White Supremacy Ironically, the topic begins with the statement, "Given the way white supremacy structures our lives…" This comment in and of itself is incorrect in my opinion. It is indicative of how others view the white race and implies that whites are indeed superior. It is my belief that whites have no supremacy whatsoever within our nation or abroad. However, we only allow them to have supremacy through our own actions, beliefs and lack of desire. The white race is no more superior to the Asian race than the African-American race is to the Hispanic race. The only factors that contribute to this disparity are education, leadership and mindset. When all three are utilized properly, the word "White Supremacy" only becomes an after thought in the minds of those who actively pursue the above mentioned strategies. Throughout the course of this document, I intend to reveal that supremacy is only a concept derived in individuals who simply don't want to work for the potential benefits they could possible receive. Instead, these individuals blame others or, in another term, "White Supremacy" for their misfortune as oppose to utilizing that misfortune as an opportunity. With that being said I do acknowledge a huge racial disparity prevailing within the United States. Annually, new facts and figures consistently present evidence that supports such theory. However, I believe part of the disparity can be mitigated through the three pillars of education, leadership, and mindset. Through the effective use of these three pillars, the disparity attribute to "White Supremacy" will be significantly diminished.

First, I believe a discussion on the concept of "White Supremacy" is warranted with the context of this paper. According to encyclopedia Britannica white supremacy is defined as, "beliefs and ideas asserting the natural superiority of the lighter-skinned, or "white," human races over other racial groups. In contemporary usage, the term white supremacist has been used to describe some groups espousing ultranationalist, racist, or fascist doctrines. White supremacist groups often have relied on violence to achieve their goals (Jenkins 1)" I believe that every race, to a certain extend displays some of these characteristics. For example, American's believe that America is the best country in the world. In fact, many Americans believe we are superior to other nations in regards to education, quality of life, and religious tolerance and so forth. However, any nation can make such a claim and support them with various facts. For example, Japanese may believe they are the best nation and display statistics on electronic and manufacturing innovation. In both instances both nations would be correct in their assumptions of supremacy. Supremacy or the definition of supremacy rather, is inherent in every corner of the globe. I believe it is natural phenomenon to have pride in oneself, place or origin, or abilities. In fact, it is this pride that accelerates globalization, innovation, and an overall better quality of life for all stakeholders involved. Nations and often times, individual races, believe they are superior in some form or another. In an effort to prove this superiority, competition between nations develop, and ultimately the entire world realizes the benefit. For example, Henry Ford first developed the assembly line in America. At the time, it was believed that America was the industrial capital of the world and was superior to all other competitors. The Japanese, however believing they can produce better cars, created innovations that would ultimately hurt American auto manufactures. The Japanese modified the initial concept of the assembly line to created more efficient, safer, and better quality cars. Consumers began purchasing foreign cars as oppose to domestically produced cars which were though to be inferior. Due to Japanese innovation, American car manufactures were forced to reconsider their own production and quality standards to better compete with their foreign counterparts. As a result the overall auto industry, across the entire spectrum has dramatically improved through the innovations of both countries. The world now has the benefit of safer, more environmentally friendly, and better quality cars then it once had.

This illustration can be directly applied to racial disparity with particular emphasis on education. We currently live in the information era. In the past whites would maintain their supremacy by simply being more educated then their foreign counterparts. They would purposefully withhold information that could potentially lead to more competition in regards to education. For example, during slavery periods, African-Americans were not allowed...

Consequently, if African-Americans were found to be reading or learning how to write, they would be punished with death. White Americans are losing this competitive advantage now in the information age and the world, once again, is the beneficiary. The same information that whites have can now be accessed by all races across the globe. As of 2010 the United States has over 239.9 million internet users, which accounts for a 77.3% penetration rate (Internet use, 1). As per the assembly line illustration mentioned earlier, this innovation is causing global competition and lessening the disparity of so called "white supremacy." For example, internet use in absolute terms is highest in china and emerging market nations. Figure 1 below is a chart depicting internet use among various countries. Notice that many of the emerging countries of the BRIC nations are among the top nations. In the next decade or so there will be no such thing as so called "White Supremacy." The only way they will be supreme is if nations allow them to. There is no excuse as to why African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and other nationalities within America to use the tools give them to create a brighter future. The internet as on now is similar to the assembly line back in Henry Ford's era, now it is up to other nationalities to cultivate it to create a benefit for the world, thus decreasing racial disparity. Education is key and without it, racial disparity will continue to be prevalent within the United States. I believe an honest effort on the part of Americans to cultivate a culture of education is paramount to diminishing racial disparity. For example only 47% of African-American males graduated from high school during the 2007-2008 school years (Sandra 1). In addition, African-Americans comprise about half of all prison inmates when they are only 13% of the U.S. population (Prison Population, 1). In order to become more marketable in a global economy, and decrease racial disparity we must first develop a strong foundation of education. This is why the principle of education is so important. As mentioned earlier, there is no shortage of talented African-Americans or any ethnic group for that matter. However, there is indeed a shortage in a profound emphasis on education. Instead, most of our youth focus on entertainment related endeavors such as singing, acting, and dancing without any time allocated towards education. Once these efforts to become successful don't manifest themselves, these individuals either resort to crime or dropout of school altogether. I'm not in opposition of becoming an actor or entertainer. In fact I applaud these efforts. However, too many African-Americans aspire to become models when the odds of doing so are very slim. In contrast, not enough African-Americans aspire to become educated, which, through hard work, has a 100% success rate. To become more marketable in a global environment all races should aspire not only to become great entertainers, but also great educators. This ultimately, will allow all ethnic groups to decrease racial disparity, while also allowing them to be productive members of society. By having less Hispanics and African-Americans in jail, more tax revenue is generated to fund social programs to educate more ethnic groups. By having positive role models who are not in jail, but are successful members of society, these educational programs will also become more effective.
Leadership is yet another skill that contributed to racial disparity. Leadership in ethnic communities is significantly faltering. Currently, there are only 6 African-American CEO's of Fortune 500 companies (Black CEO, 1). Even worse, only recently was the first African-American female appointed to the CEO position in Ms. Ursula M. Burns (Xerox, 1). Again this problem can be mitigated through proper training and education. It is often argued that leaders are born, not made. However, I disagree and believe in the contrary, leaders can indeed be made. The problem is confidence and initiative. I believe many racial groups may lack the confidence to lead in a business setting which is a direct consequence of improper education. How is it that we constantly see leadership displayed by African-Americans on the football field or the basketball court, but never in the board room? Is it a lack of inherent skill or ability? No, I believe it's a lack of confidence. Many African-Americans are accustomed to only viewing themselves as entertainers but rarely as professionals. As a result, ethnic groups become confident in their ability to entertain but not in their ability to lead. Why, I believe their simple are not enough ethnic leaders in a professional setting. Again, all ethnic groups…