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Social Mobility Paper

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Submitted By williej71
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Social Mobility Paper
Willie J. Williams Jr.
University of Phoenix/Sociology 100
Becky Russell
December 14, 2009

“Introduction”
Citizens can move up or down the social ladder throughout their existence or from one generation to the next. Everyone is offered the same chance and opportunity at improving their lives socially and the way each generation handles adversity lies behind the idea of equal opportunity and how you utilize your god giving talents.
Social Mobility Social Mobility is measure in one by seeing whether rich parents give birth to rich kids and poor parents give birth to poor kids, or see if the incomes of parents and their children are distinct. Can children of poor parents become rich? It looks as though the American Dream is far more likely to remain a mirage for Americans than it is for citizens residing in other countries. A larger disparity of results seems to make it effortless for wealthy parents to leave their advantages. While income differences have expanded in the USA as well as Britain, social mobility has slowed up. Bigger incomes contrasts can make it tougher to attain opportunity fairness because they amplify social class segregation and possibly bigotry.
Willie James Williams Sr. Willie James Williams Sr.; born the 3rd child of Frank and Alma Williams on the 4th of July, 1939. He didn’t get to know his father like most sons do, because his father was killed on the train tracks of Sylacauga, Alabama. The cause of death was stated in a report saying Frank fell asleep inebriated on the rail road tracks. The cause of death was and is very suspicious because Frank Williams was a deacon in the church where his Father-in-law was pastor and since Frank Williams had never tasted alcohol in his life; his death is still a mystery.
During those times many African Americans were being targeted by the Klan and they were still active in 1979. According to Perkins (2000), “The Klan klavern of Sylacauga, Alabama declared war on two black leaders, Charles Woods and Willie James Williams, state president and local head of the NAACP respectively. Klansmen fired shots into the homes of these two men. In another act of terrorism, the “enforcers of community morals” sent bullets into homes of two interracial couples and flogged a suspected child abuser. In both cases, Klansmen were charged with federal counts of violating the civil rights of citizens”.
Growing up When the Klansman shot in our house that night, the area was the closet of my bedroom. My Sister Meredith pulled me out of bed and directed me to bathroom to get in the bathtub. Yes we were shaken up, but my dad wasn’t mad. He was just disappointed in the fact that he was targeted for doing what he believed to be right; fighting for equality in all human beings. Willie Sr. was a medically retire Vietnam veteran who had lost both knee caps in the war. After rehab he came back to Sylacauga to make a difference and to raise his children near family.

He taught to love a person for whom they were and not judge them by the color of their skin. He and my mother Mary, valued education and hard work. They raised us to stay up to date on current events. They taught us that the offspring of low-income families have only a 1% chance of getting the top 5% of the revenue allocation, opposed to children of the wealthy who have a chance of about 22% (Hertz, 2006). Those were numbers they laid out to us to instill the work ethic of hard work.
Willie James Williams Jr. How have these differences changed my life from how it was when I was younger? Well watching all the adversity to my parents went through with racism and disability. It taught me that life is hard. It is a never ending battle to succeed even when after you have been knocked down. It taught me to never judge a book by its cover and appreciate the other person’s feelings.

It also taught me that kids born to the middle portion of parental family incomes ranging ($42,000 to $54,300) had the identical possibility of winding up in a lesser economic class than their parents (39.5 %) as they did of moving to an upper economic class (36.5 %). Their chances of reaching the top five percentiles of the income distribution were just 1.8 % (Hertz, 2006).

That is why the days of single income families are in the past. To give your family everything they need to live comfortably it takes two incomes. Those who are able to survive off a single income lose out on the important times he doesn’t get to spend with his family. Knowing that hard work and strong will to succeed can and will provide you with the motivation to work hard and educate yourself to the utmost, so that you can give your family their hearts desires.

Conclusion As we all know, it’s easy to come up with plans but it’s the follow through that matters to the majority. Don’t be a sayer, because all they do is talk about what don’t have. Or they are asking the questions about the unfairness of life and what they desire they could do. Doers are people who are afraid, but are willing to experience the fear but are prepared try it anyway. My Dad always said “to never ask how to do something before trying to figure out how to do it yourself”.

“References”
Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Sociology: A brief introduction (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill
Hertz, T. (2006). Understanding Mobility of America. Washington , District of Columbia: Center for American Progress.
Perkins, A. C. (2000). The Ku Klux Klan in the United States: “We are still going to stand here”. From the website. http://www.angelfire.com/mi2/amycperkins/klan1.html

Content 60 Percent | Points Earned 6/6 | Additional Comments: | All key elements of the assignment are covered in a substantive way. * Paper is 700 to 1,050 words in length. * Paper points out the similarities and differences between the writer, his or her parents, and his or her grandparents in regard to various stratification variables (education, religion, income, occupation, area of residence, consumption patterns, and political participation). * Paper addresses to what extent the writer is upwardly or downwardly mobile. * Paper explains why some of these differences exist, what caused them, and if they have changed or influenced the writer’s attitudes and behaviors. * Paper states how these differences changed the writer’s life from how it was when he or she was young. | | The overall content of the paper is great.All of the key elements were covered in a substantive way. You pointed out the similarities and differences between yourself and your grandparents in regard to various stratification variables; why some of these differences exist and what caused them.All points are supported by specific details and examples. | The content is comprehensive, accurate, and /or persuasive. | | | Major points are stated clearly and are supported by specific details, examples, or analysis. | | | | Organization / Development 20 Percent | Points Earned 2/2 | Additional Comments: | The paper develops a central theme or idea, directed toward the appropriate audience. | | The overall organization and development of the paper is good. The intro and conclusion are both fair but could be stronger.The paper flows well. | The introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points. | | | The conclusion is logical, flows from the body of the paper, and reviews the major points. | | | Transitions between sentences, paragraphs, and sections aid in maintaining the flow of thought. | | | The tone is appropriate to the content and assignment. | | | | Mechanics 20 Percent | Points Earned 1.9/2 | Additional Comments: | The paper follows APA guidelines for format. | | The overall mechanics of the paper is excellent. Excellent job with APA. There were a few minor grammatical errors. | Citations follow APA guidelines. | | | The paper is laid out with effective use of headings, font styles, and white space. | | | Rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation are followed. | | | Sentences are complete, clear, concise, and varied. | | | Spelling is correct. | | | | Total 100 Percent | Points Earned 9.9/10 | Additional Comments:This is an interesting paper, Will. I enjoyed reading your perspective on your family and your mobility. Outstanding work! | | | |

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