Race and Your Community

I am a black Mexican and live in Lincoln Avenue. I have lived in this area for quite some time now and have a pleasant experience of living here. My area majorly consists of people of Peurto Rico and my fellow countrymen. The people form Peurto Rico consists of majorly the black population and that from Mexico are a mixed race of black and Spanish origin. There are also some blacks Americans who stay in my area. It has often amazed me as to how do we segregate people based on races or community or their color. When we are all made up from the same clay then how we really differentiate is something I have not been able to decipher. The more appropriate question hence is why we need to differentiate and alienate the black from the white and the Mexican from the American. Does it really matter? Well it seems that it does. While most of the members of my community look very much like me, yes they are all of African origin; the community is more of a mixed population with the Peurto Ricans who have mostly Spanish in them and black Africans who are quite a few in numbers. There are also a few white Americans in my locality, but they have not spread any sort of differentiation till now. The Mexicans are generally a mixed breed. They consist of Spanish, blacks, and a few whites. In my locality though there are majorly black Mexicans and hence I gel very well with them. I will not say that I don't interact with others, but the bonding is stronger with my fellow countrymen.  

Race and my community

The community is mostly dominated by blacks and in that by Mexicans. So most of the people look very similar to the way I look. As far as the community leaders are concerned I don't know much about them as I do not interact with them much. But if the little that I have I have found them to be good to the community and the Mexicans in particular. In spite of knowing the fact that some of the Mexicans living here are illegal immigrants they do not harass them much and allow them to stay here, unless of course they are caught in some heinous crime. The police however do treat us a bit harshly. Some community leaders go to the extent of building low end houses and arranging financial aids for our community. They also treat the Puerto Ricans well and the black Americans well. Though I will admit they are more generous on us.

As most of the people in our community are of the same color I have not noticed much of racism or discrimination. In terms if nationality also I don't remember any such particular incident that might have caused much alarm. Yes there =e have been tiffs a few times between the Puerto Rican and African Americans, but that was solved out. The white Americans also have never treated any one badly or passed any indecent remarks on anyone. So on that count the community is free from prejudice. Yes, there are a few cultural differences in the community. But that is more because of nationality than anything else. The lifestyle is also a bit different and specially the young ones create some sort of problems a few times. But overall the people in the community treat each other very well and do not show any discrimination of sorts.

The local media does visit our locality few times and try and speak to us. They have not been able to cater to many problems of ours but have shown considerable support to us by showing some of the problems we face here as a society. The media has been unbiased in this regards. It is the leaders of the community who interact with the media more often. It is the leaders who generally try and solve out issues of our community. Though there are quite a few people I know who are in the leadership position in our society but I don't agree to some of their theories. Like the setting up of the community rates was a bit on the higher side. But overall they are doing a decent job and have been able to address the issues of the society well. But yes I would love to be in that role. There are a few things that I want to change in the society. First of all I will make sure that the young boys who have made it a habit of standing in the middle of the society and cause some concern to the ladies be reprimanded immediately. Also there is no decent playing place for the children and young people. I will like to set up one. We can do away with the customary weekly meetings as they are nothing but a waste of time. Instead we can go in for a quick session on the focusing on the problems only that too bi monthly. Also we should be able to raise our concerns and make sure our voices reach the right person. I will make sure that the abandoned houses that are lying un used be re constructed again with the help of the leaders and government intervention and be used by the community people. We can also arrange for a community hall which will be of great use for holding social gatherings and events. One issue that needs to be catered immediately is the drug dealers. They have made a point to visit our locality every night and some of our boys have been interacting with them regularly. We have to curb this right away and make sure that the young guys are saved from this bad habit.

Social races are an important point that should be addressed right away. Many localities in the United States are prey to racialism. With mixed population living inmost of the localities these have become a common thing. Well if we look from one perspective we will understand that it is bound to happen. All five fingers are not the same. Hence the interaction on a day to day basis within the community is bound to raise a few racial connotations. The leaders of the community have to play an important role her and to ensure that this does not happen on a regular basis. The news channel can be of immense help in this. If they showcase the racial problems well on the national news it will help curb this evil to a great extent. The leaders of the community have been regularly interacting with the news people but not much could have been done. I am not saying that the have not helped put forth our point, but a lot more could have been done.

Human interactions in my community have been racialized, some being positive and some negative. These interactions have impacted relations in my neighborhood, service groups, clubs, schools, and environment in which I am a part. Even though a leader of the community's opinion of race and the community is negative, interactions in my community have had positive influences on race and the community because of a member of the community's opinion as well as a new channel's report on the community.

In my community, most people look like I do as far as skin color and race is concerned. Hence at least I did not have to face any racial discrimination whatsoever. Neither have I done such a thing to others. But the people who are in minority in our society sometimes do feel a bit left out. Take for example my case only. I interact mostly with my race people and share a better rapport with them as compared to the other residents. This is not deliberate but it comes naturally. Hence sometimes the minority residents do feel alienated. If you will ask me to differentiate the different races in my community apart from color it will be a herculean task for me. The appearance of all is mostly the same. Those days are gone when we were able to recognize people by the way they used to dress or speak. With globalization this difference has almost been negated. The dressing style apart from marriages or festivals is almost identical and literally impossible to judge the race of the person.

In a diverse community like ours it is very important to know each other well and know each others culture. This will help strengthen the bond amongst each other. Mixing with each other is a great option to nurture this relation.

Racism has become an integral part of our lives. It is sad but unfortunately it is true. Some even don't know what it means but knowingly or unknowingly become a part of it. Theoretically speaking race is defined as a differentiating factor of humans based upon physical appearance of a person. It includes skin color (like white, brown, black), national heritage (like American, Mexican, Asian), cultural affiliation (like Hispanic, Blacks etc) and religion (like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism etc).

No matter how much difference we take out in terms of racial features, one thing is sure we cannot change the way we live. We live in the same place, breathe the same air, eat the same food (of course preferences are there), follow the same biological procedure and in the end die. Hence this is something which we will not be able to change ever. It is this simple. The moment we understand it and make a part of our lives we will see that the fun of living will increase two folds and live will have a new meaning.