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Eth125 diversityproject thomas brantley

This document discusses racial and ethnic diversity in America and Horn Lake, Mississippi. It provides demographic data showing that whites currently make up the largest racial group but are projected to decrease as minorities increase. The document also examines the social construct of race, discrimination, and challenges and benefits of increasing diversity. It reflects on media coverage of the Michael Brown shooting and protests in Ferguson, Missouri.

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Eth125 diversityproject thomas brantley

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ETH125, Diversity Project ETH/125 - Cultural Diversity – Kelli Rodriguez July 28, 2014 – September 28, 2014 THOMAS BRANTLEY
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Racial and EthnicDiversity Race Ethnicity Diverse Nation
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Racial and EthnicDiversity America Race:  White 63%  Black/African American 11.2%  Native American 0.8%  Asian American 4.6% Ethnicity  German 16.5%  Irish 12%  English 9%  Italian 5.9%  Polish 3.3%  French 3.1%  Scottish 3.1%  Jew 2.1%  Hispanics 16.3% Race White Black Native Asian Ethnicity German Irish English Italian Polish French Scottish Jew Hispanic (Schaefer, 2012, p. 5).
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Racial and EthnicDiversity Horn Lake, MS  Total Population as of 2010 Census: 26,066 Race:  White 59%  Black/African American 32.9  Asian 1%  Other/mixed or not specified 1.7% Ethnicity  Hispanics 8% 2010 Census Data White Black Asian Other
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Racial and EthnicDiversity Race diversity projections  White  Black/African American  Hispanic  Asian/Other Projections by 2050 White Black Hispanic Asian/Other (Schaefer, 2012, p. 6).
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How Similar AreWe?  Phase I  Phase II  Phase III  All humans (no matter their race) share 99.9% of the same genes.
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How Similar AreWe? Phase I First thought Where did we really start? Biblical thought Skeptical?
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How Similar AreWe? Phase II Migration? Ice age recedes Colder Climates Warmer Climates
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How Similar AreWe? Phase III The true founders of America DNA and Genetics Physiological Differences Skeptical Is this really everything?
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Social Construct of Diversity  Social Beliefs  Race is not only identified by color  Mixed Race = ?  Color + Scenario = Race
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Social Construct of Diversity Dr. Seuss's “Sneetches” (12 minutes): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhOZzsi_6Q  Young children suffer from discrimination  Sales person similar to our government  Beyond differences all are the same Star bellied sneeches are better “Tink, twink, twinkle, twinkle stupid little star.”
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Social Construct of Diversity Diversity = Division Religion Politics Sexual orientation Sports
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Social Construct of Diversity Discrimination has many forms. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niyGPfw nnjM Stereotypical inhibitor of talent and potential
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How accepting ofDiversity are you? You have completed the African American - European American IAT. Your Result Your data suggest a slight automatic preference for African American compared to European American.
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Self-Righteousness  Tired of living in the funk of the past  Guilt Versus responsibility Living in the Past  The confederate war versus slavery
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Wealth Disparities  Median Net worth of White Families  11 times more than black Families  8 times more than Latino Families Different Lenses  Did white families really get everything on their own?  Small Government and Low Taxes  Tax rates of 91% in the 1950s
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Land and Housing Assistance  Homestead act of 1862  White middle class was formed Interstate Highway program  Destroying communities of Black communities  20 percent of black communities destroyed
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) During the Great Depression  Welfare created for White Widows Immigrants  White immigrants given jobs immediately  Jobs where off limits to people of color
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Media  Glen Beck on Health Care  Rush Limbaugh  Pushing buttions Education  La Raza Studies in AZ  Creating hatred?  600 thousand Mexican imigrants  Pearl harbor and 911
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Don’t talk about problems?  World Hunger  Crime  Education Everyone has a Ground Zero  Pearl harbor and 911  Banks and financiers  Choctaw Chickasaw Creek
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Obama  “Where not a Black America, a White America, a Latino America, an Asian America, We’re the United States of America.”  Was this a lie?
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Jobs  Names mean everything  White sounding names College Degrees  Black  Latino  Asian
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) 12 Trillion American dollars GONE! 245 million acers of land 120 billion dollars of housing
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Power and privilege Equality
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Race Relations Today (Time Wise Speech) Closing Thoughts
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Discrimination in yourlife White race, male = privileged? During the 90s Society has changed, but not completely White privilege still present, White race oblivious?
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Discrimination in yourlife My home city and place of work  60% White 40% Black/other In my younger years  Discrimination  Racial slurs Issues in school  Fighting  Distrust The 90s  Sociological changes  Decedents of the oppressed
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Current News onDiversity  The story of the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO and the protests and riots that followed.  A Town Divided  Even after several weeks, protest carry on and division is a bigger problem now than before. Hate Crime : any of various crimes (as assault or defacement of property) when motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group (as one based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation) (Merriam-Webster.com)
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Reflections (Sensitivity andawareness) Diversity ratio Increasing immigration or the melting pot? White race as a minority in America? Increasing population
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Reflections (Challenges andbenefits) More accepting of diversity Old school ways Diversity a good thing
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Reflections (Mass Mediain America) The Michael Brown Case Media stirring up angst among races Mixed signals from program to program A matter of perspective
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Reflections (Colorblindness) DoesCommon core really equalize education? Outdated information does not help. Old school teachings versus new age learning Reverse discrimination? There must be equality in learning about the history of America
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Reflections (Climate ofAcceptance) Start with our Youth and education Do not suppress one truth for another Explore all sides to the story of America People are just people
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RESOURCES I USED http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pi d=DEC_10_DP_DPDP1 http://fox2now.com/2014/09/20/protestors-at-farmers-market-call-for-arrest-in-michael- brown-shooting/ https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hate%20crime http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/08/12/us/13police-shooting-of-black-teenager- michael-brown.html?_r=0 http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/05/what-we-mean-when-we-say- race-is-a-social-construct/275872/ http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2014/09/18/ferguson-asked- residents-to-comment-after-the-michael-brown-shooting-heres-what-they-had-to-say/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhOZzsi_6Q https://soundcloud.com/kelli-rodriguez/tim-wise Schaefer, R.T. (2012). Racial and Etnic Groups (13th ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Editor's Notes

#3 Race is described as a group that is set apart due to obvious physical differences. Ethnicity is described as a group that is set apart due to cultural patterns or national origin. In terms of diversity in America, America is quite diverse. After all, America was destined to be a diverse nation to begin with. The only true Americans are the Native Americans who where here before any other race. Over time, as many came from around the world and settled in America, we have become one of the most diverse nations in the world.
#4 In terms of racial and ethnic groups, America is quite diverse. After all, America was destined to be a diverse nation to begin with. The only true Americans are the Native Americans who were here before any other race. Over time as many came from around the world and settled in America we have become one of the most diverse nations. From the information here we see All other races are a numerical minority overall. However, minority status does not always mean numerical minorities. According to Schaefer, R.T., “A minority group is a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than do the members of a dominant or majority group.” (p. 5)
#5 Do you know what the diversity ratio is in your home town? I decided to conduct a little research on my home town to see what diversity looks like at home. We all can look around us, at the store, at the schools, in traffic, and think we know, but do we really. Here are some of the statistics that I pulled from the 2010 census.
#6 2010 Census data projects White and other non-Hispanic resident proportions will drastically decrease from 2010 to 2015. Moreover, the decrease is even more evident in the 2050 projections. Although between 2010 and 2050 the African American resident proportions appear to remain the same, the Hispanic population nearly doubles in terms of proportion.
#7 To Start, I am watching this video in three phases of 30 minutes. After watching each phase, I will be writing my thoughts about the topics covered. Phase one will cover the first 30 minutes, from the introduction explaining the purpose of the project to the start of the migration. Phase two will cover migration throughout the different parts of the world to the start of how physical features changed throughout our existence. Phase three will wrap everything up and bring it to a close. By the end of this video and the following slides, I hope to obtain a better understanding as to how we came to be, how and why we migrated, and to hopefully gain a better understand of why we are so different yet how we are all the same. I am curious to find out how all humans share 99.9 percent of the same genes.
#8 At first thought, it is quite interesting to find out where we started. Although, it struck me a little strange when they made the statement that we all are traced back to one place in Africa. Being a Christian, I had the Idea that we all started somewhere in the Middle East or even as some have suggested, that we have spawned in different parts of the world in parallel. The more I think of it, The Bible only discusses how we started and the events that took place along the way. There are also gaps in information from Adam and Eve to Noah and the Ark. I cannot find any information, at least in the King James Version where these transitions took place. I am still a little skeptical as to the migration process described toward the end of phase one.
#9 Migration still seems to be quite unexplained. There is no real answer as to why many of these different civilizations migrated out of Africa. The only close answer that is given is the ice age receding, bringing warmer climates and more green growth, in turn growth in human population. So, I guess this would make sense. Any living species across the world, no matter how small or how large will start to grow in numbers and migrate out in warmer climates. In colder climates, they will stay closer together and become dormant in growth. Those that migrated to areas that were predominantly colder climates would then have to adapt to colder climates by way of building shelter and heavy clothing, lighter skin color, and creating more advanced projectile weapons for hunting. Those who resided in warmer climates took on darker colored skin to protect their bodies from the sun. Then he said something as quite an eye opener to me. He said “For all the problems race has caused, our differences are literally, not more than skin deep. Genetically speaking, race does not exist.” It is interesting to know that these changes are the very thing that helped our great ancestors survive in various climates and populate the world.
#10 It is quite interesting to see how the Native American Indians came to America long before Columbus made his discovery. Everything we have all learned in school growing up is now completely squashed. It is nearly completely false. DNA and genetics are quite powerful and revealing. Who would have thought that we would have so much information within our DNA? Many of us here in America have said we are of mixed cultures, but I don’t think anyone ever knew how true that statement really is. Through genetic research and the study of DNA, we find that we are all the same people. The only real differences are the physiological differences through genetic changes due to differences in climates around the world. However, I am still skeptical to the information of the beginning. There is still too little information that we know about those before us, and we are still only playing guessing games. After all, for a very long time we all knew Christopher Columbus was first to settle in America, right?
#11 Race is not more than the mere physiological, visual differences we see between us. Race as a social construct means it is a sociological construction of what is believed to be differences in not only color but ethnicity, intelligence, biology, and status. Dating back to the Civil war there was considered racial differences among White Northerners and White Southerners. One only suggests that someone is black or white if they are socially considered as such. For instance, someone who is born of one white parent and one black parent are considered of mixed race if that person is of “typical society.” However, take that same person and throw them in the middle among gang members or thugs, and he would be considered as black. Race is just a social idea of what we think people look like in a certain scenario.
#12 It is a great reminder of American citizens and how they act towards one another. There is always one race or ethnicity that feels they are better than others. It is sad, however that young children have to deal with other children who parents taught them that they should act in the same manner just because someone is different. I also remember in my school days dealing with similar discrimination issues, not because of race, but due to weight. I felt the same as the sneeches in the video, hanging my head low because of mistreatment due to me being different from others. When one is taunted day after day, they eventually become bitter towards those who oppose them. The sad part of this video is the sales person came in and started making money off of the differences to make them similar. So now we have an example of our federal government, merchants, and more capitalizing on the difference of appearance of everyone making promises to make one better than the other. This video appears to be a lot like a socially constructed image of what everyone is supposed to look like in American society. Towards the end, it all made sense. Everyone was different in a unique way, much like America. However, behind the multiple physical appearances, each of the sneeches were exactly the same.
#13 Where can I start? Diversity simply means divided. One of the largest forms of diversity is religion. Take Christianity. There are hundreds of denominations of Christianity alone, and that does not include other religions. For one hour on Sunday mornings, we are all quite divided in beliefs and rituals. What about politics. We have republicans, democrats, neutrals, liberals, and none of them can seem to get along and agree that we are just one nation trying to prosper. Sexual orientation is yet another significant diversity among society. Gays and Lesbians are out now more than ever yet are still quite segregated. Are you a sports fan? This area gets quite interesting. I see people get crazy over sports teams, college and pro. Some even get nutty over their child’s high school team! There is diversity everywhere, in just about everything and anything you can think of. Race is just one of them. What is most profound, no matter the race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation when sports fans of a mutual team get together, all goes out the window.
#14 I picked this particular video as it depicts several discrimination points that we have discussed in this class thus far. Discrimination is everywhere, and it does happen rather we know it or not. Weight discrimination is a real issue just as any other. Age discrimination struck me as alarming. However, I can understand why it is going on, but it is not right by any means. Last, discrimination against Muslim Americans is a huge problem. Then again, discrimination in general is not right. It is a form of stereotyping others and denying work to others just because of what we see on the outside. There is so much wasted talent due to discrimination issues. Move past discrimination, look deeper, find the talent, and unleash the potential.
#15 I took the test for Race – African American, European American IAT. The test was not exactly what I expected. I first thought it may be a series of questions to identify tendencies. I sure did not expect to be selecting different pictures and words to associate with good or bad. I was quite interesting. My results were also quite surprising. The data it gathered from my results is that I have a slight preference towards African Americans. I, however disagree with these results. At least in my mind I prefer European Americans more so than African Americans. But, I guess that depends on how you define the word prefer or in what context the word is used. Could it be used as in a preferable mate? Or, maybe just a preferable friend? I think the results were leaning toward African Americans as I have had much exposure to this particular race growing up. These results are not necessarily valid to me. I have lots of friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who are African American as well as plenty who are European American. I am quite neutral in this aspect. I don’t think that prejudice is easily measurable. Many people can display a non-prejudice cover yet things they do might be different. Just because someone prefers something in a different manner does not immediately indicate prejudice.
#16 I think from time to time we can all be a little self-righteous. The problem with this, is when we leave a mess behind because we did not do it, is that really fixing the problem? However, we tend to complain about it, don’t we? So, if we are tired of living in the funk of what those behind us left, why don’t we get up and do something to fix it? It is like the difference between guilt and responsibility. What Tim said here really resonated with me. He said: “Guilt is what you feel because of what you’ve done, Responsibility is what you take because of the kind of person you are.” WOW. This is a powerful statement. So, why do we live in the past? Why can we not move on from slavery? Well, probably for the same principals of why America still talks about the confederate war and honors those who died in that war over “Taxes.” Yea, the confederate war was over taxes, taxes over SLAVES! So why do we not stop talking about slavery again?
#17 What about the wealth disparities in America? The median net worth of White households in the United States is 11 times higher than Black homes, and eight times higher than Latino homes. Many people think or say it is because they do not work hard or because they are on welfare or whatever. However, do White people really worker harder? Are White people any more religious? Are White people even any smarter? Not really. People are just people. There are smart Black people just as there are intelligent White people. This is just a lens that the vast majority of white people have. So, one has to question, did White people really get everything by working hard and being smart? Tim stated that an older lady told him she wanted to go back to when there was a smaller government and lower taxes. He said she was talking about the 1950s. Really? Tax rates during this time where at an all-time high, approximately 91 percent!
#18 It is interesting how we all have this different point of view of society. Whites tend to think that blacks are the only ones who get hand-outs from the government. The funny part about that is when White immigrants came to America they were given land and housing. 245 million acres of land, thanks to the Homestead act of 1862. Plus, there was 120 billion dollars of housing freely given to white families. This is precisely what created the White middle class. Before this, there was no middle class in America, only upper and lower class-rich and poor. Along with the government giving all of this land and housing to White families, the Interstate Highway Program came in destroying housing and businesses of black communities. 20 percent of black communities were demolished. To make way for White commuters to move around easier.
#19 There were a lot of problems in the early 1900s and the American government had to figure out ways to move past them. During the Great Depression of the 1930s people were going broke, families where losing everything. The government created the cash welfare system that was racially exclusive to White Widows whose husbands had dies in war and to White women whose husbands were away at war. While this system has had many different names from then to welfare today it still had the same purpose. The only problem with it was when Blacks and Browns gained access to these benefits. Then, there was a problem with it. White families became angry that the government was giving handouts to people of color. People still do not understand though. When White families first came to America, not only where they give free land and housing, they were immediately given job opportunities. These where jobs that Blacks and other non-white immigrants were not allowed to have.
#20 19. All this stuff happened many years ago. So, why are we all still fired up about it? Why do we all hold so much angst towards each other? The Media has a way of stirring up trouble, anger, and creating angst. I love the way Tim talked about the television program with Glen Beck talking about health care. The not so funny part is how the underlying message helps to stir up trouble. But then Rush Limbaugh also fired out about an issue on a school bus between kids fighting. The media has a way of grabbing people and shaking them up to stir controversy. They are just pushing the right buttons to keep people stirred up because that is what gets the ratings. That is what sells. But, all that is being done is damage to society. Damage to those in the middle and lower classes. Education seems to be another hot topic. Tim talks about how La Raza studies in AZ was banned because the board of education in this area says it created hatred towards White people. However, no one was questioning rather the information being taught was factual. They just don’t want to talk about the 600 thousand Mexican immigrants that were sent packing to create jobs for white people. But, we all still talk about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the September 11th attacks on the world trade center.
#21 So why can we not talk about problems? We talk about Pearl Harbor and 9/11 yet we don’t talk about all the issues that issues between races or the inequalities. I like how Tim compared this to world hunger, crime, and education. If we don’t talk about them and close our eyes it will all just disappear, not! This reminds me of the issue going on right now with the terrorist group ISIS threatening the world and how our president has yet to make any confirmed decision about what to do with them. People are mocking the president saying that President Obama thinks if he closes his eyes they will go away. The attacks on the world trade center were tragic, there is no doubt. We often refer to this area as “Ground Zero.” Tim makes a great point about everyone having a ground zero. Places like Pearl Harbor and The World Trade Center where ours. What about others though? Choctaw-Chickasaw Creek was Ground Zero for Native American Indians, right? So how can we talk about the problems that persist in our lives yet we don’t what to talk about others?
#22 President Obama seems to want equality across the nation. He often talked about unity in the government between democrats and republicans. He even talks about unity within our nation. He is a person who seems to want us all to get along and have a mutual respect. Or, does he? Are the speeches he makes about equality and the statements as the one stated here just another ploy for political gain? People in politics are some of the biggest crooks in America. Most politicians will tell you anything to get your vote. So, we must ask, was Obama’s message of equality just a political lie to get more votes from the American people? People of power have interesting ways to get around things using technicalities and hidden agendas.
#23 What about the job market? Do certain names really identify a person’s race or ethnicity? Tim talks about the differences in black names versus white names on job applications. He says the applicants with White sounding names were 50 percent more likely to get a call for an interview than those with Black sounding names. This is an insane number. What if the Black sounding named person has equally significant credentials, or more than that of White applicants? Do names really mean that much? Another interesting topic was the number of Blacks with a college degree were double that of Whites without work. He also says Latino Americans were two-thirds more likely to be out of work and last Asians up to 20 percent more likely to be out of work. People have then lens on that assumes that Asian Americans are more likely to have work, and are smarter. They may be right about smarter. Asians are very close with family and respect is huge. However, Asians spend more time out of work than any other race, seven weeks longer, on average.
#24 There where so many surprising statistics in this presentation I could not name all that I wanted to. Looking back though when Tim was talking about Wall Street and all the financial experts and supposedly geniuses who take in all this money lost 12 trillion dollars of American’s investments in just a five-year span! WOW! If we all had just saved money instead of investing in these “professionals” we all would be in better shape. Our country may not even be in so much debt! Another great eye-opening statistic was the 245 million acres of land and 120 billion dollars of housing freely given by the government to White families for “Nation Building.”
#25 It seems that the government started out controlling everyone White or otherwise. Then as more people migrated to the United States They tried to keep control by using White Society, who was in poverty just as other races. They gave land and homes, free money or welfare. They did this to build up White communities to oversee the Black and other communities and keep them out of places of power. What is interesting is how this worked for any decades. However, as we see today with President Obama being the first “Black” president, this did not work forever. Eventually, people of the lower and middle classes, of all races are getting smarter and more involved in politics and law. I don’t think anyone has equal power and privilege anymore, Black White, Brown, Red, or otherwise. I think we have a bigger problem on our hands than race, status. Lower class stay lower class, middle class stay middle class, and upper class reap all the benefits of the middle and lower class societies.
#26 Tim Wise is an interesting character. I would like to sit down and have a conversation with him about his different political, racial, and societal views to compare and contrast with my own. I love how REAL he is. He tells the story like it is with no reserve. He is one of those who defend the weak and exploit the strong. It is great to hear so many great points of those of minority status from someone of the majority.
#27 As I am a member of the “White” race and a male, according to the readings here, I apparently have privilege over minority races and females of society. However, I could not help but to notice that this excerpt was reprinted from an original print from 1990, 24 years ago. Now, during that point in time, yes I can see the race issues of society and how many people of color were oppressed. The very existence of writings as this and public speakers like Tim Wise from last week have created a mass amount of awareness around white privilege and issues of dominance of males in society. I have to say that today, 2014 this is not so much the case. Society is changing, and just as this very writing states “Systemic change takes many decades” (Earned strength, unearned power) it has changed. Are we all completely over white power? Has dominance in society of males more equaled out? I say not completely. Yes, in certain parts of the country white privilege is still very present. However, I have not witnessed this so much in my area. Or am I just “oblivious” as the writer states that most of the white race is? I can only account for what I have been exposed to or accounts that I have witnessed. To my knowledge, white privilege is not as prevalent today as it once was. Now, taking account for my own attitude and interactions, I do not feel that I hold any racial or gender standards against others. Nor can I attest to any form of “white privilege.” As far as any inequalities within my life, I cannot say that I have neither any for myself nor any that I hold against others. I only adhere to a person’s true character looking past the outer existences.
#28 I do not hear many people today make jokes of any sort. However, I know of a few people who still hold distrust towards other races. In my home city and at work we are quite diverse. I would have to say we are either at 60 percent white and 40 percent black or other races. With the diversity in my area so defined, there are not a lot of racial issues I have personally seen, in quite a while. However, when I was younger, there were many times where I would discriminate towards blacks, and I was even one who shouted racial slurs. I had a hard time in school dealing with the black population. Although small at that time, most of them would start fights with white students, and other times a group would gang up on kids. I can imagine that this where most of my distrust, and others in my area began. As I grew older and wiser, as we all do, I came to realize that the actions of a few are not a reflection of all. Of course, this was in the 90s when there were still many sociological changes taking place. So, the kids I was dealing with were likely decedents from those who were quite oppressed following the Civil Rights Movement. In other words, I began to understand their position more or less and why they held so much hate towards whites. As for myself, because I was also a decedent of a parent who was of “old school” thinking, I too carried some angst with me during this time. Society is changing, as people are changing. At least, it is where I reside. So, from my personal point of view I do not see the amount of discrimination toward the black communities as I previously did.
#29 The hottest topic in most recent national news is the shooting of 18-year-old black male Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. Michael was seen prior to the shooting taking cigars without paying for them at a local convenient store. Shortly after, a police officer spotted Michael and a friend walking in the street and not crossing in a proper cross-walk. The officer, unaware of Michael’s crime at the convenient store confronted him, and a scuffle began. Reports say that Michael overpowered the officer and went for his gun. At this time, it was said the officer fired shots to stop him. The entire story is still very unclear at this time. There was no other video surveillance other than inside the store where Michael reportedly stole cigars. However, the story doesn’t end here. For several weeks following the incident, protesters rioted in Ferguson over the officer shooting Michael. The protesters stated it was a Hate Crime because the officer was a white man who shot a black man. Much of the evidence points to self-defense for the officer, but the protestors see things differently. I am sure that a lot of the issues in Ferguson are mostly media driven, and it does not help when there is such little evidence about the incident that occurred. Since the issue occurred, and the riots have calmed, the city of Ferguson remains quite divided
#30 It is astounding to know that the people of America are so diverse. Reviewing slides three, four, and five of this presentation are a reminder of where we are as a society and where we are going. Currently, just under a 60:40 ratio of white versus other races in America and soon to be at the 50:50 percent range by the year 2050. Does this mean that we will have an increasing number of immigrants migrating to America, or does this meant that the melting pot theory is coming more evident? Does this mean that the “White Race” as we know it in America will someday be a minority? This particular topic does raise many questions on where we will be. However, no one knows what the future holds. We can only guess what life will be like then. Of course with the change in the ratio of White versus other races also comes an increase in the overall population. With the increase in population, comes more government problems and increased poverty in already low income areas will follow.
#31 As the ratio of diversity changes in America, we all are going to have to become more accepting of diversity. There will, however, always be people who disagree with diversity or who are “old school” in terms of diversity acceptance. I am, in a way old school in terms of diversity acceptance in society. I have no problem admitting that as it is something that I have come to know from a child. The people of other races in my area still hold a lot of angst from theirs elders and ancestors and tend to be angry and can be violent. Dealing with diversity in this type of environment does not help my diversity acceptance. However, I do have many friends of other races and ethnicities who are good people and have good values. Diversity is not all bad though. Diversity allows us all the ability to learn from and cope with one another’s differences. Furthermore, having different points of views on any subject can help form more objective answers and better learn from mistakes. I truly believe that we have been able to form such a strong and powerful country because of our nation being so diverse.
#32 A good example of this is the story of Michael Brown, an 18-year-old black man who was shot by a white police officer. The News Media and social media lit up for weeks about this case. I covered this topic starting on slide 28 of this presentation. My biggest problem with this whole story was not that a white police officer shot a black man. Nor was my problem that the black citizens of Ferguson, MO started rioting. My problem with this whole story was how the media portrayed the story from the beginning. None of the opening headlines started with “man shot after an attempted robbery at a local store.” No, they started off their headlines with “Black man shot by a white police officer.” Why? Why does everything that happens between races always have to emphasize the race involved? How any people die every day by the hands of someone who is of the same race as the victim? The media will always exploit information that they feel will get the attention of the public in a big way. They have no care and no remorse of the repercussions of what follows. Will the people of Ferguson have still protested had the media not hyped up the story? Probably, but I do not believe we would have seen the riots, stealing, destroying of property or the videos like the one I shared in class discussion. Mass Media does not foster acceptance of diversity. However, there are commercials, television shows and movies that show interracial couples. At the same time, there is an equal amount of shows that portray non-white races as living in poverty and involved in drugs. So, I guess it is a matter of perspective. What is your perspective?
#33 First and foremost, I do not agree with this article or the text for one, the age of the article, and the textbook, and two the amount of reverse dormitory information contained in both. Common core is supposed to equalize all studies across the country, and nearly every state is on board with this. So, how could it be possible that some schools districts purposely remove or unknowingly do not teach about other races? This course so far has been grossly outdated in its information and in my opinion is due for an upgrade with more up-to-date text, articles, and information. When I was in school, we were taught about every president of the United States from George Washington to George W. Bush. These teachings included learning about black history, racism, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King. Today’s teachings no exclude much of America’s history as a nation. Stories about Christopher Columbus no longer exist in schools. My kids do not even know who he was or what he did. I understand that the new information we have discovered over the past decade indicate that Columbus was not of the first settlers in America. However, he was one of the founders of our Nation. To answer the question “Is being ‘color blind’ the answer? No, we all need to recognize where Blacks, Asians, Mexicans, and other races come from. We need to learn about the world. However, we cannot be completely biased and learn all about other nonwhite races and nothing about the founding people of America and how America was formed. We must meet in the middle here. Let’s learn and discover what America was, how it came to be, and how America has changed through immigration, migration and diversity. Covering one truth for another is NOT the answer. But, discovering ALL truths is.
#34 We must start with educating our youth. Even if some of us who are now adults and our elders are not so accepting, our youth is growing up in an increasingly diverse culture and will naturally be accepting of diversity. However, we must be careful with the education of our youth. We cannot suppress the white race by shoveling black history, Mexican history, and other races history into their heads. We must, as I discussed earlier give children all sides of all truths. It is not right by any means to give only one side to any story and expect an equality in society. As for me, my mind is changing already. I stated back on slide 26 that I had some issues with discrimination when I was younger. However, as I have aged, and matured I have come to the realization that we are all just people living for the same purpose, to survive. Many of us do things in a different manner, but we still look to achieve the same goal. My only real issue with discrimination is towards those who have no ethical values. Those who want to cheat and lie their way through life. There are all sorts of people like this in every race. Just the same, there are good people who genuinely care for others and have good ethical values in every race. I do not judge anyone by the color of their skin. I only form opinions of another’s character by his or her actions.

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