An Autobiography of the Influence of Race in My Community - Essay Example

Running head: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY An Autobiography of the Influence of Race in My Community Student’s Name Educational Institution AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 2 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY An Autobiography of the Influence of Race in My Community The thesis of this my autobiographical paper is that interactions in my community have been racialized. According to dictionary.com (2012), racialize means “to perceive, experience, view, in a racial context” and “to categorize, or differentiate on the basis of race.” I am a working single mother who was born and raised in the Bronx. I have lived in bad neighbourhoods, which we call ghettoes. However, now I live in a pretty decent neighbourhood. I have two grown-up children, who I am happy to say, are doing well. Nevertheless, life is still a daily struggle for all who live in the Bronx. Nearly everyday there is something taken away, something closing down. Our children and senior citizens are affected the most by these actions. I live in a very racially diverse community in which there is a degree of segregation. For instance, the so-called neighbourhood clubs belong to one ethnic group; and everyone else is excluded. People tend to look out for their own, although we know our neighbours and are polite to them. There are no clubs for the entire community or for the children. The nearest boys and girls club is not the same anymore. There are no toys, computers, equipment, or a pool; and it is about to be closed down. As for the leaders in this community, they are doing nothing about the situation. Not all members of my community look like me because, as already stated, I live in a very racially diverse community whose members differ in looks, style, religion, ethnicity, and cultural affiliation. However, since we are all living and working in the Bronx, it is difficult to say if leaders treat anyone differently than another. We are simply trying to live and to raise our children the best way we can with the resources that we have. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 3 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY To reiterate, in my very diverse community, some of the different races treat each other with respect while others act as if we do not belong. There are, however, no fights between the different groups. My texts and work manuals contain information about a wide range of ethnic races and their culture, religion, and so on. I can, however, not say that there is any specific information about people like me. Living in the Bronx, the media just focuses on the bad and is, therefore, not really considered as news in my community. However, to their credit, if something really good happens such as, for example, firemen saving someone from a fire in the Bronx, that makes the news. It is difficult to find similarities and differences between the people who are in leadership in my community and myself as there is not much leadership. One difference, however, is that if I were to be able to become a leader in my community, I would be very proactive with respect to achieving positive and necessary things. I would fight very hard not to let fire stations and schools be closed down and teachers laid off due to budget cuts. When these things happen, the community is affected very negatively. Regrettably, the media is of little help in such situations. In the Bronx, there are, basically, no minorities. Although we are diversified and some groups—as in virtually any organization—dominate, they are not large enough and we are not small enough to warrant the terms majority and minority. While there might be a couple of smaller religious and cultural groups, I have not actually been aware of them. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 4 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY If I could resolve existing inequities in my community, I would begin by making sure that there are sufficient schools and teachers to staff them adequately. Ideally, there would be a school close enough so that all children could walk to school. Money being scarce in the Bronx, not everyone would have bus money. Therefore, if a school would not be within walking distance, I would make sure that there would be free school bus transportation to it. Mostly due to a lack of money, many children go to school without breakfast and lunch money, which is certainly not conducive to learning when one is all too aware of the hunger pangs. I would, therefore, arrange for schools to serve free light—but nutritious and healthy—breakfasts and lunches. I would also make certain that students cannot obtain access to junk food at the school. In a bi-monthly newsletter to parents, there would be—along with other important items—information about a healthy well-balanced lifestyle. Without singling out any one student, this newsletter would also include information about what and how the students are doing in order to increase the parents’ interest in their children’s education. A lot of parents are too busy worrying about where their next meal is coming from to pay much attention to their children’s education, and, yet, it is essential that they do because without a good education life in the Bronx will not improve in the coming years. Since a good education is very important for upward mobility, I would try to ensure that the schools in my area would be as well equipped as possible. This would include a good library, laboratories, a gymnasium, a study area, and some computers. With not many tax dollars coming from the residents of the Bronx, it might be difficult to persuade the elected officials to put some of these things in place. Of course, we could also have fund-raising events to help. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 5 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY I would also consider it very important to have licensed day care facilities at a no-charge or very nominal fee for anyone who needs them. Although there are not many jobs available in the Bronx, most of the ones that do exist do not pay enough to cover all of the expenses of going to work, including child care which now is virtually non-existent and if found, is very expensive. As a result, many children—far too young—are left to fend for themselves before and after school. Although these care centres could be located in private homes, school and church locations would be preferable as they would have equipped gymnasiums and outdoor play areas. In speaking to a couple of church elders recently, they said that they might be willing to take a good plan—which my committee and I would have to draw up—to a church board meeting and see where it could go from there. I would also try and establish youth centres because now with nowhere positive to go, our teenagers are hanging around on the streets where they are vulnerable to those who prey on the young for profit and/or pleasure. Also, these young people are most often bored and hungry; and as a result, they commit misdemeanors, which eventually can escalate to minor and not-so-minor crimes. Our children deserve better. Ideally, I would work diligently towards getting a community centre with activities for all ages for everyone living in my community. There would be no preferences nor exclusions. Relations at work and at school are quite harmonious. There is little, if any, racism evident. Whether racism is a factor in the various service groups, I do not know since I do not belong to any. However, not just anybody can belong to any particular group. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 6 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY The Bronx is growing more rapidly than many other areas in New York. For example, according to the 2000 Census, the Bronx increased by a higher-than-city average of 10.7 percent from 1990 to 2000. In fact, if the boroughs were to be considered cities, the Bronx would be the ninth largest city in the United States. The data also shows that in 2000 the largest racial group in the Bronx was that of Hispanic origin (644,705) followed closely by Black/African American Nonhispanic (416,338). American Indian and Alaska Native Nonhispanics were definitely in the minority with a population of 3,488. It is interesting to note that Hispanics increased most in Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. While I live in what I consider to be a very diverse community, the borough of Queens was the most diverse in 2000, with a substantial number of every group represented. (Population Growth and Race/Hispanic Composition, 2012). So when I speak of race, I do so in accordance with the definition of Cliff Notes (2012), which says that “The term race refers to groups of people who have similarities and differences in biological traits deemed to be socially significant, meaning that people treat other people differently because of them.” This difference in treatment is far less today than it was decades ago, although it still exists. I am, therefore, fortunate to be able to live a quiet and peaceful life in a community although racially diverse does not treat any of its fellow citizens in a derogatory manner nor does it defer to others. Racism, which is “prejudice based on socially significant features” (ibid.) is not present in my community either, at least not overtly. It must be noted that race and ethnicity are not the same. “Ethnicity refers to shared cultural practices, perspectives and distinctions that set people apart from one another (ibid.). The most common characteristics are ancestry, language, religion, and dress. “Ethnic differences AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 7 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY are not inherited, they are learned” (ibid.). People are often voluntarily and involuntarily segregated on the basis of race and also of ethnicity, mainly because they want to be with their own kind, with people who understand them. I do not see anything wrong with voluntary segregation, but am very much against involuntary segregation. In today’s day and age segregation is not what it once was. Today newcomers to our country often seek out—and are helped to seek out—people like themselves, which makes the transition to a new country with a new language and many different customs easier. While I do not get about much in my community, I cannot say whether there is any immigration taking place. However, if there were any significant amount, I would surely have encountered it. Our society seems to be great on labelling and categorizing people. As the literature says, much of this is for ease of handling the great deal of information that people carry these days. With that in mind, if we want to have spaghetti and meatballs, we might suggest going to an Italian restaurant; for Chinese food, to a Chinese restaurant, and so forth. I see nothing wrong with this. However, when characteristics are attributed to various races and ethnicities that can hurt their feelings as well as their chances for a good career or a satisfying social life, then, I believe that a line has been crossed. Thankfully, in my community I am not experiencing that. In conclusion, while there are some clubs in which I am not welcome and some people that ignore me based on my race, it is not a whole lot. It is, however, sufficient for me to be able to agree with my thesis that the interactions in my community have been racialized. AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF THE INFLUENCE 8 OF RACE IN MY COMMUNITY References Cliff Notes. Retrieved on January 11, 2012, from www.cliffnotes.com/study. Dictionary.Com. Retrieved on January 11, 2012, from http://dictionary.reference.com. Population Growth and Race/Hispanic Composition. Retrieved on January 11, 2012, from http://www.nyc.gov. Race and Ethnicity Defined. Retrieved on January 11, 2012, from http://www.nyc.gov. Read More