My father went to school in South Carolina until he was nine. When he came to New Jersey he said that in a sense the affect of Racism was worse because he was starting to become more aware of it. He told me about his 5th grade teacher who was white. He said that throughout the year she would always tell her African-American and Latino students that they were going to amount to nothing because they did not look like their white classmates. She did not expect very much from him and some of his classmates took it to heart and never tried to achieve high. He on the other hand knew that he needed an education.
Racism can be a touchy subject. Minority groups can become enraged by the topic and white people cringe at the awkward conversation that may ensue. The truth is that racism is still alive and because of its long history it has been unconsciously embedded in the practices of many people. Even the minority groups themselves. The feeling that even when you achieve something great, that there is an even bigger battle to fight can be discouraging to minority youth. An article I read explains this concept better:
"For Whites, education can be a clear and straight path on which they will be more likely to achieve the goals they and their parents set. For too many racial minority young people, education represents a crooked path, and the odds of reaching its end are stacked against them."
In 2005 and again in 2012 there were riots from French Muslim Youth due to the discrimination of the French government. Though these youth are rightful citizens of France, they are not being given the same liberties and equalities that white French citizens are receiving. There is racial segregation, socio-economic injustices, a lack of adequate schooling, and are living in urban slums. These riots are not viewed as the jihad trying to infiltrate the government, these can be compared to the the LA and Harlem riots in the US. Youth trying make themselves better!
Resources
http://media.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/media/pq/classic/doc/2271123791/fmt/pi/rep/NONE?hl=racism%2Cas%2Ca%2Cstressors%2Cstressor%2Cfor%2Cchild%2Cchildren&cit%3Aauth=Hughes%2C+Carolyn%3BNewkirk%2C+Reginald%3BStenhjem%2C+Pamela+H&cit%3Atitle=Addressing+the+Challenge+of+Disenfranchisement+of+Youth%3A+Poverty+and+Racism+in+the+Schools&cit%3Apub=Reclaiming+Children+and+Youth&cit%3Avol=19&cit%3Aiss=1&cit%3Apg=22&cit%3Adate=Spring+2010&ic=true&cit%3Aprod=ProQuest+Central&_a=20130601151354121%253A463755-95102-ONE_SEARCH-74.116.157.210-33810-852771224-DocumentImage-null-null-Online-FT-PFT-2010%252F04%252F01-2010%252F06%252F30---Online--------Scholarly%2BJournals---------PrePaid--T1M6RU1TLVBkZkRvY1ZpZXdCYXNlLWdldE1lZGlhVXJsRm9ySXRlbQ%3D%3D-%257BP-1007025-14872-CUSTOMER-10000039%252F10000147-1168523%257D&_s=STrAVN5idt9gl75fX%2FUjOoCRYqw%3D
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1127429,00.html
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteI also chose to write about racism because it is a common issue all around the world.
I was actually in France during those riots and I remember that there was a huge discrimination against Muslims. I was still in high school and I remember that I preferred not to tell people I was Muslim.
Hi Alyssa,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing about your father. It is unfortunate that he had to experience racism first-hand, especially as a child. It is true that Racism still exists in many countries.
Your father was strong even at a young age to be able to overcome racism unlike his other friends. Unfortunately, some teachers do make children feel inferior that way, i once heard a counselor said to one of the girl in her office, that not only she is a girl but she is black, not to mention where she came from, so she must work a hundred times harder than the other kids to make it in the world.
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