Table of ContentsIntroductionInfluence of Cultural Representation on Phillips' Self-ImageConclusionIn the 1980s, Susie Guillory Phipps discovered that she had identified herself as the "wrong race" all his life. At least according to the Louisiana Bureau of Vital Records, which designated her as “Negro,” when in fact she believed herself to be a white woman. Even though she was light-skinned and raised white, the government did not recognize this importance due to a state law created in 1970, which decreed that if a person had 3.125 percent "black blood » or more, she was black. After years of legal battle for a legal change of racial identity, she was denied and forced to accept her new label. This classification shows not only how closely systems of government and racial identity are involved in questions of the interpretation of race, but also how these systems of government are insufficient with respect to race as well. It also shows how the average American can still suffer the consequences of a racial legacy hundreds of years after the abolition of slavery. These dangerous interpretations of racial identity as applied to Phipps run counter to our traditional understanding of racism and discrimination as a fixed and constant variable originating from a biological basis and perceived through phenotypic traits, such as skin color and ethnicity. Instead, we can identify it as a concept specifically designed to justify the separation imposed on races in matters of class, education, and politics through cultural representations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIntroductionThe case of Susie Guillory Phipps, analyzed through theories of racial formation, the constructed development of racial identity, and the how its dynamic relationship with social structures are organized, and intersectionality, the classification of distinct individuals and the relationship that these characterizations share with each other. “Intersectionality” proves that how the government designated one’s race was not an issue based on the color of one’s skin, as many believe. Rather, it is an amalgamation of a multitude of discriminatory ideological practices that give rise to the implementation of harmful applications and racial agendas stemming from specific beliefs founded and reinforced by politics or religion, which may further affect people today. In contrast, the Louisiana state court verdict had no effect on Phipps' life. Her new designation as a “black woman” would influence neither her career, nor her status, nor her lifestyle. It would neither change the way she grew up nor alleviate the discordance she would now experience with her new label. This ever-changing perspective on race is most effectively analyzed through the lens of racial formation, and when combined with intersectionality, it encapsulates the two main themes of Dimensions of Culture. So how did racial formation and intersectionality allow this misidentification to occur? To answer this question, we need to think about how the harmful stigmatization of certain races, particularly the African American race, originated. Although slavery had been practiced for over a hundred years, the writing of the Constitution in 1787 can be identified as the moment when slavery was no longer just a common practice but indirectly institutionalized with the compromise of the threefifths. This controversial compromise, which stipulated that a slave would be only three-fifths of a free individual, enhanced the value of an African American in the eyes of the dominant white male government. This government's archaic mentality is comparable to the mindset of Louisiana's Bureau of Vital Records, which demonstrates a similar understanding of race by officially recognizing Phipps as a "black" woman. One could even make the argument that not only does denying African Americans their freedom by law resemble the Louisiana state law denying Phipps the right to legally change his racial identity, but that state law is the direct descendant of the dominant white male government that founded our nation. It is the government's definition of race that determines the value of a slave or the percentage of blood that determines who is "Black" within the meaning of the law. The government's enforcement of race highlights the role humans play in forming racial categories, particularly as they work to maintain them through social structures such as laws. These interpretations permeate history and leave a lasting presence both in Phipps and in our society today. Flash forward to 1861, and thousands of African Americans escaped slavery to fight for freedom during the Civil War. Under President Abraham Lincoln, these “black warriors” made a decisive effort in the fight for emancipation. However, even after slavery was abolished, this was not enough. These institutions of oppression have objectively facilitated the cycle of corruption and effectively reinforced the racial hierarchy in society. Influence of cultural representation on the image of Phillips, was not only well ingrained in the minds of slave owners who had now lost their source of "cheap labor", but also in the minds of slaves whose ancestors had suffered hundreds of years of injustice, keeping them in check for many years. These cultural representations aligned with the government's definitions of race, which ultimately upheld the necessity of segregation and acted as a hegemonic means of marginalizing and discriminating against African Americans after the war. But what does this have to do with Phipps? Well, it's the fact that Phipps never felt that marginalization or discrimination that we can relate to the juxtaposition of the average African American woman's experience with that of Phipps as someone who grew up in white. There are inherent aspects of being an American woman that differentiate race, and governments' disregard for this implies an arrogance that exists within the system that enforces it. These cultural representations have not and will never harm Phipps, even though the government has labeled her a "negro", thereby indicating the failure of their biological basis of race as a means of interpreting her identity. a person. This exposes the contradictions intrinsic to the social structure of race based on biological traits which are therefore supported by structure and representation. So that brings us to 1983, with Susie Guillory Phipps' failed attempt to change her racial identity under the law. Even after most states had already abolished this unconstitutional practice, the Louisiana state court ruled that Phipps' arguments were not strong enough to improve this identification. This decision is important because it demonstrates what is wrong with our system of government when it comes to the recognition of race. Their decision will not change anything in life,.