Race is something that we all have. It gives us our identity in the marathon. As we grow up, we tend to have different thoughts and opinions on these different races. Having these thoughts and ideas affects the way we tend to act toward other races. Experiences like this are revealed through Richard in “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” written by Richard Wright and through my own life experiences.
In “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” a very small and young African American boy named Richard is portrayed throughout the whole story as kind of a student who is taking a class on how to live under Jim Crow laws. Richard makes some mistakes and pays a price when he does. He learns a very painful lesson in the very beginning of the story. He is a young boy who lives in the black part of the town. One day he got into a fight with a group of white boys. Richard was throwing cinders at them. But all of a sudden, they threw a glass bottle at him. Richard was seriously hurt. He fell to the ground and cried for help but his friends ran away from him because of the fear of getting hit by a glass bottle. Luckily someone helped him up and took him to the nearest hospital where he got three stitches. When Richard came home he waited anxiously for his mother to come home to reassure him. To embrace him. When his mom came home he told her all about his experiences earlier in that day. His mom was outraged. “How come yuh didn’t hide?” she asked instead of asking are you okay. She gave him a horrible beating that he would remember for the rest of his life. His mom told him to not fight anyone let alone white people. He was never to talk back to white people, he was never to disrespect white people, he was always supposed to be inferior to black people. Richard was very shocked about the fact that he was not equal to white people.
Similarly to Richard I had experienced situations that enabled me to learn about race. Up until I was in Bangladesh to the age of 9 I used to think everyone was equal. I never questioned the meaning of race because we all were Bengali. We all were from the same country. I used to believe that we all were equal in every single way possible. But when I came to America I was just amazed to see all of these people from so many different races that had so many different views and perspectives on the world. I would still act the same way I did in Bangladesh. I was race blind. I treated everyone equally. But unlike Richard I did not learn about race the hard way. I did not get physical experience to learn about race.
And that is I think due to the civil rights movement. It gave me the ability to live, eat, be next to, stand up with, walk with, look at, share with, talk with everyone. And it gave us a chance to be friends with everyone and anyone despite their race. And I think that is one of the best achievements of mankind in all of history.
Emmett Till
Murdered at 14 years old in Money, Mississippi. The spectacle surrounding Till's murder was one of the precipitating events leading to the Civil Rights Movement.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
My Essay?
Imagine a life where hate is the norm. Picture a world where murder and violence are acceptable. Visualize death and danger. This was the way of life for Blacks in the 1950's. African-Americans were constantly and continually brutalized by whites. They had to deal with racial epithets, harsh brutality, and the constant threat of angered whites. Growing up in that day and age was extremely difficult for Black youth. They were basically robbed of their childhood because they were too busy living in a life of terror and threats to be capable of carrying on a normal life.
Many children today, and in have a hard time identifying who they are at a young age. One work of literature that portrays this is a children's book called Amazing Grace. Grace is a little, headstrong African-American girl whose dream is to play the lead role in her class production of Peter Pan. After trying out for the part, however, she is discouraged by many of her classmates to take the part because she is a black female trying to play the part of a white male. Having been so young and never being faced with the issue of race or gender, the incident left Grace sad and confused. She didn't see anything wrong with her trying to play Peter Pan. To her he was just a character who could easily be portrayed or represented by anyone. Race or gender had never served as a barrier for Grace before.
Her issue can relate to Black youth in the 1950's because they are growing up in an era of legal white supremacy. Their parents and those before them are used to being shut down. They are accustomed to the oppression and constant segregation. After years of "yessir" and "no sir" rolling off their tounges, they have no idea how to adapt to a new way of life. The youth of that time was confused with the way of life. How is it that the government could sit back and allow such crimes to take place? Many youths who were from other parts faced that hardship too. Fourteen year old Emmet Till moved to Mississippi from Chicago, two almost completely seperate worlds. In Chicago, Blacks weren't treated badly in Chicago
Many children today, and in have a hard time identifying who they are at a young age. One work of literature that portrays this is a children's book called Amazing Grace. Grace is a little, headstrong African-American girl whose dream is to play the lead role in her class production of Peter Pan. After trying out for the part, however, she is discouraged by many of her classmates to take the part because she is a black female trying to play the part of a white male. Having been so young and never being faced with the issue of race or gender, the incident left Grace sad and confused. She didn't see anything wrong with her trying to play Peter Pan. To her he was just a character who could easily be portrayed or represented by anyone. Race or gender had never served as a barrier for Grace before.
Her issue can relate to Black youth in the 1950's because they are growing up in an era of legal white supremacy. Their parents and those before them are used to being shut down. They are accustomed to the oppression and constant segregation. After years of "yessir" and "no sir" rolling off their tounges, they have no idea how to adapt to a new way of life. The youth of that time was confused with the way of life. How is it that the government could sit back and allow such crimes to take place? Many youths who were from other parts faced that hardship too. Fourteen year old Emmet Till moved to Mississippi from Chicago, two almost completely seperate worlds. In Chicago, Blacks weren't treated badly in Chicago
Yudany's essay
What is the best approach to raise children? Mothers are guardian angels regardless of their unique approach to guard their children. Often time’s society portrays mothers as if they are all equal and it is not; that is a misconception. Mothers are dolls in all sizes and color. Often time mothers are very caring and over protective to the point of spoiling their children. But my mother brought me up in a totally different maternal environment. When my parents decided to take different paths in life my mother was too young and poorly prepared to be in charge of her self and me. As she was learning how to survive in a world full of challenge at the same time she was raising me. I was sent to school when I was three years old. As most little kids I was afraid of the dark and my mother made go to the bathroom by myself. I would cry, but she would not come with me. She taught me that fear only existed in me mind and to get rid of it. She taught me how to roller blade in big roller blades, she taught me to ride a regular bike. She taught me to be strong at all times. When I turned six in one night she taught me how to read, write and how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. From that day on I had to do my homework on my own. It was intense and I thought it was too early but I could not disobey her. If I wanted something I had to wait for to her buy it when she felt I needed it, not before. While other kids would be playing around and getting the latest toys, I was reading or writing and did not get what everybody had.
Years later seeking better opportunities for me we came to the United States when I was thirteen. She did not want me to grow in the Dominican Republic for the lack of progress. My mother whose name is Dinorah had high expectations of me. When I went to high school, one counselor told me it was going to be hard for me to perform well in a school that did not have a bilingual program and I might fail the grade. I was terrified but my mother made me go to that school and told me to what I knew how to do. My mother never helped me with anything regardless of my schoolwork but I must bring home excellent grades. As I grew older I was the one responsible to go and pay the bills of the house. She would only give me the bills and I had to made the calculations and tell her the amount of money she had to give me. To this day I do not have a cell phone because she took it away. I am the one responsible for my education and I made my own decisions. I follow all her rules and follow our moral values.
As I was reading the story “ The Sky is Gray “ by Ernest J. Gaines, I was astonished by the connection I discovered between James, the main character, and myself. “Then I catch her kind of looking where I’m. I smile at her a little bit. But think she’ll smile back.” (Pg. 91) When I read this quote I had a spontaneous flashback. James a boy of only eight years old growing up during the times period of Jim Crow was acting like a man to satisfy his mother. “ I love my mama and I want put my arm round her. But I’m not supposed to do that. She say that’s weakness and crybaby stuff…”(Pg. 84). I almost cry because I have experienced the feeling of hugging my mother but she is not the type of caring and loving mother. He is afraid of the dark just as I was but his mother also made him confront his fear. He was hungry and cold and did not say anything. Always looking straight because his mother told him. It is hard for an eight-year-old boy to act this way. I thought of my childhood and sympathize deeply with him.
How can a story change you? “The Sky is Gray” is a story that shows the fears and intimidation of the black society due to racism and the era of Jim Crow. Just as my mother all of a sudden had to step out and raise me when she and my father separated, James’ mother had to step out and more than anything protect James after his father was sent to the army. James mother was training James to survive and to not be a victim of the Jim Crow era. Being aware that his mother’s approach to raise him was to prepare him for life and to survive and that she did it because she loves him with all her heart made see my mother’s approach to raise me from a different perspective. As well as James’s mother I understood that my mother loves me and that all she does is because of that maternal love and responsibility. My mother has been training me to be successful and be able to confront all types of circumstances. To survive in this society and in the United States as minority. It is hard to be a Latina and I realize that all my mother did and does is because she knows that to function well in this country and anywhere I go I have to be strong, independent and have a good education. The story opened my eyes and helped me to appreciate my mother more.
Even though James mother and my mother have similar approach to prepare us for life they have their differences. The age and time period is very different and thank god I have not experienced discrimination in the same level as James did. His mother was more concern to mentally prepare him to be saved and keep him away from getting in conflict with white people. As in the other hand my mother have been preparing me to be successful in life and to function well in a society in which regardless of the fact that the Latino race is a minority there are many opportunities to take advantage of. It has been a preparation to be independent, open minded and educated rather than to protect me from racial conflicts. The different purpose of their method of raising us also has a bigger impact. Different personalities are built and different path are taken. The way James being raised I predict he is going to be independent and strong as well as a hard-worker person. However, his mother has also taught him to be just a black person who knows his place and to not go against the white people. As in terms of race I have been taught that race is not a frontier/ barrier for me. I have no limits; I only have to fight my way there with effort and a good education. The world and society for which we were trained is different.
As a kid during the civil rights movement at an early stage one had a conclusive racial identity and awareness of what position in society that specific race had. Now days we still struggle with racism but in a smaller scale. Now as a kid race is just cultural and background identity. After, all I have come to realize that there is no right, wrong, better or worst approach to raise a child. Mothers are different and the way they raise their child depends on many things. Race, socioeconomics and background also play a role on the approach the heart of a mother chooses to raise their child.
Nothing in life is totally good or bad. Everything has its pros and cons, as well as there is matter and anti-matter. A loving and spoiling mother makes life easier for their kids but their kids may or may not learn how to live life on their own. A strict and “cold” mother helps prepare their kids for life and to confront adversity, but love is also an essential component of ones happiness. There is no school to teach mothers how to be a mother and there is no school to teach kids how to be kids. It is natural instinct which one follows and acquire through experiences. Which makes me think; what type of mother would I be?
Years later seeking better opportunities for me we came to the United States when I was thirteen. She did not want me to grow in the Dominican Republic for the lack of progress. My mother whose name is Dinorah had high expectations of me. When I went to high school, one counselor told me it was going to be hard for me to perform well in a school that did not have a bilingual program and I might fail the grade. I was terrified but my mother made me go to that school and told me to what I knew how to do. My mother never helped me with anything regardless of my schoolwork but I must bring home excellent grades. As I grew older I was the one responsible to go and pay the bills of the house. She would only give me the bills and I had to made the calculations and tell her the amount of money she had to give me. To this day I do not have a cell phone because she took it away. I am the one responsible for my education and I made my own decisions. I follow all her rules and follow our moral values.
As I was reading the story “ The Sky is Gray “ by Ernest J. Gaines, I was astonished by the connection I discovered between James, the main character, and myself. “Then I catch her kind of looking where I’m. I smile at her a little bit. But think she’ll smile back.” (Pg. 91) When I read this quote I had a spontaneous flashback. James a boy of only eight years old growing up during the times period of Jim Crow was acting like a man to satisfy his mother. “ I love my mama and I want put my arm round her. But I’m not supposed to do that. She say that’s weakness and crybaby stuff…”(Pg. 84). I almost cry because I have experienced the feeling of hugging my mother but she is not the type of caring and loving mother. He is afraid of the dark just as I was but his mother also made him confront his fear. He was hungry and cold and did not say anything. Always looking straight because his mother told him. It is hard for an eight-year-old boy to act this way. I thought of my childhood and sympathize deeply with him.
How can a story change you? “The Sky is Gray” is a story that shows the fears and intimidation of the black society due to racism and the era of Jim Crow. Just as my mother all of a sudden had to step out and raise me when she and my father separated, James’ mother had to step out and more than anything protect James after his father was sent to the army. James mother was training James to survive and to not be a victim of the Jim Crow era. Being aware that his mother’s approach to raise him was to prepare him for life and to survive and that she did it because she loves him with all her heart made see my mother’s approach to raise me from a different perspective. As well as James’s mother I understood that my mother loves me and that all she does is because of that maternal love and responsibility. My mother has been training me to be successful and be able to confront all types of circumstances. To survive in this society and in the United States as minority. It is hard to be a Latina and I realize that all my mother did and does is because she knows that to function well in this country and anywhere I go I have to be strong, independent and have a good education. The story opened my eyes and helped me to appreciate my mother more.
Even though James mother and my mother have similar approach to prepare us for life they have their differences. The age and time period is very different and thank god I have not experienced discrimination in the same level as James did. His mother was more concern to mentally prepare him to be saved and keep him away from getting in conflict with white people. As in the other hand my mother have been preparing me to be successful in life and to function well in a society in which regardless of the fact that the Latino race is a minority there are many opportunities to take advantage of. It has been a preparation to be independent, open minded and educated rather than to protect me from racial conflicts. The different purpose of their method of raising us also has a bigger impact. Different personalities are built and different path are taken. The way James being raised I predict he is going to be independent and strong as well as a hard-worker person. However, his mother has also taught him to be just a black person who knows his place and to not go against the white people. As in terms of race I have been taught that race is not a frontier/ barrier for me. I have no limits; I only have to fight my way there with effort and a good education. The world and society for which we were trained is different.
As a kid during the civil rights movement at an early stage one had a conclusive racial identity and awareness of what position in society that specific race had. Now days we still struggle with racism but in a smaller scale. Now as a kid race is just cultural and background identity. After, all I have come to realize that there is no right, wrong, better or worst approach to raise a child. Mothers are different and the way they raise their child depends on many things. Race, socioeconomics and background also play a role on the approach the heart of a mother chooses to raise their child.
Nothing in life is totally good or bad. Everything has its pros and cons, as well as there is matter and anti-matter. A loving and spoiling mother makes life easier for their kids but their kids may or may not learn how to live life on their own. A strict and “cold” mother helps prepare their kids for life and to confront adversity, but love is also an essential component of ones happiness. There is no school to teach mothers how to be a mother and there is no school to teach kids how to be kids. It is natural instinct which one follows and acquire through experiences. Which makes me think; what type of mother would I be?
Cesar Veras
My very first experience with racism, and being aware of it, started in my childhood days in the Dominican Republic. I remember there always being a sense of racial superiority between Dominicans and Haitians. Everywhere I used to go, racist jokes where being made about Haitians, and this only made me think, as an infant, that sometimes people are born superior to others, even though my family was always teaching me the right morals, teaching me how everyone is created equal. The things that I used to see around the environment made think otherwise. They made me think that I was better than these people.
The racial situation in the Dominican Republic is nowhere near what happened to African Americans. There is not any serious violence or segregation involved, but it is not the tangible things that hurt the psychological state of the human beings. It is the intangible ideas that make all the damage. Haitians in the Dominican Republic are growing up with some of the hatred that is expressed from native Dominicans. Many Haitians were at times insulted just because of where they are from. The entire Haitian race is judged as a whole, and not as individuals like they are supposed to.
My personal experience in the Dominican Republic makes me think of the story “Uncle Toms’ Children,” by Richard Wright, when he says; “I was never under any conditions to fight white folks again.” The connection I drew back to my past is that even though I was not prohibited, playing or interacting with Haitian kids was not portrayed as the right thing to do in the society. Many stereotypes were going on, and even now that makes Haitian kids seem like an inferior race. The verbal impact of what usually came out of people mouths made the self-esteem of these young Haitians completely deteriorate. It made their self-esteem deteriorate just like African American self-esteem was deteriorating during the civil rights period and before. Being in the view of the aggressor instead of the victim made me realize, at a young age, how cruel the real world out there could be. This made me see the world in the hypothetical idea of the white man against the black man in the United States during oppression times. Also, it made me realize how deceiving assumptions and appearances could be. Seeing that everyone is a human being in the eyes of the world helped me see how wrong people’s ideas could be sometimes. It made me notice how the ideas that some people have sometimes are cruel, immature, and ignorant.
In the United States we still see the same intangible racial hatred that exists in the Dominican Republic. Today African Americans have equal rights under the law. They do have the right to go to any public facility and enjoy the accommodations just like any other white person, but the mentality of some people still have not changed. Just because laws are in place to do the right thing does not mean that the hatred that was in place just a mere 50 years ago is going to disappear all of a sudden. The United States had scores of years under the influence of the white tyranny, and the way people think about certain topics is not going to change so easily. Today we still see the hatred and racism in some of these people. Just like in the Dominican Republic everyone has their rights, but what really affects the society is this sense of superiority and separation. In the United States we still see the black race being judged as a whole. In the United States if a black person commits a crime, the whole black race commits a crime. Also, in the Dominican Republic if a Haitian commits a crime, the whole Haitian race commits a crime. Eventually, subsequent to these crimes judgments are made of how the whole race “has to be” according to the white race. Because of the hatred and racism against Haitians and African Americans, they are not being judged as individuals, and that is where the main problem is coming from.
My very first experience with racism, and being aware of it, started in my childhood days in the Dominican Republic. I remember there always being a sense of racial superiority between Dominicans and Haitians. Everywhere I used to go, racist jokes where being made about Haitians, and this only made me think, as an infant, that sometimes people are born superior to others, even though my family was always teaching me the right morals, teaching me how everyone is created equal. The things that I used to see around the environment made think otherwise. They made me think that I was better than these people.
The racial situation in the Dominican Republic is nowhere near what happened to African Americans. There is not any serious violence or segregation involved, but it is not the tangible things that hurt the psychological state of the human beings. It is the intangible ideas that make all the damage. Haitians in the Dominican Republic are growing up with some of the hatred that is expressed from native Dominicans. Many Haitians were at times insulted just because of where they are from. The entire Haitian race is judged as a whole, and not as individuals like they are supposed to.
My personal experience in the Dominican Republic makes me think of the story “Uncle Toms’ Children,” by Richard Wright, when he says; “I was never under any conditions to fight white folks again.” The connection I drew back to my past is that even though I was not prohibited, playing or interacting with Haitian kids was not portrayed as the right thing to do in the society. Many stereotypes were going on, and even now that makes Haitian kids seem like an inferior race. The verbal impact of what usually came out of people mouths made the self-esteem of these young Haitians completely deteriorate. It made their self-esteem deteriorate just like African American self-esteem was deteriorating during the civil rights period and before. Being in the view of the aggressor instead of the victim made me realize, at a young age, how cruel the real world out there could be. This made me see the world in the hypothetical idea of the white man against the black man in the United States during oppression times. Also, it made me realize how deceiving assumptions and appearances could be. Seeing that everyone is a human being in the eyes of the world helped me see how wrong people’s ideas could be sometimes. It made me notice how the ideas that some people have sometimes are cruel, immature, and ignorant.
In the United States we still see the same intangible racial hatred that exists in the Dominican Republic. Today African Americans have equal rights under the law. They do have the right to go to any public facility and enjoy the accommodations just like any other white person, but the mentality of some people still have not changed. Just because laws are in place to do the right thing does not mean that the hatred that was in place just a mere 50 years ago is going to disappear all of a sudden. The United States had scores of years under the influence of the white tyranny, and the way people think about certain topics is not going to change so easily. Today we still see the hatred and racism in some of these people. Just like in the Dominican Republic everyone has their rights, but what really affects the society is this sense of superiority and separation. In the United States we still see the black race being judged as a whole. In the United States if a black person commits a crime, the whole black race commits a crime. Also, in the Dominican Republic if a Haitian commits a crime, the whole Haitian race commits a crime. Eventually, subsequent to these crimes judgments are made of how the whole race “has to be” according to the white race. Because of the hatred and racism against Haitians and African Americans, they are not being judged as individuals, and that is where the main problem is coming from.
Ace's essay
How do children learn to hate? After the Brown vs. Board of Ed. case, schools are desegregated, but I believe that racial tension and discrimination still exists in schools. The first time I ever felt racially discriminated by the color of my skin was when I was ten in the fourth grade. Sine my neighborhood always consisted of both black and white residents with middle to high income, I never experienced or seen racial tension in my life before. I had believed that racial discrimination was a thing of the past that society looked down upon. It wasn’t until I attended a new public school in a white upper class neighborhood, that I had received a rude awakening to racism and segregation in public schools today.
When I was in fourth grade, I was one of two African-American students in the class and one of three in the entire school. At the time, it seemed as though the children began to joke about stereotypes. Although they didn’t understand why the jokes were funny, the children would ask me if I was someone that fit the normal stereotypical joke. I vividly remember the kids asking me if I liked fried chicken, or if I lived in the ghetto because I was from Brooklyn. Although I never liked fried chicken or ever lived in the ghetto, the kids tried to apply any stereotype to me. I was automatically the scapegoat for what the kids didn’t like about black people. Their hate for black people eventually grew. It wasn’t long before no one wanted to sit next to the black kid in class or at lunch.
When I addressed my problem to the principal, she replied that because I didn’t have the money to live where the other kids resided, I wouldn’t fit in with the children. I was furious about what she said because she also believed that I lived in a low economic environment because the color of my skin. I was also very upset that the principal didn’t explain to the children that stereotypical jokes in school were taboo. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when a student told me “the color of your skin looks like shit.” Fortunately, I left the school after that incident. Since then, I’ve been a much happier person in school, but I’ll never forget the experience of being loathed because of the color of my skin.
It was then that I realized even though the case Brown vs. Board of Ed. was over, the racial tension problem still existed in public schools, even in the north. When I look back on the situation I also think about Kenneth Clark’s studies. Clark’s research was based on According to a quote in the book Eyes On The Prize Civil Rights Reader, Clark’s says “white kindergarten children in New York City show a clear preference for whites and a clear rejection for negroes.”
The study’s results took place in 1950s, and since segregation has been abolished, it is possible that the age of a child’s racial preference may be older. In my case, the age of the children was ten in the fourth grade. Although it’s been four decades since segregation as a whole has been abolished, I believe that racism is still and will be present in our society for a while. I can only hope that children of younger generations learn not to hate or discriminate at a young age.
When I was in fourth grade, I was one of two African-American students in the class and one of three in the entire school. At the time, it seemed as though the children began to joke about stereotypes. Although they didn’t understand why the jokes were funny, the children would ask me if I was someone that fit the normal stereotypical joke. I vividly remember the kids asking me if I liked fried chicken, or if I lived in the ghetto because I was from Brooklyn. Although I never liked fried chicken or ever lived in the ghetto, the kids tried to apply any stereotype to me. I was automatically the scapegoat for what the kids didn’t like about black people. Their hate for black people eventually grew. It wasn’t long before no one wanted to sit next to the black kid in class or at lunch.
When I addressed my problem to the principal, she replied that because I didn’t have the money to live where the other kids resided, I wouldn’t fit in with the children. I was furious about what she said because she also believed that I lived in a low economic environment because the color of my skin. I was also very upset that the principal didn’t explain to the children that stereotypical jokes in school were taboo. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when a student told me “the color of your skin looks like shit.” Fortunately, I left the school after that incident. Since then, I’ve been a much happier person in school, but I’ll never forget the experience of being loathed because of the color of my skin.
It was then that I realized even though the case Brown vs. Board of Ed. was over, the racial tension problem still existed in public schools, even in the north. When I look back on the situation I also think about Kenneth Clark’s studies. Clark’s research was based on According to a quote in the book Eyes On The Prize Civil Rights Reader, Clark’s says “white kindergarten children in New York City show a clear preference for whites and a clear rejection for negroes.”
The study’s results took place in 1950s, and since segregation has been abolished, it is possible that the age of a child’s racial preference may be older. In my case, the age of the children was ten in the fourth grade. Although it’s been four decades since segregation as a whole has been abolished, I believe that racism is still and will be present in our society for a while. I can only hope that children of younger generations learn not to hate or discriminate at a young age.
Intro time, but more to come
Imagine a life where hate is the norm. Picture a world where murder and violence are acceptable. Visualize death and danger. This was the way of life for Blacks in the 1950's. African-Americans were constantly and continually brutalized by whites. They had to deal with racial epithets, harsh brutality, and the constant threat of angered whites. Growing up in that day and age was extremely difficult for Black youth.
not complete but heres my essay
The first time I ever felt racially discriminated by
the color of my skin was when I was ten in the fourth
grade. Sine my neighborhood always consisted of both
black and white residents with middle to high income,
I never experienced or seen racial tension in my life
before. I had believed that racial discrimination was
a thing of the past that society looked down upon. It
wasn’t until I attended a new public school in a white
upper class neighborhood, that I had received a rude
awakening to racism and segregation in public schools
today.
When I was in fourth grade, I was one of two
African-American students in the class and one of
three in the entire school. At the time, it seemed as
though the children began to joke about stereotypes.
Although they didn’t understand why the jokes were
funny, the children would ask me if I was someone that
fit the normal stereotypical joke. I vividly remember
the kids asking me if I liked fried chicken, or if I
lived in the ghetto because I was from Brooklyn.
the color of my skin was when I was ten in the fourth
grade. Sine my neighborhood always consisted of both
black and white residents with middle to high income,
I never experienced or seen racial tension in my life
before. I had believed that racial discrimination was
a thing of the past that society looked down upon. It
wasn’t until I attended a new public school in a white
upper class neighborhood, that I had received a rude
awakening to racism and segregation in public schools
today.
When I was in fourth grade, I was one of two
African-American students in the class and one of
three in the entire school. At the time, it seemed as
though the children began to joke about stereotypes.
Although they didn’t understand why the jokes were
funny, the children would ask me if I was someone that
fit the normal stereotypical joke. I vividly remember
the kids asking me if I liked fried chicken, or if I
lived in the ghetto because I was from Brooklyn.
start of essay
When I was accepted into the high school for environmental studies I never expected to see so much diversity, in fact I didn’t even know it existed. The schools, which I attended previously, were in my community and the people that I encountered were usually Hispanic. New York is a very diverse state as a whole, but there are certain places were you might only find a of particular group of people.
However, when I entered high school I encountered people from many different backgrounds, and this is how I leaned about different races. As I began to communicate and see people that were different them me I compared them to others and myself. I was able to interact with others and see he cultural difference. I was no longer in a community in which people where very similar to me.
However, when I entered high school I encountered people from many different backgrounds, and this is how I leaned about different races. As I began to communicate and see people that were different them me I compared them to others and myself. I was able to interact with others and see he cultural difference. I was no longer in a community in which people where very similar to me.
Cesar Veras
My very first experience with racism, and being aware of it, started since my childhood days in the Dominican Republic. I remember there always being a sense of racial superiority between Dominicans and Haitians. Everywhere I used to go racist jokes where being made of this group of people and this only made me think as a little by that sometimes people are born superior to other people. Even though my family was always teaching me the right morals. Teaching me how everyone is created equal. The things that I used to see around made think otherwise. They made me think that I was better than this people.
The racial situation in the Dominican Republic is nowhere near what happened to African Americans. There is not any serious violence or segregation involved, but it is not the tangible things that hurt the psychological state of the human beings. It is the intangible ideas that make all the damage. Haitians in the Dominican Republic are growing up with some of the hatred that is expressed from native Dominicans. “Many Haitians were at times insulted just because of where they are from.” This makes the whole entire race being looked as a whole, and not as individuals like they are supposed to.
My personal experience in the Dominican Republic makes me think of the story “Uncle Toms’ Children,” by Richard Wright, when he says; “I was never under any conditions to fight white folks again.” The connection I drew back to my past is that even though it was not prohibited, playing or interacting with Haitian kids was not portrayed as the right thing to do in the society. Many stereotypes were going on, and even now that makes Haitian kids seem like an inferior race.
My very first experience with racism, and being aware of it, started since my childhood days in the Dominican Republic. I remember there always being a sense of racial superiority between Dominicans and Haitians. Everywhere I used to go racist jokes where being made of this group of people and this only made me think as a little by that sometimes people are born superior to other people. Even though my family was always teaching me the right morals. Teaching me how everyone is created equal. The things that I used to see around made think otherwise. They made me think that I was better than this people.
The racial situation in the Dominican Republic is nowhere near what happened to African Americans. There is not any serious violence or segregation involved, but it is not the tangible things that hurt the psychological state of the human beings. It is the intangible ideas that make all the damage. Haitians in the Dominican Republic are growing up with some of the hatred that is expressed from native Dominicans. “Many Haitians were at times insulted just because of where they are from.” This makes the whole entire race being looked as a whole, and not as individuals like they are supposed to.
My personal experience in the Dominican Republic makes me think of the story “Uncle Toms’ Children,” by Richard Wright, when he says; “I was never under any conditions to fight white folks again.” The connection I drew back to my past is that even though it was not prohibited, playing or interacting with Haitian kids was not portrayed as the right thing to do in the society. Many stereotypes were going on, and even now that makes Haitian kids seem like an inferior race.
This i Just part of my essay.....(Race Does Not Determine Your Destination)
Had it ever occur to you that race had to do anything with the way we limit ourselves to certain things in life? Do you think that race has a big impact on your life and what you become? I happened to always think that way but never discouraging myself before I turned sixteen. The summer after I turned sixteen I got admitted to attend Choate Rosemary Hall a very prestigious boarding school in Wallingford CT. Stereotypically enough I thought that only people that belonged to the white race were privileged enough to attend a school like this because the are seen as superiors in America and they are said to be very wealthy. In fact this is what scared me the most to be the one person out of the few to be on scholarship and to be of a middle class income around these people so different from me.
Being at Choate Rosemary Hall This summer really enable me to learn how unimportant race is and that we as minorities of colored race tend to limit ourselves too much because of what we are. I’m not of white descent and my family is not wealthy at all they just happened to have enough income to live a descent life but yet there I was sitting in the same place of someone that from way back in history has been said to be superior to me. This is where I began to realize that your race does not affect where or what you do in life.
Being at Choate Rosemary Hall This summer really enable me to learn how unimportant race is and that we as minorities of colored race tend to limit ourselves too much because of what we are. I’m not of white descent and my family is not wealthy at all they just happened to have enough income to live a descent life but yet there I was sitting in the same place of someone that from way back in history has been said to be superior to me. This is where I began to realize that your race does not affect where or what you do in life.
my essay
as we grow up we tend to have certain ideas of races. we learn to think lik this through our parents... ( free writing)
intro: discuss how ppl usually think one way about a race.. close minded
intro book "the sky is gray" and story
my idea that ideas are not real
Body 1: ideas of race
book: white people are superior
story: white people are rich
body 2: how it affects us
book: blck ppl had less opportunities and were limited
story: felt inferior and poor
body 3: truth of races
book: truth expressed through young boy
story: rhetoric assistants story
conclusion: not everything u think is true
summary of ponts and ideas
this is like my outline so far
intro: discuss how ppl usually think one way about a race.. close minded
intro book "the sky is gray" and story
my idea that ideas are not real
Body 1: ideas of race
book: white people are superior
story: white people are rich
body 2: how it affects us
book: blck ppl had less opportunities and were limited
story: felt inferior and poor
body 3: truth of races
book: truth expressed through young boy
story: rhetoric assistants story
conclusion: not everything u think is true
summary of ponts and ideas
this is like my outline so far
EZ's Essay so far
Race is something that we all have. It gives us our identity in the marathon. As we grow up, we tend to have different thoughts and opinions on these different races. Having these thoughts and ideas affects the way we tend to act toward other races. Experiences like this are revealed through Richard in “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” written by Richard Wright and through my own life experiences.
In “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” a very small and young African American boy named Richard is portrayed throughout the whole story as kind of a student who is taking a class on how to live under Jim Crow laws. Richard makes some mistakes and pays a price when he does. He learns a very painful lesson in the very beginning of the story. He is a young boy who lives in the black part of the town. One day he got into a fight with a group of white boys. Richard was throwing cinders at them. But all of a sudden, they threw a glass bottle at him. Richard was seriously hurt. He fell to the ground and cried for help but his friends ran away from him because of the fear of getting hit by a glass bottle. Luckily someone helped him up and took him to the nearest hospital where he got three stitches. When Richard came home he waited anxiously for his mother to come home to reassure him. To embrace him. When his mom came home he told her all about his experiences earlier in that day. His mom was outraged. “How come yuh didn’t hide?” she asked instead of asking are you okay. She gave him a horrible beating that he would remember for the rest of his life. His mom told hime to not fight anyone let alone white people. He was never to talk back to white people, he was never to disrespect white people, he was always supposed to be inferior to black people. Richard was very shocked about the fact that he was not equal to white people.
Similarly to Richard I had experienced situations that enabled me to learn about race. Up until I was in Bangladesh to the age of 9 I used to think everyone was equal. I never questioned the meaning of race because we all were Bengali. We all were from the same country. I used to believe that we all were equal in every single way possible. But when I came to America I was just amazed to see all of these people from so many different races that had so many different views and perspectives on the world. I would still act the same way I did in Bangladesh. I was race blind. I treated everyone equally. But unlike Richard I did ot learn about race teh hard way. I did not get physical experience to learn about race.
And taht is I think due to teh civil rights movement. It gave me teh ability to live, eat, be next to, stand up with, walk with, look at, share with, talk with everyone. And it gave us a chance to be friends with everyone and anyone despite their race. And i think that is one of the best achievments of mankind in all of history.
In “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow,” a very small and young African American boy named Richard is portrayed throughout the whole story as kind of a student who is taking a class on how to live under Jim Crow laws. Richard makes some mistakes and pays a price when he does. He learns a very painful lesson in the very beginning of the story. He is a young boy who lives in the black part of the town. One day he got into a fight with a group of white boys. Richard was throwing cinders at them. But all of a sudden, they threw a glass bottle at him. Richard was seriously hurt. He fell to the ground and cried for help but his friends ran away from him because of the fear of getting hit by a glass bottle. Luckily someone helped him up and took him to the nearest hospital where he got three stitches. When Richard came home he waited anxiously for his mother to come home to reassure him. To embrace him. When his mom came home he told her all about his experiences earlier in that day. His mom was outraged. “How come yuh didn’t hide?” she asked instead of asking are you okay. She gave him a horrible beating that he would remember for the rest of his life. His mom told hime to not fight anyone let alone white people. He was never to talk back to white people, he was never to disrespect white people, he was always supposed to be inferior to black people. Richard was very shocked about the fact that he was not equal to white people.
Similarly to Richard I had experienced situations that enabled me to learn about race. Up until I was in Bangladesh to the age of 9 I used to think everyone was equal. I never questioned the meaning of race because we all were Bengali. We all were from the same country. I used to believe that we all were equal in every single way possible. But when I came to America I was just amazed to see all of these people from so many different races that had so many different views and perspectives on the world. I would still act the same way I did in Bangladesh. I was race blind. I treated everyone equally. But unlike Richard I did ot learn about race teh hard way. I did not get physical experience to learn about race.
And taht is I think due to teh civil rights movement. It gave me teh ability to live, eat, be next to, stand up with, walk with, look at, share with, talk with everyone. And it gave us a chance to be friends with everyone and anyone despite their race. And i think that is one of the best achievments of mankind in all of history.
draft
Samantha Frazier
In a time where Jim Crow is the law and whites have the power to get away with murder, racism is something that is both taught and experienced first hand by children both black and white. No matter what the race of a child is, in America especially, and in other country, children become aware of their identity and ethnicity to a certain extent. Some feel that racial profiling comes from a nonstop recycling of old customs and practices that live on dormant in the back of the mind. People chose to ignore signs of racism and try to forget the harsdships of past civil rights activits and live on. However children of all colors are able to identify and respond to racism as a young age and even question the experiences thney’ve had.
In a time where Jim Crow is the law and whites have the power to get away with murder, racism is something that is both taught and experienced first hand by children both black and white. No matter what the race of a child is, in America especially, and in other country, children become aware of their identity and ethnicity to a certain extent. Some feel that racial profiling comes from a nonstop recycling of old customs and practices that live on dormant in the back of the mind. People chose to ignore signs of racism and try to forget the harsdships of past civil rights activits and live on. However children of all colors are able to identify and respond to racism as a young age and even question the experiences thney’ve had.
an experience w/ race...
I haven't really had any personal experience w/ race, but this topic did remind me of a book I read when was younger called Amazing Grace. A young Black girl named Grace desperately wanted the starring role in her class play Peter Pan. However, some other classmates tried to shut her down by telling her she couldnt be Peter because she was a girl and she was Black. She felt so hurt and confused about being rejected due to her race, she had no clue what to do, so she confided in her mother. This story came to mind because like many of the characters we studied in the literature we have read are just like Grace; they don't know how to react to or deal with the issue of racial discrimination.
when i realized i was black
i was only in the 6th grade and there weren't many people who looked and talked like me. i eventually migrated into a group of individuals who i could identify with but was still afraid of accepting differance and maturity. as i went on to high school and learned all about different cultures and people, socializing with all races was much easier to deal with until i was asked a very ignorant question. why don't you talk black? i responded by saying that i do not know much ablout color languages, i speak purple but orange is my native tongue. it bothered me to know that such ignorance still existed in the most intergrated situations and that people still carried with them the mind set and the strong belief in sterotypes of blacks.
first altercation with racism
whn i was evenyears old i experienced my first encounter with racism. I was in a park right next to my apartment building wit hmy best friend Jelori. We were on the only two swings in the entire park just having a good time. We see a white man with his daughter waking towards the park and become excited that maybe a new friend was in the midst. My best friend and i were totally surprised when the white older man walked up to me and planly asked me to move. I was stunned at how blunt and rude his statement was and i said why. He responed by saying because "my daughter wants to swing so move now nigger" . i beacame very angry and said no she can wait in line like i did..he slowly backed away and said that " i knew i shouldnt have come here you people still dont know our place"...and with that comment he left but left me with ashamed, confused, and scared. I think from then on i have had problems with accepting the thoughts that come along with being blak. people always say to me that that's how the world works....but why is that something i should just accept and not fight.
my connection
although in "my topic" i discussed how richard in uncle tom's children saw white people i actually want to discuss the story the sky is gray because in that story it seemed as though only the white people had money and were better off when in reality (my reality) there are white people that are not well off at all
My Story
Growing up in a place where poverty is nothing new, i noticed that almost everyone living there was either on welfare, section 8 or both. although this is not something that i thought of consciencly i assumed that the only people receiving these benefits would be people of color. my perspective changed this summer while at carleton college. when ever i thought of a white person i thought of money and big houses so when i arrived at the program i felt that i would be the poorest person there, compared to them. however, i had a rhetoric assistant who was white that allowed me to see that not all white people had money. he grew up in alabama with a poor family. This didnt surprise me because there are some white people that are poor (not like colored people though). i then learned that he also grew up using food stamps. i was shocked!!!! i never imagined that white people could use food stamps or even wanting to. i realized that white should not be related to wealth.
my topic
i want to discuss the way we learn about the race of white people. In the story "Uncle Tom's Children" richard learns about the laws of jim crow but he also learns about white people. i want to discuss this issue to show that we have this idea that white people are superior when they really are not
Race does not determine your destination(this is my essay topic)
Coming back from a very prestigious boarding school in Wallingford CT called Choate Rosemary Hall this past summer I began to learn how non important race was. I'm not of white descent and my family doesn't have money or are not wealthy at all. I found myself sitting in a classroom with people from all over the world that had a way better economical situation than me, race in this situation didn't play in factor in me being admitted into such school. As long as you have the skills, motivation and qualities of a goes student you will get the same opportunities that these wealthy people are giving. There were black and Hispanic people at the boarding school that I was attending that could clearly afford such tuition. On the other hand there were students who share the same qualities as the others as far as academics but were on scholarships but they were sharing the same environment.
Money and opportunities have nothing to do with race, is all about what you make of your personal life. You set down your boundaries in life. Your culture and life does not determine what you do or what you could do. Race doesn't predict where you're heading is your actions that do. People are always confused and mistaken when they say that you can't go a certain way or be at a certain level because of your race or skin color.
This is just what I have so far.........
Money and opportunities have nothing to do with race, is all about what you make of your personal life. You set down your boundaries in life. Your culture and life does not determine what you do or what you could do. Race doesn't predict where you're heading is your actions that do. People are always confused and mistaken when they say that you can't go a certain way or be at a certain level because of your race or skin color.
This is just what I have so far.........
this is my story:
When i was living in the Dominican Republic i noticed how hatians that migrated there were treated as inferior. Everywhere i used to go people would make descriminating jokes about hatians. Many hatians were insulted because of where they were fromand what their background is. me as a little boy did not understand why these people were treates this way. There was stereotyping everywhere and everytime i hear about sturories of african americans i emember my experience in the dominican republic. I grew up in the aggressor side instead of he victims side. I witnessed how people were born with a mentality of superiority and ego. Eventhough the situation wasn't nowhere near as severe as the african ameriacan situation, it still brought an impact in my life of how a society can shape a persons life.
The topic of my essay is going to be about how people are raised with an idea of superiority, and how eventhough there weren't violence nor segregation invoved between Dominicans and Hatians. The mind set of a person could atill think that they are superior to others lik in the stories.
When i was living in the Dominican Republic i noticed how hatians that migrated there were treated as inferior. Everywhere i used to go people would make descriminating jokes about hatians. Many hatians were insulted because of where they were fromand what their background is. me as a little boy did not understand why these people were treates this way. There was stereotyping everywhere and everytime i hear about sturories of african americans i emember my experience in the dominican republic. I grew up in the aggressor side instead of he victims side. I witnessed how people were born with a mentality of superiority and ego. Eventhough the situation wasn't nowhere near as severe as the african ameriacan situation, it still brought an impact in my life of how a society can shape a persons life.
The topic of my essay is going to be about how people are raised with an idea of superiority, and how eventhough there weren't violence nor segregation invoved between Dominicans and Hatians. The mind set of a person could atill think that they are superior to others lik in the stories.
Changes to Schedule
There have been a few changes to our printed schedule:
1.Danielle's and Kiese's conversation about Katrina will be at 6:30 PM tonight (instead of 7), in the Villard Room, Main 2nd floor.
3.Today (Wednesday) the afternoon study period (3:30-5) will be held in the Library Seminar Room, room 30, which is just to the left after you come up the stairs into the front hall.
2. Instead of the Friday study period from 4-5, Luis will meet you at the entrance of Main and take you on a tour of the Vassar residence houses.
1.Danielle's and Kiese's conversation about Katrina will be at 6:30 PM tonight (instead of 7), in the Villard Room, Main 2nd floor.
3.Today (Wednesday) the afternoon study period (3:30-5) will be held in the Library Seminar Room, room 30, which is just to the left after you come up the stairs into the front hall.
2. Instead of the Friday study period from 4-5, Luis will meet you at the entrance of Main and take you on a tour of the Vassar residence houses.
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