Race Reflection

The PBS series “Race: The Power of an Illusion” effectively works to expose race as a social construct and deconstructs the false notions that race is a biological marker. The series first discusses that all human beings originated from Africa but dispersed about 70,000 years ago to various places in the world. As a result of this migration, people were spread to different locations throughout the world with different environmental conditions that affected their physical traits. It was many years after the migration in which people began to display these new physical traits such as slanted eyes, fair skin, and differing hair textures. While the series notes the physical changes that occurred during the migration it also emphasizes that race while it may seem apparent in skin color and other physical features has no real biological basis.

A popular notion says a child is born “color-blind” and remains color-blind until they reach adolescence. The problem with this concept is that people believe it to be a positive idea. However, it actually presents a damaging ideology – it suggests that race should not be a factor when trying to determine the type of person an individual is. I see it as an unsophisticated approach to view people because race is a vital part of our existence. Race is an attribute that makes individuals differ from one another, and the problem is not the differences in the colors of our skin. The problem is that we attempt to detach ourselves from the reality of being racially different. Racism will seem to inevitably exist, and in order to even try to end the malice, parents should begin teaching children about racism the right way.

What if we lived in a world where there were no races? What if people were not discriminated against because of the color of their skin or because they are different from what we see as acceptable? This is what Kwame Anthony Appiah tries to examine in his essay “Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections.” Appiah tries to point out that “American social distinctions cannot be understood in terms of the concept of race.” (102) That America is made up of so many different races that no race is the more superior or in other cases inferior to one another. America is defined by its cultural diversity; it is what makes America the nation that it is. It is the reason that we as Americans have freedoms other people

Race as Class Herbert J. Gans Herbert J. Gans is a urban humanist and a group scholar. He is a liberal and among the extremist social researchers who are impacted by Marx-determined ideas. Gan's article "Race as Class" mirrors his liberal idealogy. Gans clarifies how he trusts a man's racial make-up is straightforwardly identified with their class status. The article is the writer's interpretation on how Americans take a gander at those they go over in the social world. It likewise calls attention to that a few minorities have moved toward becoming models for Western culture, what's more, that African Americans, being darker, are deliberately being kept down at the most minimal class. Gans trusts that a gigantic and maintained level of bigotry

A speaker earns the right for his or her voice to be heard through the power of ethos, logos, and pathos. In the TED Talk “Color blind or color brave?” Mellody Hobson speaks about her experiences, states facts, and connects with the audience. Throughout her presentation, Hobson mainly addresses the events she has gone through as a woman of color. She informs the crowd about the difference of the terms color blind and color brave. She’s very open about the topic of race and believes it should be talked about, even if it is uncomfortable. Not speaking about race ignores continues issues that still happen today and can even create more problems. Mellody has the right to speak about the topic and capture the audience's attention because she gives her life experiences and factual information all while doing it in a non conflicting manner. Her open mindedness and passion are shown as she speaks.

I learned that I will need to understand the issues facing my students inside and outside of the classroom. By having this understanding, I hope to be able to form real relationships with my students, make learning relevant to each student, and be able to provide the necessary support to make them successful learners. I want to be a resource and/or participant in my students’ life rather than just a spectator and/or teacher teaching about diversity. I realized that my previous perception would have left some students struggling in my classroom. I would have overlooked students’ needs if I only concentrated on teaching diversity in my classroom. I believe that this experience has made me grow as an educator and made me realize how I need to understand the complexities faced by my students in order for me to become successful in the classroom and to become an effective teacher.

Race construction in the United States has been socially constructed since the founding of the republic. Racial differences and the development of various ethnic identities have been affected by the rigidity of racial categories in the United States, these include American Indian or Alaskan Native, black or African American, Native Hawaiian or other Asian Pacific Islander, and white. The racial divide in the United States is predominantly between whites and blacks but many Americans fall into the “racial middle”, a term coined by Eileen O’Brien to bring attention to the population of Americans that do not identify as either white

In 2011, Jen Wang was finishing up her freshman year at Connecticut College. As a young girl growing up in New Jersey, Jen took her first SAT when she was in the sixth grade, long before other students her age would even start to think about college. Jen said that test preparations for standardized tests, like the SAT, took up most of her free time that could have been used to do other things (Billy). The SAT’s early intent was to open doors of higher education to students without traditional credentials, but now this test is held at high esteem, the biggest indicator of college success (Mulugetta). Although standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT are used to “level the playing field” for students across the country, these tests add little

I was newly hired for the Olympia Food Co-op, a collectively run cooperative grocery store, and part of the new hire training included an anti-oppression workshop. Then I was highly unaware of my own systemic oppression and defensive of the ways that I benefited from systemic privileges. The facilitator was compassionate with me, she built on my understanding. It was an awakening for me, one that empowered me to identify strongly with my marginalized identities rather than perceiving them as deficits to my character. It was the first time that I had been made aware of the nuances of oppression, how one person can be both a target of oppression and have unearned privileges. Once I had processed this new understanding, I wanted to learn how to teach transformative material in a compassionate and caring manner. The Co-op was supportive of my professional development and payed my way to a month-long facilitator’s training in Philadelphia later that year. The knowledge that I gained in that training helped me re-form the then defunct Anti-oppression Committee. In that work group we tackled inequality issues that arose at work. Among my responsibilities was training new volunteers to be compassionate customer service workers through a workshop

The Museum of Tolerance is a large museum that focuses on racism and prejudice. It is also home to a memoriam of the Holocaust. The museum attempts to crack the barriers of racism, prejudices, and discrimination. I had never previously visited the Museum of Tolerance before this class. I have been told of how it was mostly notorious for its Holocaust exhibit and its messages prejudice. From personal experience, the Museum of Tolerance appeared to be a popular place to visit and a place people often talk about or reference within conversations. The many exhibits in the museum expose the guests to different types of prejudice, hatred, and discriminations. Upon entrance to the museum there was a security checkpoint.

Minorities remain overrepresented in crime, offending, victimization, and all stages of the criminal justice process especially confinement. Overrepresentation alludes to a situation in which a greater part of a particular group is present at various stages within the justice system than would be expected based on its part in the general population (Rosich, 2007). Minorities have always had a larger population in the prison system and after the Civil War they were overrepresented in American prison. There are a few reasons as to why races are disproportionately which are denial of jobs, poverty, and it is felt that police have bias and

Racial diversity is something that is often discussed on college campuses. As a student who self-identifies as a minority in more ways than one I often feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the subject of racism and race. However, often times when these issue are discussed I learn something new; this was the case when reading the articles this week. This week’s articles examined the issue of race from different perspectives. This allowed me to re-examine the issue in a fuller manner; it also allowed me to question some of my own notions that I hadn’t really challenged before.

My friends and I had just bought our tickets at the movie theatre in downtown San Francisco. To get to our floor we needed to take the elevator, so I pressed the button. When the door opened a white lady, who was middle-aged, acted as if she were a deer in the headlights of a speeding car, as we entered the elevator. She snatched her son and clutched him close to her side and she did the same with her purse. She stood as far away from us as she could, even so much that she was cramped in the corner of the elevator. We were all dumbfounded, we weren’t dressed like thugs and we sure didn’t look like them, so what had we done wrong. I felt like no matter what we did or what aspirations we had, we were just seen as every other African-American male and this is the kind damage that stereotypes do everyday, in my life and most likely

When we hear the word "race" we're more than likely inclined to automatically think of the color of someone's skin. Though this isn't entirely inappropriate, there is so much more to race than that. Sociologists say that race is a social construction created in society, meaning it's basically a set of "stories" we tell ourselves and hear overtime to make sense of the world. Since we hear these stories over and over again, we act on them, ultimately making them true. This can be said of many aspects of culture and society, however, it seems to happen with race without our realization.

I took the time today to read the article titled “What is Race” by Victor M. Fernandez, RN, BSN and found myself agreeably intrigued and in admiration of his thoughts regarding race. Victor touched on an extremely insightful and significant topic; one that most people have sturdy opinions about. Race – what is it? What does this mean to you? What does it mean to our upcoming careers in the nursing field? I trust that how we characterize and assess our awareness of race is due exclusively to how we were raised. I do not mean merely what we were taught from our family or culture about race, but to a certain extent how we have lived it, and how it has lived around us. “Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide