Poverty Reflection Paper

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To begin reflecting on my own life and how poverty has played into my life experiences, I should begin by describing who I am. I am a 26 year old Caucasian male, from an upper middle class family in the southern United States. I have been very fortunate in my life to be raised to by both parents who have done well financially and were able to give me all of the advantages academically when I was growing up. While I did not myself suffer from class inequality or discrimination, growing up in North Carolina I did witness many of these injustices and had friends who suffered from them first hand. North Carolina is an absolutely beautiful state, however in many cases it is still very backwards and stuck in the ways of the past. Over the past few …show more content…

Even today in 2016 the poverty rates are mainly filled by minorities, and the largest numbers come from African Americans, and Latinos. When I personally think of a poor person, I see a minority who has been born into a low income neighborhood and works a low end job that requires little to no education. I believe that this mental depiction comes from the data representations, and not racial bias. Through the first eight weeks of this class, I have learned that the average ideas and attitudes towards poor people are not correct. While it is possible for a person to be poor because they are lazy and have made poor life decisions, the truth is that our society and the social class a person is born into plays the biggest part in determining whether or not a person will be poor in America. The opportunities and influences in life that a person receives are greatly impacted by the family that the person belongs to. These opportunities begin early and include the financial status of the family, security of neighborhood, involvement of parents, and quality of school and education. Education in rural areas

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