Writing an essay on racism is a powerful opportunity to share your insights, empathy, and commitment to social justice efforts. Our guide will walk you through the process of how to write essays about racism.
You can pick up tips to avoid common writing mistakes, organize ideas effectively, and test strategies to revise your work.
We’ve also included a range of resources and tools to help turn that messy first draft into a polished masterpiece. Read through the steps below to get started on a dynamically crafted essay.
How To Start an Essay About Racism
Argumentative essays are commonly employed by college courses to help develop a student’s capacity for critical thinking and thorough research.
Racial injustice is a significant discussion topic through which you can improve your persuasive communication skills. Learning how to write an argumentative essay will give you greater confidence in expressing your ideas.
Your work should start with a compelling thesis. This statement should clearly show what your argument will support or defend. Writing a strong thesis statement sets the tone for the rest of your essay. It will help the reader understand racism from your point of view.
Constructing Your Essay on Racism: Step-by-Step Guide
The topic of racism requires historical context for many discussions. You may be tasked with writing about police brutality or the Jim Crow laws.
You might have to detail how the criminal justice system is connected to racial discrimination. These concepts all have a complex history linked to the issues we experience today.
Follow these helpful steps for writing your college essay on racism.
1. Choose Your Topic
Racial discrimination encompasses many issues that are open for debate. Racism, racial prejudice, institutional racism – there are hundreds of different angles you might be focusing on.
Your topic may have been provided for you. Ensure you find at least two opposing sides to discuss in your essay. There must be a “true/false” or “right/wrong” element to the argument.
2. Research Thoroughly
Demonstrating a strong understanding of your topic or thesis is essential to persuade the reader of your perspective. You can use Smodin’s Text Summarizer to help identify texts or documents that are most relevant to your topic.
Add authenticity to your arguments by carefully citing sources that are credible and detailed. Make notes and thoroughly document your research. This way, you can refer back to it throughout the process of writing your essay.
3. Define Your Thesis Statement
The thesis is your main argument, which is supported by the rest of your ideas. Write this first, and organize your supporting arguments throughout the rest of the essay.
The thesis should take a clear and debatable stance on the topic. For example, “African Americans Experience Structural Racism in Today’s Society.”
4. Create an Essay Outline
Once you’ve established your thesis, organize your supporting arguments. Writing an essay outline is the next step in this process. This outline helps cover all your key arguments and gives your essay structure.
The simplest way to create an outline is to split your essay into sections. You’ll have an introduction, the key arguments (one section for each separate argument), and the conclusion.
5. Use Formal Language
Like any academic text, this racism essay requires a formal and objective tone. This strengthens the rigor of your arguments.
Talking through emotional language, using slang, or relying on personal anecdotes will not help you prove your thesis.
6. Refute Opposing Arguments
The key purpose of an argumentative essay is to prove your position is the correct or justified one. You need to explain why the other side of the argument is flawed or incorrect.
Evidence and logical reasoning are your best strategies for this part of your essay. Incorporate your research to demonstrate why the opposing arguments aren’t as strong as your own.
7. Edit Your Draft
Once you’ve written the full draft, let it sit for a while. Then, go back and read through it—you will pick up small errors, such as spelling errors and formatting mistakes.
Revising your work may also help you find a better way to organize your arguments. This process may take a few attempts to get the wording and structure just right.
8. Seek External Feedback
Once you’re happy with your draft, it’s time to get an outside perspective. This is crucial in argumentative essays to ensure you haven’t missed any important counter-arguments that might weaken your position.
Ask for feedback from people who are able to provide constructive criticism. You don’t have to act on all their comments, but be open to considering their suggestions.
Effective Writing: How Do I Argue About Racial Issues?
By following the steps above, you are well on your way to crafting a strong, convincing argumentative essay. The themes of race or racial discrimination can be contentious. You may be wondering how to create an excellent essay when discussing this confronting topic.
Around the world and throughout history, society and culture have experienced discrimination based on race. The civil rights movement has created significant change in many ways. You have access to hundreds of sources that can be included in a discussion about these events.
There are several tactics available to turn racism essays from standard to standout. Let’s explore some of the ways you can polish your arguments into their most effective form.
Stick to the Facts
In academic writing, evidence, statistics, and facts are the most compelling proof you can include. You can often find authors or researchers who have written similar or related pieces to your own topic. Select authentic, clearly researched pieces of evidence to support your statements.
Use Logical Reasoning
Starting with facts as your foundation, apply logical thought processes to demonstrate why and how the facts support your perspective. Critical thinking is a valuable skill in this process. It can help you understand not just the strengths but the weaknesses of your arguments.
Stay Consistent
One indicator of an effective essay is the connection between each of its individual points. You don’t necessarily need complex words and theories to prove your point. A consistently written argumentative essay will reflect the quality of your thinking and reasoning.
Top Challenges When Writing an Essay and What To Do
There are a few mistakes that any person can make when writing an argumentative essay about racism. Getting feedback and proofreading are two good tools to help improve your final results. To improve the standard of your work, try to avoid these errors.
Abandoned Thesis
The important role of your essay is to prove the validity of the thesis. All of your arguments should address this statement directly while meeting the specific requirements of your task.
To stay connected to the thesis, keep referring back to it while writing. Ask yourself if each point is adding to or taking away from your originally defined position on the topic. This will help you develop a structured, relevant piece of work.
Ambiguous Statements
An essay discussing anti-racist ideas, civil rights movements, or other beliefs about this nuanced topic needs to be precise. A thorough research process will help you develop clear ideas before you put pen to paper.
Vague, unclear statements that do not relate to an argument will not communicate your point effectively. This is where facts and evidence are crucial to add truth and reality to the points you are making.
Poor Proofreading
Don’t let the little details catch you out! Reading a complex argument can be distracting if the reader keeps stumbling across technical inconsistencies.
Proofread your drafts multiple times, to avoid turning in an unpolished final version. You can try out tools like Smodin’s AI essay grader to help you pick up errors. Reading the essay aloud is also a great way to test it’s readability. A well-edited essay reflects your attention to detail and overall standard of work.
Enhance Your Argumentative Essay About Racism With Smodin’s Top Tools
With dedication and patience, you can learn how to write essays about racism and effectively debate your perspectives. Take care to research extensively, write consistently, and triple-check your work for mistakes.
Need help getting your essay started? You’re not alone! Improve your skills with Smodin’s AI writing tool. This cutting-edge assistive learning tool can help you refine your work and highlight the most important aspects of your composition. Join now at Smodin.io and take your writing skills to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay frames a topic that the author can take an affirmative or opposing stance on. The essay usually features an introduction, several main arguments, and a conclusion, all supporting the writer’s position.
How do I start an argumentative essay on racism?
Your argumentative essay about racism will begin with your thesis statement. This may be provided by your teacher or you will come up with it on your own. A thesis statement is what you will support or disprove in the rest of your essay.
How can I choose a strong topic for an essay about racism?
There are many divisive and complex topics in society that concern racism. You may be directed to a particular topic as part of your studies. Research current events, explore historical context, and establish what are the most suitable topics to focus on in your work.
How do I write about racism in an argumentative essay?
An argumentative essay requires you to show a clear understanding of reason, logic, and critical thinking with formal language. Racism is like any topic in this context. To write effectively about it, apply the academic concepts by using facts and evidence to support your arguments.