IndexIntroductionInfluence of Cultural Representation on Phillips Self-ImageConclusionIn the 1980s, Susie Guillory Phipps discovered that she had identified as the "wrong race" her entire life. At least according to the Louisiana Bureau of Vital Records, which designated her as “nigger,” when in reality she believed she was a white woman. Although she was light-skinned and raised white, the government did not recognize this meaning due to a state law created in 1970, which decreed that if a person had 3.125 percent or more "Negro blood," they were black. After years of fighting in court for a legal change of racial identity, she was denied and forced to deal with her new label. This classification not only shows how intricate systems of governance and racial identity are when it comes to interpreting race, but also how insufficient these systems of governance are even when it comes to race. It also shows how the average American can still suffer the consequences of racial legacies hundreds of years after the abolition of slavery. These dangerous interpretations of racial identity applied to Phipps go against 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. We can instead identify it as a concept specifically designed to justify the separation imposed on the races in relation to class, education and politics through cultural representations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay IntroductionThe case of Susie Guillory Phipps, analyzed through theories of racial formation, the constructed development of racial identity and 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” shows that how the government designated his race was not an issue based on the color of his skin as many think. Instead, it is an amalgamation of a multitude of discriminatory ideological practices that give rise to the implementation of prejudicial applications and racial designs originating from specific beliefs based and reinforced by politics or religion, which can still affect people today. In contrast, the verdict issued by the Louisiana state court had no effect on Phipps' life. Her new designation as a “black woman” would not affect her career, status or lifestyle. It would neither change how she grew up nor ease the discord she would now experience with her new label. This evolving perspective of race is most effectively analyzed under the lens of racial formation and, combined with intersectionality, encapsulates the two largest themes in Dimensions of Culture. How did racial formation and intersectionality allow this misidentification to occur? To answer this question, we must reflect on how harmful stigma against certain races, particularly African Americans, arose. Although slavery had been practiced for over one hundred years, the drafting of the Constitution in 1787 can be identified as the point at which slavery was no longer just a common practice but indirectly institutionalized with the Three-Fifths Compromise. This controversial compromise, which stated that a slave would represent only three-fifths of a free individual, placed a value on what an African American was worth toeyes of the dominant white male government. The archaic mentality of this government is comparable to the mentality of the Louisiana Bureau of Vital Records, which demonstrates a similar understanding of race by officially recognizing Phipps as a “Negro” woman. One could also argue 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 the state law is the direct descendant of the dominant white male government he 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 "nigger" under the law. The government's implementation of race highlights the role humans play in forming racial categories, particularly in attempting to maintain them through social structures such as laws. These interpretations permeate throughout the story and leave a lasting presence both in Phipps' society and in ours today. Fast forward to 1861 and there are thousands of African Americans who escaped slavery to fight for their liberation during the Civil War. Under President Abraham Lincoln, these “black warriors” made a decisive effort in the struggle for emancipation. However, even after the abolition of slavery, this was not enough. These institutions of oppression have objectively facilitated the cycle of corruption and effectively enforced the hierarchy of race in society. Influence of Cultural Representation on Phillips' Self-Image The cultural representation of African Americans, such as Sambo portraying them as obedient and childish, was not only well entrenched in the minds of slave owners who now lost their source of "low-cost labor" cost,” but also of the slaves whose ancestors had suffered hundreds of years of injustice, keeping them under control for many years to come. These cultural representations aligned with government definitions of race, which ultimately championed the need for segregation and acted as a hegemonic way to marginalize and discriminate against African Americans after the war. But how does this relate to Phipps? Well, it is from the fact that Phipps will never have felt this marginalization or discrimination that we can draw the connection towards the juxtaposition of the experience of the average African American woman with that of Phipps as someone who grew up white. There are aspects inherent to the life of an American woman that differentiate between race, and governments' disdain 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 “Negro,” thus pointing to the flaw in their biological basis of race as a way to interpret a person's identity. This highlights the inherent contradictions in the social structure of race based on traits of biological origin which are consequently supported by structure and representation. This 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 found that Phipps' case was not strong enough to improve upon this identification. This decision is significant because it demonstrates what is wrong with our system of government regarding recognition of race. Their decision will not change anything in Phipps' life, relationships or employment. She will never have felt the consequences or suffered the discrimination of being called “black” in American society. This is why.