Race and Your Community
Brandy Dunlap (Logsdon)
ETH/125
October 6, 2011
Steven Zitar

Race and Your Community
When I look around in my community, I see people of all different races and cultures. In our community we have India, Hispanics, Blacks, Africans, White, and many more. How do we define race and diversity in our community? To start with we look at race, there are two ways of defining race one is that of an ethnical, tribal, or national stock or as any class or group, esp. of persons, considered as a class apart. Diversity is defined as essential differences or variety.
In the community I live in we treat people differently, they look at a person and think oh they look different than me or you so let’s not talk to them or treat them with respect. I look at a person beyond that. I was taught that we all bleed the same color; in fact people of a different race are the same as I am. People judge people from their looks rather than what they are really like.
Our community looks at other races as if they have a disease; they also look at you as if you are from another planet. Many of the people in my community get upset that many of the people from a different country get so much handed to them.
According to the 2010 Census white alone is still the numerically and proportionally the largest major race in the United States. In the city that I live in white the majority of the population; with only 32.22% graduating from high school (population age of 25+).
I look at the people around me as far as the city mayor, police department, ambulance personnel, and the firefighters they look no different than I do or anyone else. I mean we do look different on the outside but we are alike on the inside.
I believe that many of the people that are in a position higher than me abuse their privileges as far as thinking that are better than anyone else in the community. They feel that they can get away things that a regular person like me or a friend could not get away with.
In the news lately we have been hearing about allegations against a candidate that is running for either governor or president. How do people get their information about items like this? Do they really have to stoop so low in order to get votes in the race? I feel that if you have to make up lies to tell about people then what kind of person are you going to be in office? Do we really want a person like that in office trying to run either our state or country? I would not like having a person like that running our country or our state.
In the community that I live in it seems that they are always putting an African-American on the news for something that they did; we really do not see too many white people or any other race for that fact.
I believe that all of the racism and the diversity started back in the 1950’s when they ended segregation between white people and black people; sure the whites were not happy that black people were finally given the same rights as white people. To this day I come across people that think we are still back in that time period. As a country we have to look past all of this racism and discrimination and get along with each other.
In our school systems I have seen where students will pick on other students because of how they look, how they talk, how they dress, and where they live. I teach my children to accept everyone, I tell them everyone deserves a chance until they do something that I disapprove of then I tell my children to leave them alone.
At my place of employment I work with many that are from Africa and with some that are from India. It is hard for me to understand what they are saying for the reason that their English is not that good and most of the time they are speaking; while others speak Spanish. I think it is neat to hear them talk for I cannot understand a word they are saying.
I try to treat people with dignity and respect no matter where they came from, or what they look like, or how they speak. I enjoy learning from someone that is of a different culture, I can learn new cooking dishes from them.
A lady that I work with said at first it was hard when they came from Africa, now it is easier because they have learned many of the American ways yet still manage to practice their own heritage and cultural ways. Many have a special store that they have to shop at for the reason that most of our grocery stores do not carry what they need to make their food.
They have certain ways that they dress when they are not at work. The dresses that they wear in Africa are very colorful and bright. As far as the women of India they wear a dot in the middle of their forehead when they are out in public but at work they do not have to wear them.
One thing I have learned over the past nine weeks in this class is that we need to look at people of different cultures as a human being not someone that just came in off the boats, across the border, or flew half way around the world.
I kow in this time and age some of us find it hard to see what is going on within your community or we choose not to pay any attention to what is going on within the community. I believe that we all deserve a chance to succeed at something whether it be opening your own business or just going to school to get an education that they would not receive in their own country.
My children have to deal with issues everyday for being a mixed child. Many in our community do not except that a child is half white and half black. I love my children no matter what and I teach them to respect their elders even if that elder is rude and disrespectful towards them.
In my neighborhood majority of the population in my apartment complex they are African-American and mixed couples and biracial children. My family likes where we live for this reason they have made friends and are in great schools. In taking a friend to look for a house to rent, he applied for house and the lady denied him because he was black.
In conclusion I find that my community is not perfect by far, there are issues that need to be resolved. This may take some time as the problems did not happen over night and will not be corrected over night. I want to live in a community that gets along with everyone to make kit easier on my children and myself. I want my children to not be scared of what is out in the real world outside of their mothers home. I want them to learn to independent, to not have to depend on someone to pay their half of the bills, I want them to be able to pay their bills on time if not ahead.