Race and Your Community
Frank Aponte
University of Phoenix
ETH 125
Race and My Community
In the United States the topic of “Race” affects the lives of everyone. Just think of when you watch the evening news and the topic of race is probably mentioned at least once during the broadcast. In light of the recent presidential election some would say race is becoming less of an issue in the United States, after all we have elected an African American president. This is an question “Has the issue of race become less relevant now that we have a black president?” This is a question that is extremely difficult to answer. Instead, I used this question as motivation to explore what role race plays in my community and how the topic of race affects my everyday life. Let us begin my first understanding my race and experiences I have had based on my race
In the early 1900’s my family migrated from Puerto Rico. As part of the Hispanic ethnic group growing up in New York was not as easy as one may think. Even though New York is one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the world, I was faced with discriminatory remarks and behaviors because of my race.
One example of discrimination was Bilingual education. “Bilingual education was intended to give new immigrants a leg up. During earlier waves of immigration, children who entered American schools without speaking English were left to fend for themselves. Many thrived, but others, feeling lost and confused, did not” (Barbour, 1995). “Even in integrated schools, Latino children were given separate, unequal treatment. “No Spanish” was a rule enforced throughout the Southwest, Florida, and New York City by school boards in the 1960s. Children speaking Spanish on school grounds, even on the playground, might be punished with detention after school, fines, physical reprimands, and even expulsion for repeated violations” (Schaefer, 2006, p 242). This type of...