believe that different forms of behavior are pertinent to these different stages in their lives. Some study astrology and consult horoscopes when arranging marriages. Others bathe in the Ganges River every morning to remove their sins. There is no particular day of worship but there are many days throughout the year to honor different deities.The world “Hindu” was actually created by the British to differentiate the Hindus from the Muslims when they entered India in the 18th century. The British restricted Hindu speech and created struggles between the Muslims and the Hindus. This caused years of violence. Mahatma Gandhi taught Hindus how to seek truth to attain salvation and enlightenment and forged an alliance in 1919 to promote anti-violence. He wasn’t a practitioner of traditional rituals because he studied all religions and took certain ideas from each to incorporate into his own. After Muslims and Hindus were divided into Pakistan and India after World War II, Gandhi fought to reunite them once again.

Racial discrimination has been a complicated issue throughout history. It has been hard to provide evidence of its existence, which is necessary in order to inform people on how they can prevent it. Through a lot of research, investigation and survey results, racial discrimination has been proven to influence many aspects of our society. These aspects include the justice system, the job market, housing and mass media.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission has stated that race has no affect on the sentence of a crime, but when examining facts, one would think otherwise. Minorities are arrested at a much greater rate for drug-related cases than non-minorities, who actually make up a larger percentage of drug-users. Throughout recent years, about 75 percent of all illicit drug users have been white and only about 15 percent black. African Americans make up for about 35 percent of all drug arrests and 75 percent of all sentences for drug offenses. In 1991, white and black youths were involved in roughly the same amount of drug-related cases but the black youth were detained for drug violations at almost twice the rate as whites. Four times as many black juvenile drug cases were transferred to criminal courts for adult prosecution as white cases.

Specific drug sentences also reveal that racial discrimination is still present. Before the 1960s, most marijuana offenders were minorities who could face up to 5 years in prison for possession. The white majority didn’t care when people in the ghetto got locked up. The sentencing for marijuana use has significantly decreased ever since its use spread to the middle and upper white classes. The police began to leave casual users alone and focused on targeting the dealers. The sentencing for cocaine and crack cocaine differ greatly. Someone selling 5 grams of crack receives the same prison sentence of someone selling 500 grams of powdered cocaine. The only difference is that the powdered cocaine is cooked with baking soda to make crack. The manufacturers of cocaine deal with powder and the small-time resellers deal in crack. You would think that the manufacturers or a dealer who is higher up on the ladder would receive the longer sentence, but it’s the exact opposite. About 90% of crack cocaine defendants are black and a study found that in seventeen states, not one white person had been prosecuted on federal crack cocaine charges. Whites only make up 4-5 percent of all crack users. If it’s essentially the same drug, why are mainly African Americans being sentenced so harshly? These questions have come up in the courts, but they see no reason for modifying the laws.

The poor are more likely to go to prison than the wealthy, even though it’s white-collar crime that is more costly and widespread than street crime. Crimes such as embezzlement, fraud, forgery and bribery are more easily available for the upper class to commit. Street crimes are usually committed by the lower class, consisting of many minorities. Even though these white-collar crimes cost people over a thousand times more than street crimes, they are often suspended and dealt with lightly. The fact that the lower class can’t afford proper defense has been an issue, but evidence from GAO testing concludes that the race of a victim influences all stages of the criminal justice system.

Minorities still face discrimination when applying for jobs and housing. MIT economist Marianne Bertrand answered more than 1,300 help wanted ads in Boston and Chicago. She created resumes with equal qualifications, with white sounding names and black sounding names. The white applicants were called back 50 percent more than the black applicants. From experience, I know that many realtors in South Philadelphia will wait in their cars until a potential renter comes to tour the apartment. If the potential renter is African American or Hispanic, the realtor will drive off and wait to show the apartment to a white renter. This way, the realtors and landlords can’t be charged with discrimination.

Racial discrimination is also present on the news. In the Dixon & Linz study, it was shown that whites are overrepresented as homicide victims compared to actual statistics. Blacks and Latinos are then underrepresented as victims. In many areas, the majority of coverage on African Americans and Hispanics is negative. In the event the numbers are correct, many news stations fail to broadcast details or the context in which the crimes were committed, which can lead to wrongful assumptions. Since most people believe the news is a very accurate representation of the real world, it is possible that these broadcasts have created negative feelings towards minority groups who are continually misrepresented.

As we can see, racial discrimination is still present in many aspects of our society. Minorities are given harsher and longer sentences for the same crimes committed by whites. More minorities are found guilty of drug possession even when the numbers say that whites account for the majority of drug use. Minorities are also less likely to get jobs even though they have the same skills as white people. Some people also believe that there is still racial discrimination in the education system but true evidence is hard to provide. In this day and age, and especially in this country, discrimination should not be tolerated. Since it does exist, we must acknowledge it and begin to eliminate it.