Prejudice And Discrimination In To Kill A Mockingbird

Since the first time race was applied to humans in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, there has been a common pattern that sees people not having a western European background as different (Steckley, 2014). Steckley (2014) defines discrimination as the action of treating individuals differently because of their race. Stereotypes are overstated generalized descriptions made about a race or group (Steckley, 2014). Prejudice and stereotypes are closely related in the sense that prejudice involves having a pre-judge perception about a race (Steckley, 2014). Racism on the other hand is formed when a certain group creates a stereotype about a race, which leads to the construction of prejudice regarding that race, and inevitably discrimination towards the race (Steckley, 2014). Racism is institutionalized when racism becomes ingrained into the system, in terms of laws and practices (Steckley, 2014).
However, I have come to the understanding that being part of a subordinate culture specifically an African one, I have had to deal with a great deal of prejudice and discrimination based on my skin color. Most of my knowledge of my race has come through the focus of black history during the month of February. I remember watching a movie called To Kill a Mockingbird in high school, this movie sheds some light on the position and struggles blacks have had and still face in society, with respects to discrimination. Growing up, my parents were not very vocal about the topic of race in general, noting that, I was always told by my parents and in church, not to use hateful speech, and to treat everyone equally, as we all belong to one human