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Race and My Community

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Race and My Community
Ethnic and racial issues continue to exist in many communities today. Before I took this class, I thought that race and ethnicity meant the same thing. After reading chapter one of the required text book for this course, I found out that they have very different meanings. I believe that, as a minority, no matter where you move to or what town you decide to make your home, whether it is temporary or permanent, you will encounter some form of ethnic and racial issues.
The meaning of ethnicity is a group set apart from others because of its national origin or distinctive cultural patterns. On the other hand, race is described as a group that is socially set apart because of obvious physical differences.
As an African American, I grew up on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, in an all-Black neighborhood, and lived there until around my mid 40’s. I moved to the South Suburbs of Chicago, first to Harvey, and lived there for about four years before moving to where I now currently reside in South Holland.
I lived in Harvey, Illinois, for about three years. It is a town dominated mainly by African Americans. According to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, Harvey, Illinois, is home to 75.8% African Americans and 19.0% Hispanics. The White population of Harvey is only 10.0% (State and County Quick Facts, 2010). There is a lot of crime that goes on in Harvey within the African-American neighbordhoods, and I believe that it is partly due to the environment. Harvey has many poor and low-income areas. The poverty rate for Harvey is 31.9% compared to the overall poverty rate for the state of Illinois which is 12.4% (State and County Quick Facts, 2010). The downtown area has many vacant stores, and there are also many emtpy, boarded-up homes in the poorer neighborhoods which act as an invitation to those who sell and do drugs to use the property illegally.
When I moved to Harvey, I did not do it by choice. I had lost my job and was about to be evicted from my apartment when someone from church offered to let me move in until I was able to get up on my feet. After moving to Harvey and seeing how it had some nice neighborhoods and neighborhoods that are poverty stricken and crime laden, I was thankful to be in a nice neighborhood that was pretty safe and in a nice area.
The leaders of the city of Harvey are African American, such as the mayor, the police chief, and a majority of the police force. Harvey has been in the news quite a bit concerning corruption within their police department. Members of it’s police department were recently charged with obstruction of justice in a rape case involving a minor girl and another law enforcement officer.
Statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau for the population of the Village of South Holland, where I currently live, show that the town is made up of 74.2% Black, 20.5% White, 5.8% Hispanic, and 0.6% Asian. South Holland’s neighborhoods are middle and upper class residents. The poverty level for South Holland is 8.4%, a significant difference in the rate for Harvey.
The neighborhoods of South Holland consist of moderate homes, small mansions, condominiums, and apartments. There are no empty homes or buildings that are boarded up. The streets and neighborhoods are clean and safe. The slogan for the Village of South Holland is “A community of faith, family and churches.”
The mayor of the village, Don DeGraff, is White and has done much in the way of having events that bring the community together. The village trustees are White and Black, and treat everyone of every race with respect and dignity. I have lived in South Holland for the past two years and have not experienced any prejudice or discrimination. That certainly does not mean that it does not exist, but I just have not encountered any.
As I look at this community that I live in, it is mixed with African American, Hispanic, and a small percentage of Asians and Native Americans. My church is located in South Holland. At my church, it is predominately African American, but Hispanics, Whites and other races also attend and have joined the membership. There are white ministers who are part of the ministerial staff of the church. The pastor and ministers of the church treat everyone equally, no matter what race or ethnicity they are. The congregational members also treat everyone with respect. There was a time when I joined this church back in 1995, and there were only African Americans attending. Now, things have changed and other races are beginning o attend.
At one time South Holland was predominantly white and it was a strain for other races to move into the village. There are news articles on a wall at my church that detail the problems my pastor had with purchasing the building where the church now resides. It has not always been easy, but the racial atmosphere has changed greatly over the years. Now, the entire village comes together at community events in harmony.
In almost every neighborhood in South Holland, it is culturally diverse, and there is diversity in some parts of Harvey. As we move further into the future, we will begin to see more and more diversity in many other areas. There is cultural diversity seen on many of the local news stations in our area. Every local news station in the Chicagoland area has African American reporters.
Many doors have opened up for minorities in media and politics, just to name a few. These are major breakthroughs for African Americans. I am truly proud of my heritage. Before taking this class I was aware of the slavery and hardship that my ancestors went through, but I never knew the depth of their suffering.
This class has really opened my eyes to the history of my race. It has helped me to understand many of the things that my race has gone through and why there is so much poverty and broken families within the African American race. I am truly proud of who I am. My African American heritage is part of who I am as a woman, but it does not define me, just as race or ethnicity alone does not define anyone else. Of the many things that I learned in this class, that may be one of the most important things.
Our race and our ethnicity develop us and help to shape our identity, but they do not limit us or predetermine our likes, dislikes, experiences, or beliefs. They assist in helping us to become who we are, but the bottom line is, who we become is entirely up to us. We are improved by, not limited by our past and we can use our past to help us build our futures.
We as minorities have many opportunities ahead of us. How we handle them and build on them is totally up to us. Many in the African American race will not take advantage of the opportunities that will appear on our path, but many of more will. I, for one, am truly excited about what lies ahead as far as opportunities that lie ahead in the future for many minorities. We
We who have been on the bottom for so long are making strides that will help those generations that are coming behind us, just as our ancestors helped pave the way for us and made a way for the opportunities and benefits that we experience now. For all the hurt, pain, heartache, embarrassment, and loss of life that our ancestors endured, the least we can do is continue moving forward and taking our place in society, in politics, in media, and in education. The future has made a place for us and it is time that we forge ahead and move into that place that was prepared for us by our ancestors long ago.

References Schaefer, R.T. (2006). Racial and Ethnic Groups. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
U.S. Census Bureau (2010) State and County Quick Facts: Harvey, IL. Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1733383.html
U.S. Census Bureau (2010) State and County Quick Facts: South Holland, IL. Retrieved
December 11, 2011, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1770850.html
Village of South Holland (2011) Retrieved December 11, 2011, from http://www.southholland.org/index.php?page=Administration/trustees

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