Research Paper: Race and your community
Abstract
Race is a means of definition within social context just as gender, profession, culture, neighborhoods people live in and even the friends they associate with. Evolving from these distinctions are the associating factors such as racial prejudice; racial discrimination and racial profiling. The importance of all these criteria pertaining to race is that when someone is born within its culture nothing is known about the implications race has on his/her social well being. Therefore, the whole philosophy of race is learnt behavior as well as impositions made by society. In the following pages of this document I will analyze the influences of race as it relates to my community. Precisely I will seek to answer questions pertaining to whether members of my community and I have the same racial identity; the way leaders in my community interact with people of my race; how my community treat people of my race and whether their relationship with people outside of my race is different. I will also investigate if documents pertaining to my race exit; media representation pertaining to my race; racial composition in leadership as well as any evidence of racial discrimination, profiling and prejudice within my community
Research Paper: Race and your community
Research Paper: Race and your community
Introduction
The community where I was raised and live is called Metropolitan Detroit. A 2010 census reveals that 4, 296,250 people live there. Of this population 70.1% are White, 22.8% African American, 0.3% Native American, 3.3% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races ( US Census Bureau, 2010)
Precisely, Hispanic or Latino of any race account for 6.2% of the population (US Census Bureau, 2010). Fortunately, I happen to be a Vietnamese American. From these census figures Vietnamese American falls within the category of other races which is 2.2% of the total population of Metropolitan Detroit.
Thesis Statement
Analysis of race as it relates to my community
Physical Appearance of members of my community
Based on the 2010 census a minority of 2.2% of all members of my community are Vietnamese Americans. The dominantly 70.1% White population have white pigmented skinned with blue eyes; either brown or blonde straight hair, straight noses and thin lips.22% Of African Americans have tight curly hair, variation in nose shapes either wide or slightly straight, black or dark brown hair; black skin; black or dark brown eyes, hair and thick lips . Vietnamese Americans are defined as having yellow pinkish skins, black eyes and hair; slightly wide to straight noses and thin lips. Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asian are closely related regarding their physical characteristics. In many societies across America Vietnamese are classified as a group within the Asian American racial profile. As such, they can either be other or Asian. The difference lies in the color of their hair and eyes (Chang, 2011)
Community leaders’ interaction among ethics groups
Social scientists have discovered that community leaders interact with this minority group from a prejudice of white supremacy since the predominantly white population culture submerges every other racial group’s orientation. However, instead of ‘blaming the victim’ reaction to stereotyping; racial profiling and discrimination it is ‘praising the victim’ (Shaefer, 2006).
Other racial groups retaliate with violence creating tension between them and white leaders within the community. African Americans still splurge about the years of segregation and behave like victims when various aspects of discrimination are offered them in exchange for loyalty to their community. But Vietnamese Asian Americans stand out beyond these adversities leaders impose on their social existence in Detroit.
Information in texts relating to Vietnamese Asian Americans.
A wealth of information can be found in my text about this model minority group. It includes evolution to the American society through immigration from their home countries, data on exemplary educational achievements, socioeconomic development as well as attempts at forging recognition in the political decision making mechanism of their communities (Chang, 2011).
Local media representation of my race
Research has shown where the local media is very careful in making non prejudicial representations of Vietnamese Americans. The difference lies between the ways print media forecast my race as against talk shows. From investigations talk shows offer racial profiling more readily than print. Frequently, especially when reference to the ‘model minority’ slogan it is said in an envious sarcastic manner (Chang, 2011).
There is also some measure of inflammatory reporting implicit in how events of World War 11 between Vietnam and United States is communicated to the public. Mainly, events relating America to be the powerful winner and Vietnam the looser often catches my attention. This indicates that post-war racial animosity still exists between peoples of these two nations. American Vietnamese are caught in the cross fire.
Of great advantage, the humility of spirit which propels our non violent reaction has subdued media reporting. Recently, new misrepresentations regarding economic decline of American is propagated by the media as being the responsibility of my race, but statistics reveal that Vietnamese have even shown greater economic growth than their White American counterparts even in the presence of employment discrimination (Shaefer, 2006)
Again media invisibility has been observed toward hiding the progress made by Vietnamese Americans and lambasting Vietnam or Asia as a whole for the disastrous decisions made by American financial planners. This extensive interrogation by local television media in some cases makes the complement of ‘model minority’ a degregoratory statement.
Similarities and differences between me; people in leadership positions in my community and representation of minority group interest.
The major similarities I hold with leaders in Metropolitan Detroit municipality is that we are all humans striving to live a decent life on earth. I do not think they regard Vietnamese Americans as Americans in any way except that we happen to occupy the same geographic space. Other elements of similarity are that we visit the same stores, supermarkets, churches; dive in similar cars or on buses; serviced by the same baking institutors, healthcare facilities; courts and educational systems (Metzger, 2001)
Precisely, these leaders have white pigmented skin with blue eyes; either brown or blonde straight hair, straight noses and thin lips. I have yellow pinkish skin, black eyes and hair; slightly wide to straight nose and thin lips. Due to this racial difference racial discrimination and profiling have emerged among leaders and minorities who are never elected to political administration in Metropolitan Detroit. This differentiates between who have opportunities of leadership and those before whom such doors have been slammed ‘closed.’
Consequently, there is evidence of marked resentment towards Vietnamese Americans by White Americans and to a lesser extent African Americans in Metropolitan Detroit. While leadership positions are closed affording minimal political representation of minority groups the cohesiveness that exists within this cohort group many racial disemfranchiments are nullified.
Resolving inequities within my community
Inequities in Metropolitan Detroit are inherent in a minority which accounts for merely 2.2-3.3% of the total population. In addressing this segment of the issue I would advocate increasing the population either through immigration or procreation. Immigration appears to be fastest means of improving Vietnamese presence in metropolitan. With stringent immigration laws stipulating the number of visas being issued yearly clearly this posses an underlying difficulty.
People are valuable resources within any nation’s culture. Political recognition requires majority votes for representation in key positions such as senators, congressmen / women. Asian Americans have a tendency towards Democratic political leadership in America due to its minority representation. Therefore, in creating balance in leadership more people is needed in Metropolitan Detroit to vole and forge participation in the social structure.
Application of race concepts from text
Three concepts pertaining to race which are inescapable applications to one’s life in America are racial profiling, racial prejudice and racial discrimination. For me it is the stark reality that my skin color, outline of my eyes, texture of my lips; shape of my face determine who will be my friends, how much I would score at tests, the way people would perceive me as a person and how far I get up the social ladder.
In reality no matter how much one would like to think that race is not a decisive interactive factor; growing up in Metropolitan Detroit itself is a reminder of the influence race has in the quality of life one enjoys in America. Studies have revealed that the highest level anyone of my race can attain in an organization is second level leadership. Notably Jerry Yang despite racial profiling has co- founded the World Wide Web which we all have full access; Yahoo (Shaefer, 2006 ).
Conclusion
In the final analysis while Metropolitan Detroit is considered by public opinion to be the most segregated population in twenty-first century United States of America( French, 2001), I am still hopeful that one day soon whites would understand that:-
“The world is broken in fragments and pieces
That once was joined together in a unified whole
But now too many stand alone—there is too much separation
We can resolve to come together in the new beginning (Chang, 2011).
Indeed the diversity of Metropolitan Detroit population has greatly influenced participation opportunities of Vietnamese American in its social structure. Why can’t we all get along?
References
Chang Stephaney (2011). Creating A New Beginning: Youth speak out on race and ethnicity in
Metropolitan Detroit. Skillman Foundation: University of Michigan
French Ron (2001). Region is diverse not mixed. The Detroit News
Metzger Kurt( 2001) Asians In United States. Michigan, Metropolitan Detroit. Center of urban
Studies. Wayne State University.
Shaefer Richard (2006).Racial Ethnic Groups. (10th ed). New York: Prentice Hall.
US Census Bureau (2011) Census Statistics. Retrieved (10th Nov, 2011) from
http://www.census.gov/
