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Racial identity impacted by society
Characteristics of african american culture and diversity
Racial identity impacted by society
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I agree with everyone that no one goes through all the stages perfectly. However, I do not think the writer was making this claim either. Looking at the African-American racial identity development, I agree with the general steps, but there are people that will never get out of the first stage, unfortunately. I think I am at the last stage in the model and I think that I have moved through all of them at one point in my life. However, I did not fit every point in every stage, but I did in the general sense. The last stage is internalization-commitment, I now know what is happening and how it is being done. I plan on educating others about the functioning of the
The thing that I consider most interesting about this article is Alan Locke’s comparison of the old Negro vs. the new Negro. He pictures the old Negro as put together, they had life set up a certain way there was nothing new and exciting about it. In his description of the new Negro he uses words such as radical and new psychology. He mentioned
Through every single obstacle a person went through no one gave up. Colored people did not lose hope in becoming equal to white people because they knew they were capable. What the author was trying to prove was exactly that. Although blacks were slaves and were always belittled by white they proved to be more than what the whites thought they were capable of. They stood up for themselves and they did it in several events that occurred in the book. For example, in the chapter a black teenager, James Crawford, was not slightly intimidated by a deputy registrar that attempted to sound intimidating. In the conversation the registrar made some menacing remarks to this young African American teenager saying he would put a bullet through the teenagers head. Not afraid at all, Crawford valiantly told him if it happened he would be dead, but people would come from all over the world. This young man was not afraid to stand up for himself and was not going to tolerate it in any way. Malcolm X was another inspiration to African Americans for the way he stood up for them. He had a strong connection with the people who were influenced by him. In late 1964, Malcolm X told a group of black students from Mississippi, “You’ll get freedom by letting your enemy know that you’ll do anything to get your freedom; then you’ll get it” (Zinn 461). This quote connected to how
For most of the book, readers can recognize that Downs has many assumptions imbedded in his argument, but he does not deviate from factual support in order to make any claims. This style pays off as it allows readers to assess his argument purely on the basis the facts he has presented. Downs is skilled in how he pulls readers into his book. Early on in the book, Downs shares a story of what happens to a young boy and his family after emancipation. The story of this young boy turns from optimism to overwhelming reality as it reaches a point of illness for the young boy. This early narrative gives readers an early look into how tragic emancipation was for some African Americans. It helped Downs usher in his argument that emancipation did not usher in the instant freedom that is often
This understanding marks the last shift in the essay. Steele is more sure of himself and his solution in this portion than earlier on in the text. This is perceived through diction like “we must” and “necessity” (610-611), these imperative words develop a strong opinion. This adds to the argument because an audience will tend to adhere to someone who is confident in themselves and what they are saying. Steele’s solution entails that people must begin to individualize themselves. As mentioned earlier, the black community became a singular people and although unification can be a positive idea, with unification comes division, which leads to seclusion. This is because unification is created by a group sharing a common trait, however, there will always be those that do not have this trait and that is where division occurs and eventually seclusion is created. For this reason, Steele encourages his audience to move beyond “Race-as-identity”. He explains that individualization can be beneficial because it prevents general associations from being formed and without these associations people will feel less compelled to conform to them. Moreover, he wishes to rid society of the victim-focused black identity because it “encourages the individual to feel that his advancement depends almost entirely on that of the group…[and] reimposes limitations that can have the same oppressive effect” (610). Writing “On Being Black and Middle Class” was Steele’s way to work through this issue that society has. Steele clarifies the issue and comes to the conclusion that the contradictory norms of being black and being middle class puts a strain on those who are both and the only way to lift this burden is for all of society to focus less on victimization and concentrate more on
Antonio, a 19 year old Mexican-American originally from Dallas, Texas, is the son of undocumented parents who came to the United States to achieve the American Dream. His parents instilled in him that the White majority were a superior ethnicity and encouraged him to speak and act White in order to achieve the same life White American’s have. Because he received a full-ride scholarship, Antonio moved in Minnesota to attend college. Due to two emotional incidents during his freshman year, he is now considering therapy. These included being called a “sell out” by White peers because he was he was trying to act and sound White and having a professor write on a A-quality paper that he “did well for a Latino.” Antonio now questions his parent’s
African-American is a politically correct term used to refer to blacks within the United States. The roots of many African-American rites can be traced back to African cultural rites. However, it is important to note that not all blacks in America identify with African cultural roots. Therefore, some of the rites found within what many in the United States call African-American culture stem from Caribbean and other cultural traditions. For this reason, when making end of life decisions or funeral arrangements the “cultural identification, spirituality and the social class” the individual identifies with must be taken into account. The black majority within the United States identifies with Afrocentric traditions and perspectives. For this reason the term African-American will be used within this paper to denote the black population found in America as comparisons are made regarding how end of life decisions are viewed and made by African-American culture verses the traditional western European beliefs of American culture (Barrett, 2002).
Being a resident of South Carolina, African-American Culture was chosen as part of the applied learning project for the Intercultural Nursing class, because African-Americans make up more than a quarter of this state’s population. According to the 2010 United States Census Bureau, the total population for South Carolina (S.C.) is 4,625,364, with 27.9% being of African-American descent. The purpose of this paper is to develop an understanding and sensitivity to issues and cultural variances or phenomena that are unique to the African-American Culture. Another goal is to identify nursing interventions that are important for the nurse to consider in caring for this population. These phenomena’s include variances in social organization, communication, space, perception of time, environmental control, and biological variations associated with the African-American culture. (Giger, 2013 and South Carolina minority, n.d.)
Prior to beginning my readings on white racial identity, I did not pay much attention to my white race. If someone had asked me to describe my appearance I would have said short blond hair, blue eyes, average stature, etc. One of the last things I would have noted was the color of my skin. Growing up in overwhelmingly white communities, I never thought to use the color of my skin to differentiate myself from others. Over the course of this dialogue I have learned that my white racial identity is one of the most defining aspects of my appearance in this society. There is a certain level of privilege that I am afforded based solely on the color of my skin. According to Peggy McIntosh, “White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks” (71). All these objects listed by McIntosh are things I have access to and certainly take for granted. Due to a history of non-white racial oppression, which transformed into decades of racial discrimination that still lingers today, the white race has dominated our society in terms of resources and prosperity. The ideas of wealth, higher-level education and ambition to succeed are all traits commonly linked to people of the white race that collectively define privilege. The aspect of privilege can also produce disadvantages for people of the white race as well. In the book Promoting Diversity and Justice, the author D. Goodman notes that people of advantage groups develop a sense of superiority, which will sometimes lead them to wonder if, “their achievements were based on privilege or merit” (107). Along with a diminished sense of accomplishment, the cost ...
Comparing and contrasting models of identity development in people of color with racial identity models for whites, in Chapter 12 they address the issue of White identity development and discuss how it may impact clients of color. These specialists point out that while the Racial/ Cultural Identity Development model in people of color proves beneficial in our work as therapists, more attention should be devoted toward the White therapist's racial identity.
Erikson believed that a crisis occurs at each stage of development. Successful completion of each stage results in healthy development. Failure to complete a stage can result in a lessened ability to successfully complete the following stages. However, the stages can be successfully completed later in life.
c. First, personal struggle for personhood by overcoming the internalization of the racialized norms (pp.118—119).
I classify my race, ethnicity, and culture as a white, Irish-Italian- American, woman. My mother was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and my paternal grandparents are from Sicily, Italy. I imagine being first generation Irish and second generation Italian helps me relate with my ethnicity.
Counseling diverse clients ethically involves knowledge of one’s own cultural group, values, and awareness of one’s current stage of racial identity development as well as an understanding of minority clients’ stage of racial and cultural identity (Sue, & Sue, 2013). As a White student counselor I read the article titled, “Racism and White Counselor Training: Influence of White Racial Identity Theory and Research,” by Sherlon Pack-Brown (1999) and reviewed Sue and Sue’s (2013) stages of racial and cultural identity in order to gain personal knowledge and insight.
“Treat others as you would want to be treated.” This is a well-known quote that many people use around the world. This quote basically means that if someone doesn’t like to be treated in a poor way, then they shouldn’t treat another person in a poor way either. African Americans had a difficult time dealing with unfair treatment back in the days. They would frequently be looked down upon just because they had different colored skin. Many African Americans grew tired of the way they were treated. Some of them stood up for what they believed in. Whether it was in a form of a March, speech, or protest, they would not back down for their equal rights. One of the most widely known incidents that took place during the Civil Rights Movement was known as the “Greensboro Sit- In”. The Greensboro Sit- In had a very powerful effect on the Civil Rights Movement.
Yamamoto, who is also a poet, takes a more assertive and personal stance in her