Personal Narrative: Being Black In America

Some might believe that we are done with the dog days we say stuff like, “Oh there is no more racism,” or “Racism is over we have a black president now.” In addition, just because we have a black president does not mean racism is over, one person cannot make racism end, something that has been occurring for various centuries since the first ship arrived to Jamestown in 1607. As we have seen over and over these ongoing trends of dehumanizing people of color and how that is affecting them now. If you do not believe that racism and segregation does not exist anymore well black people where there are unstable social and economically and black were out of the housing market, where they could not buy a home where white people lived. (The House We

One of the biggest struggles with today’s generation is self-identity, realizing who you are and the skin your are. I have been placed around people who feel as if being black is a curse. There is this concept that being black means that you are not privileged in any way. We keep the idea of us being oppressed so long that we never advance our minds to recognize that everyone, including ourselves are different and unique in our own way. “BUT I AM NOT tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes. I do not mind at all (Zora Hurston).” Zora Hurston states that when she is constantly reminded by people that her grandparents were slaves, she does not let that oppress her. I have learned that even though I am a black women I still have so much to offer to the world. I am me and my skin color should not define me as a

Growing up in America and having a parent from another country comes with many perks and stories. In case you haven't read the title or wondering which parent is from another country; My father is from a small island in Central America named Belize. To give you the brief history about Belize, Belize first inhabitants were the Mayans from the beginning of time until the fourteenth century due to them mysteriously declining in population. The Mayans had a huge roll in the Central American countries. This due to the fact that they developed the idea of hieroglyphics, which back then was the only fully known writing system of the pre-Columbian Americas-as well as for its mathematics, astronomical system, art, calendar, and architecture. By the

“The black family in the age of mass incarceration,” author Ta-Nehisi Coates toss back on the attempt of “The Negros family”, report by the American politician and sociologist Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s have benefactor to reduce America’s mass detainment, bringing about a country with the world’s biggest jail populace and the largest rate of detainment. In this article, he explained about the difficulties of black families about the racism that have continually arisen in times gone by to present day.

There are several cultures throughout our world, country, state, and even our city we live in today. You may not notice it, but there are several differences that make us unique; yet, the greater portion of us also have similarities. Steve Harmon has grown up wanting to fit in with others; he focuses on school striving to be the best. Almost daily Steve harassed by gangs so he comes up with the decision of joining on himself. Gangs are close to what you visualize in movies; gang members want the respect of others and to show that you must prove that you are tough and worthy. Steve is a nice respected black man; however, to show his gang, he is worthy he takes part in a bank robbery. Having a simple job of being the lookout, all goes wrong when the clerk pulls a gun and fights for his store. Steves partner James King fights for the gun when is discharged on the clerk himself ending his life. Steve must go on trial for murder even though he never touched the gun. Kathy O’Brien, Steve 's layer, states that their definitions of winning may be different as if Steve’s definition of winning is the death penalty not taking place(13).

I identify as Black. Growing up as a minority in America has shaped my identity by making me a creative, hard working, and understanding individual. By being Black in America I realized that there is this stigma that Black kids can’t excel in certain areas of education because the majority of our neighborhood and public schools lack the proper resources for us to do so. While this stigma holds truth, I refuse to let this stigma handicap me. Growing up with less resources allowed me to be creative. If there was something I did not have I was sure that I could create an equivalent to what I did not have by using materials that I did have.

As a person goes through life he or she may wonder “Who am I?” and “What is my purpose?” The objective of this paper is to allow me to reflect and critically analyze who I am as a person. In this paper, I will discuss my social location and identity, my life experiences and my privileges and disadvantages.

The “hood” is often what downtown, Elizabeth NJ is labeled as. Children like me are doubted as many people seem to believe we will just become another statistic. My background has motivated to strive for success, proving those with agnosticism wrong. Seeing bodies strung out on the corner or laying on the sidewalk is a part of my everyday life. I’m not ashamed of where I come from as it has made me who I am today. Every day I wake up with a goal set in mind to become a success but not just for myself but my community. Sure we are not the ideal neighborhood seen in movies but together we are family that can achieve greatness.

After watching the movie “A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story”, I realized that I didn’t know much about how Mexico lost part of their land to the United States and about how hard life used to be for Mexican Americans compared to now. I learned about how Mexican Americans were treated in the United States. The movie was mainly about how Mexican Americans were discriminated and they were treated as inferior people. They were not seen as actual “Americans”, but as a second class, calling them names like “shiftless, lazy, dumb, etc.” Another important thing I learned is who was Gus García and what he did for Mexican Americans. His history made a huge difference making people feel stronger. He fought for his people and he didn’t stop until he won. Me being Mexican American makes me

Growing up african American or with any skin that holds the slightest of pigment is not easy, but that's obvious due to our nation's past. Racism and stereotypeing has always been there.In high school the typical stereotype for blacks is that we all slack and don't care about anything. It was easier to not care and fit in then to act with common sense and stand out. And that's exactly what I did, Not care.

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr., “I have a dream that my four little children will

White Lies by Natasha Trethewey is a poem about a girl that struggle to find her identity. Identifying our self in society sometimes can be difficult, but having multiple racial backgrounds can make it twice as difficult. Trethewey was born in 1966 to a white father and a black mother in Mississippi where at the time it was illegal the interracial marriage. Therefore, we can infer she is the girl she refers to in the poem. In the poem, the author talks about her childhood and how difficult was for her growing up being half white half black. The young girl in the poem struggles with her racial identity not knowing what race she belongs to. She struggles not being accepted by the black community because of her light bright skin and not being

“Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” This was said by the famous Rosa Parks in 1957. Racism should have ended long ago but there are still many cases going on around the world today. To make things worse, racism isn’t the only type of discrimination happening. The three most common types of discrimination faced in our generation are racism, religion discrimination, and homophobia.

As a Biracial woman who is also Bisexual, intersectionality and diversity are extremely important to me. As I matured, my ethnicity became increasingly important to me. Being biracial can be extremely isolating, and there can be a frequent feeling of not fitting in. I often feel stuck between two worlds, Black and White, Gay and Straight. As I grew up, I felt out of place around family, and unsure about my place in the world. I began taking steps to establish my own identity, interacting with a variety of different people, Christian teachers, Jewish friends, my Black mother, White father, and classmates that span multitudes of sexualities and ethnicities. As my life became more varied I came to see that the ties to both sides of my family

My whole life, I have always been required to be proud of my ethnicity. I am 18 years old now, and I am an American citizen. However, ask me where I am from and I will tell you, “I’m Mexican.” I say that because my family is and I have been taught to do so. It has become a natural habit of mine and others as well. Not only was I taught by my parents that I am Mexican, but I was always taught that the world is not a beautiful place. That there will be people who will hate me for who I define myself to be. As a child, it was hard to understand, but as I grew, the more I understood that my parents were right. America still is racist and unfair to those of another race. I cannot comprehend how being something other than American gives anyone the