Everyday the future in America looks brighter for the issues dealing with race and identity. Brave souls are not letting racism, class discrimination, or sexism hold them back anymore. Furthermore, the fight for a balanced society that pushes for equality is on the horizon. As we close on an era, based on purely the skin of the person, we need to analyze the impacts of the Ethnicity paradigm and Class paradigm on politics of the 20th century. Race and Ethnicity are used interchangeable in everyday conversation, however; they are not the same.
A review of Eric Lius', The Accidental Asian, and his search for self-discovery. Looking at how his experiences growing up relate to current and future generations of students who are trying to find where they belong in this ethnically structured society. Through Liu’s experiences, we can understand the struggle of identity and help students find their own. Finding that we do not have to have a strong connection to our heritage to have a strong identity and looking for our roots does not make us any less of the person we are now. Breaking stereotypes and understanding others is how we can help students in the future.
“Melting pot” is a common term used to describe the culture of the United States, as the country blends the values and ideologies of an abundance of different groups of people and individuals. As a result, there are a variety of possible positions on what it truly means to be an American. Some may argue that American identity depends on ethnic origin, religious background, or other personal characteristics. Others might claim that being American depends on whether one believes in liberty, equality, individualism, and justice. Nevertheless, Dwight Okita and Sandra Cisneros demonstrate that some perceptions about American identity can induce more harm than others.
The history of the United States of America has often been punctuated by moments of triumph, and also by grievous lapses in moral and ethical judgements. For years, students have learned about the entirety of our country’s history in school. However, a school board in Colorado recently attempted to prevent this from happening. Their decision to alter the American history curriculum in order to promote patriotic values angered many students, who then protested this decision. Leonard Pitts, a journalist for the Miami Herald, openly criticized the school board’s move.
The La Raza Ethnic Study Program would not be successful without use of the theory of pedagogy. This form of learning is a symbiotic experience between the students and the teachers promoting group feedback and growth. I believe this documentary did a great job showing this process through the actions of the students as well as the teachers. Traditional teaching is based on administering regurgitated facts that can hold back the student from critical thinking. In this film, you are able to see the students engaging with each other and the teachers expressing cultural dialogue and conscience thought.
This was brought to light in Dr. Evelyn Hu-DeHart's article titled “The History, Development, and Future of Ethnic Studies,” which may be seen here (1993). One of the most significant concepts that struck me was the significance of including Ethnic Studies in the syllabus of an educational institution. Dr. Hu-DeHart believes that it is necessary to study Ethnic Studies to gain an understanding of the history, culture, and identity of many racial and ethnic groups. She also argues that Ethnic Studies should be taught from an interdisciplinary perspective, utilizing the fields of history, literature, cultural anthropology, and sociology, to give a comprehensive view of the histories and experiences of marginalized groups. This is because she believes that this is the only way to give students a complete picture of these histories and
WEEK # 11 From our text, Race, Class, and Gender, we read Unit III D: The Structure of Social Institutions; Education: Historical Reversals, Accelerating Resegregation, and the Need for New Integration Strategies; “I Hate It When People Treat Me Like a Fxxx-up”: Phony Theories, Segregated Schools, and the Culture of Aspiration among African American and Latino Teenagers; Across the Great Divide: Crossing Classes and Clashing Cultures; and How a Scholarship Girl Becomes a Soldier: The Militarization of Latina/o Youth in Chicago Public Schools. In addition, we read three essays by Mr. Al Condeluci Ph.D., The Critical Nature of Social Capital; Community and Social Capital; and The Process of Culture Shifting. The first four readings from the text show how education is an institution in crisis. Perpetuating and deepening the inequalities of race,
When kept in the curriculum, it can have a portion of students uncomfortable in a classroom when discussing the topics because of events that took place within their lives. Racism is a continuing problem in the twentieth century, and continues to be a problem in the twenty first century. During Perry’s time in an orphanage, there were nurses who “… hated me… being half-Indian. There was this one nurse, she used to call me ‘nigger’ and say there wasn’t any difference between niggers and Indians” (Capote 128). Racism is still occurring well into the twenty-first century, but with a new aspect, social media.
Ethnic Notions: Divided From The Start The film 'Ethnic Notions ' illustrates various ways in which African Americans were impersonated during the 19th and 20th centuries. It follows and shows the development of the rooted stereotypes which have generated bias towards African Americans. If a film of this kind had such an affectionate influence on me, it is no surprise people adopted these ideas back then. The use of new and popular media practices in those days was more than adequate in selling the black inferiority to the general public.
Introduction Race and racism are uncomfortable topics, but ones that must be openly and honestly discussed in order to begin the process of change. This paper will review my background, analyze readings, and openly discuss how the readings relate to me. The readings will be Peggy McIntosh’s “White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack,” Beverly Daniel Tatum’s “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” , Christopher Edmin’s “For White Folks who Teach in the Hood,” and Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s “Racism without Racists.” Through these readings, I will define race, racism, white privilege, then I will reflect on how I identify with them and they affect education.
The past is what unleashed the problems the critical race theory is causing. In order to prevent issues such as racism, gender inequalities, etc., the past must be able to be rationalized. Analyst of K-12 teachers’ speech protection, Lindsay Krebs, stated, “Conservative proponents purport that these laws protect objective, unbiased, and balanced teaching by preventing teachers from introducing concepts about racism,” (Krebs). Slavery and women's suffrage are controversial topics that are necessary to reiterate because there is no moving forward without getting uncomfortable. Working for the Administration of Education Programs, Joshua Gutzmann expresses, “Schools should prepare students for democratic life, noting that access to ideas makes it possible for citizens to exercise their rights of free speech and press in a meaningful manner, such access prepares students for active and effective participation in society in which they will soon be adult members,” (Gutzmann).
He believed this class was anti-American. A bill was passed, where the class had to be cancelled or the school would lose 10 percent of their funding. This class shows oppression, different teaching styles and can be related to other historical and more recent events.
Studying American history allows students to understand society and citizenship as well as their own identity. As students emerge into adulthood, their education from elementary to secondary schools influence their contribution to American culture, politics, and economy. Thus, the knowledge attained from history courses must be precise in order to produce well-rounded, educated citizens. Unfortunately, American history textbooks lack the truth that could alter a student’s perception tremendously, such as becoming a republican or democrat. It is essential for history textbooks to provide students with the basic knowledge that will, in return, shape their American identity.
Ethnic studies is rapidly becoming one of the most important and relevant fields of study for analyzing today’s society. Understanding its origins and evolution is paramount when considering the discipline and its applications. Emerging in the late 1960s, ethnic studies was conceived during an era of protest and social reconfiguration. Inspired by the Civil Rights and anti-war movements of the time, “Third World” college students began protesting their universities and demanding an education more relevant and accessible to their communities (Umemoto).
Ethnocentrism refers to the wide-ranging belief in the cultural superiority of one’s own ethnic group or, more loosely, an unusually high regard for one’s own ethnic ,religious, cultural group. This method of using one’s own culture is superior to all other cultures is called ethnocentrism according to Samovar et al and DomNwachukwu (2010). Bennett (1993) defines ethnocentrism as “assuming that the worldview of one’s own culture is central to all reality”. He also suggested that people tend to use their own worldview to interpret other’s behaviour and that the idea of a universal truth‟ is usually based on one’s own values. Ethnocentrism is not only the tendency to view the world from the standpoint of one’s own culture, but also the failure to understand, cultures that are different from one’s own.
