The contemporary times we live in are defined by many advancements in human civilization. However, racism and racial profiling remain to be problematic matters. The Jim Crow era is long gone, but racial discrimination is a reality that continues eliciting numerous debates and uproar from the public.
Many advocate groups have fought against racial discrimination in today's society as systemic prejudice still exists. For instance, The Black Lives Matter civil rights movement has been involved in advocacy and has become more prominent in recent times following the escalation of police brutality.
Their concern is driven by how skin color is used to automatically consider an individual a criminal. African Americans are the most affected group, although other racial minorities have had negative experiences with the criminal justice system.
George Floyd's case led to numerous protests nationally and internationally, but it is not an isolated case. Many victims have died because of their skin color, and the matter remains unresolved.
Some folks perceive the matter as people of color overreacting to ordinary social vices while others perceive the problem as requiring intervention.
Understandably, you might find writing a racial profiling essay challenging for various reasons given that the civil rights topic is controversial, and most people would rather avoid it. That’s why you have this article to help you figure out how to write racial profiling essays.
What Is Racial Profiling?
Before we look at racial profiling essay examples, let’s find out what racial profiling means.
Racial profiling is the hate crime of baselessly suspecting an individual of committing a crime because of their race or ethnicity. Skin color is used as the basis for targeting individuals without evidence.
Unfortunately, racial profiling is a common phenomenon in society, and it causes significant pain to the victims and those related to them.
While you may or may not have experienced racial profiling, it is vital that we speared awareness about the matter. Accordingly, one way of doing so is by writing a racial profiling essay.
You can opt to have the essay written as an argumentative piece or as a persuasive one. Either way, you will need to collect your arsenal of resources to write an excellent racial profiling essay.
So, What Is A Racial Profiling Essay About?
You can have many objectives for writing about the discriminatory practice. Firstly, you can use it as an opportunity to express your views and feelings. For instance, you can write an essay on unjustified and illegal racial profiling and why it should stop. If you are taking a criminal law program, you can further proceed to cite sections of the Constitution prohibiting ethnic profiling in the United States.
Also, you could decide to describe the impact of the issue of racial profiling in society. That would present a robust cause-effect say that will also be enlightening. Another way to look at it is by submitting an analysis of the strides made regarding discrimination on an individual's ethnic background from the moment it was considered illegal upon the abolition of the Jim Crow era rules.
Many options are available on how to go about writing a racial profiling essay. Let's find out!
- Argumentative Racial Profiling Essay
The first step of writing a captivating argumentative essay is investigating the topic. In that respect, if you decide to write the profiling essay using this approach, you must have your facts right. The statements you issue should be backed by evidence.
You are advised to use scholarly evidence because quoting Wikipedia won't cut it. You could use the source to get ideas, but you will need academic sources to present your case. You can start by looking up news stories on racial profiling and then check what researchers are saying by reading scholarly journal articles.
Also, remember that the argumentative profiling essay will need a good thesis statement that will inform the reader of your stand and the central theme for your writeup.
- Persuasive Racial Profiling Essay
Unlike the argumentative essay, a persuasive one entails you convincing the readers about a specific matter. You are telling the audience why your view is correct. Of course, you can’t simply state you’re right because you have witnessed or experienced racial profiling and leave it at that.
You will need to provide evidence to convince your audience. Having those statistics on racial profiling from reliable sources will go a long way to making your essay convincing.
- The Informative Racial Profiling Essay
If either of the two types of essays above is not appealing to you, you can decide to write an informative piece on racial profiling. Here, your goal is to provide details about the topic right from the definition, the prevalence, and efforts by policymakers to address racial profiling.
Essentially, you would be issuing a report on the matter and not taking sides or airing your views. This could be an easier route if you are uncomfortable about being subjective on an already controversial topic.
Racial Profiling Essay Topic Ideas
Now that we know the different options we can take to write a racial profiling essay, how about we explore some topic ideas? Your instructor might ask you to write an essay on racial profiling, but it is up to you to make it interesting. You can achieve that by having a catchy title. Check the list below to see what fits.
- The Impact Of Racial Profiling In The United States
You will have to study how the American citizenry perceives racial profiling. Survey reports by research bodies will be handy. Also, they will give you the statistics you will need to incorporate into the paper to show the magnitude of police brutality and criminal profiling.
- When Skin Color Becomes Fatal
The title presents an opportunity to give your perspective on racial profiling. If you have encountered ethnic profiling before, you could go for writing a self-reflection essay about it. That would be a compelling read too! But you will have to get your instructor's approval on whether you can opt to write a reflective essay.
- Racial Profiling: Are African Americans Overreacting?
As mentioned earlier, African Americans are sometimes told off for overreaction regarding racial profiling. The title offers the avenue for you to explore the possibilities and establish whether the minority is justified for crying foul of the criminal profiling, institutional racism, and the police force being discriminatory.
You need to make solid arguments but remain respectful and objective while at it.
- Accommodating Racial Profiling In The Justice System
You didn't see that one coming, right? You can pick the topic that will most likely throw your reader off balance and compel them to pay attention to what you want to say. You can choose an argumentative approach for this one and explain why racism in the criminal justice system is unacceptable.
You could explore questions like, should the police force legally practice racism when addressing crime in the community? Why is it a violation of civil rights? Should criminal activities be linked to a specific ethnicity?
- Dissecting Racial Profiling
The title is fitting for an informative piece. You can decide to analyze the “why” regarding racial profiling. You can investigate the history of police officers’ interaction with African Americans and elaborate on the factors that cause the issue of racial profiling. You can analyze whether racism in the justice system is justified on account of national security.
The possibilities are endless! You can try coming up with more topic ideas to help you decide on the direction you want your writing to take. Seeking help from professional writers will also be helpful if you get stuck.
Racial Profiling Essay Outline
An excellent example of a racial profiling essay follows the basic essay writing structure. That means that after completing your research on the topic idea you chose, you need to create an essay draft with an outline for the introduction, body, and conclusion.
The three components will help you organize your essay. You should consider aiming for at least four body paragraphs to ensure your essay is comprehensive.
Writing The Introduction
It is crucial to begin your profiling essay with a hook. A hook is a statement that can grab readers' attention and make them want to read the paper.
For instance, you could start with a sentence capturing statistics about racism or discrimination that threatens black lives. You can also give a brief anecdote on a real-life scenario of racial profiling.
Once you have your hook and a few more sentences in your introduction, you conclude by issuing a thesis statement. That will be the last sentence in your introductory paragraph, and it will form the basis of your paper. It captures your opinion and the position you are taking on racial profiling.
An Example Of A Thesis Statement
The government should be more involved in adequately and effectively addressing police brutality and racism in the justice system.
Writing The Body Paragraphs
The body of your essay will entail your main points. Every main point is supposed to be expressed in an individual paragraph. The section offers an opportunity for you to discuss your facts and elaborate on the racial profiling challenge. Therefore, your goal should be to relay information clearly.
Also, proper citation of the information is necessary. You will consult many sources when researching racial profiling, and it is not only prudent but necessary for you to acknowledge the sources lest your work is flagged for plagiarism. Blend and integrate your references to create an authoritative analysis or argument.
Every paragraph must have a topic sentence. That is the sentence that states the main idea for that particular paragraph. You should note that the sentence should reflect your thesis as that is the central theme of the racial profiling paper.
Once you're done explaining the point, end and complete the paragraph with a closing sentence.
Tips On Body Writing
- Write the main idea as the first sentence of your paragraph
- Elaborate on the stated point
- Provide evidence and examples to support your explanation
- Repeat the procedure in other paragraphs with different main ideas
- Use transitional words to link your paragraphs and achieve a smooth flow.
Example Of Outline
Topic: Racial Profiling and Social Justice
Introduction
- Write a hook sentence
- Give background on racial profiling
- Close the introduction with a thesis statement on the topic
Body
- Shockingly, a significant percentage of African-Americans have a criminal record.
- Traffic stops are dominantly a manifestation of racial bias
- An individual’s religion or national origin should not be grounds for unfair arrests and imprisonment
- Social issues on racial profiling undermine human rights
- Racial mass incarceration in modern society persists despite racism being illegal
Conclusion
- Give a summary
- Restate your thesis
- State your position
- Give the final statement
- Provide direction for the reader
Writing The Conclusion
Your conclusion should not include new ideas but rather provide a summary of the explanation in the body paragraphs. It is typically one paragraph long. You will summarize your points and paraphrase your thesis statement on racism and criminal justice.
Don't forget to answer the "So, what?" question to ensure your reader has a take-home point.
Tips On Proofreading Your Profiling Essay
After writing the profiling essay, you need to proofread your work to increase your chances of getting that good score. The practice allows you to identify errors you might have missed when writing your racial profiling paper.
Firstly, check whether the information in your work is relevant. Delete any irrelevant parts that only make your piece wordy. You can also complete sections that you feel have underdeveloped ideas. Then highlight the different sections of your essay by having distinct subtopics.
Proceed to reread the work while checking for grammatical errors and misspellings. Check the vocabulary used-a good profiling essay should have a simple vocabulary to make it an essay read. Also, ensure that you use appropriate language so that your work doesn't turn out to be offensive to the reader. That would undermine the purpose of writing on racism by law enforcement agencies and the infringement of human rights.
Additional Tips On Acing Your Racial Profiling Essay
- Read the profiling essay aloud to get a feel of how it sounds to the reader.
- Read it aloud to capture grammar, spelling, and sentence structure errors
- Ask a third party to read your racial profiling essay and help you correct mistakes you missed (asking a family member or friend would be helpful)
- Follow the professor’s instructions (failing to do so will affect your grades!)
- Use a simple format and outline the profiling paper.
Racial Profiling Essay Samples
The examples below are samples to start your racial profiling essay. They will help you in the brainstorming stage for your paper.
Example 1
The system of racism entails discrimination based on race and ethnicity. That reality has been a catalyst to poverty and lack of access to social mobility in the United States. For instance, many innocent lives of African America youth are at risk owing to racial profiling. If they survive, they are mired by unfair criminal records that hinder their trajectory in life and the possibility of breaking free from the shackles of poverty. The Supreme Court is expected to address the matter of fair trial for every African American and ethnic group for people of color.
Example 2
Recent research reveals that discrimination is a practice that has harmful effects on the mental health of African Americans, and remains to be a controversial issue. Accordingly, instilling knowledge on racial identity and socialization are proposed solutions to address racism and race-related problems.
Example 3
Racial profiling promotes unlawful arrests and imprisonment. The act targets African Americans who are harassed more frequently by the police as the law enforcement officials use excessive force. Dominantly Black communities and states have a record of high tension between the law enforcers and the public.
Example 4
Racial segregation continues in the current legal system through police brutality. The scenario promotes ethnic discrimination and prejudice. In most cases, the police tend to pull over drivers and motorists based on their skin color and even proceed to search the vehicles without grounds for reasonable suspicion.
There you go. Good luck as you work on preventing more racial profiling by writing a compelling racial profiling essay that seeks to address a pressing human rights issue on discrimination.
