Growing Up In A Suburban Environment

What does it mean to be black? This a question that many black children seem to ask themselves as they are growing up. There is a popularization of black culture in America. From the music that people listen to, to television shows, movies, dances and various other things, the black culture is entertaining for all. African American children who grow up in a predominantly suburban area with many different races are always searching for their racial identity. They may have family members or friends that live in a more urban or “hood” area who influence their lives. They may be stereotyped by their peers at school and in their neighborhood to be a certain way because they are black. The paper will discuss all of these factors and find out what

Starting from youth African American children are brought up living two different lives. One where they go visit family who may not live in the best neighborhoods or areas and living in their own community at home. At times when they visit the old neighborhood that their family may be from they are faced with teasing from either older cousins or family members. They are teased because they may not have the latest Jordan’s or the current clothing that is worn. Typically, those who live in these conditions have a lot of name branded clothing yet for some reason continue to live there. The child who is growing up in the suburbs may feel the need to impress their family that lives in the urban area. They want to be able to fit in with them, by dressing and acting like

Not just the safe ones such as Will Smith but all of the tough thug rappers. Kids see these images all the time and may begin to dress like them or speak like them. They glamorize the lifestyles but do not truly understand what they may be saying or doing. Sometimes they may try to act tougher than they really are in the presence of others to gain their own confidence. For the most part this can be controlled. It can be dangerous however if the child goes too far with their actions to prove themselves to others. This could lead to some type of disciplinary action up to jail time or even worse it could lead to their deaths if they are involved with the wrong people. On TV, the actions of some never have any serious consequences. Once the episode is over it is done with. “In the United States, 57 percent of TV programs between 6 A.M. and 11 P.M. contain violent scenes, often portraying repeated aggressive acts that go unpunished. Victims of TV violence are rarely shown experiencing serious harm, and few programs condemn violence or depict other ways of solving problems (Center for Communication and Social Policy, 1998) (Berk 2006). It is imperative to keep up with children of all races during their development because they are sponges. Positive role models within their community can help with this. “Growing concerns about the experience and achievement of Black pupils (especially Black males)