Racial Autobiography - Grade: 100% PDF

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RACIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

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Racial Autobiography

Jordan Johnson Dr. Wilson Educational Psychology 201.003 March 3, 2021

RACIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

1 Family

Are your parents the same race? Same ethnic group? Siblings? Extended family?

My family identifies as an African American family. Although my mom does have a Hispanic mix and is lighter than the rest of us, she claims her African American descent. We raised and taught as fully African American and that is how I see myself. My extended family on my dad’s side is strictly Black, while my mom’s side is predominately black with a little mix in between. My grandpa, mom, uncle, and first cousin are all lighter than me. However, both grandmas, great grandma, etc. are all of darker descent.

What ideas did THEY grow up with regarding race relation ns? Have you ever talked about this with them? Why? Why not?

Both of my parents grew up in poor black neighborhoods in the Richmond, and DC area. Although they were surrounded by people like them, race was still an issue in some ways. My mom mentions how she went to a predominately white school. During this time period she was ashamed about how she looked and how she was perceived to them. She would straighten her hair for school because having the curly afro was not seen as pretty or presentable to her white friends. However when she came home she would go back to the afro curls. She explains how she would somewhat be living a double life. She acted a certain way in front of white people to not get made fun of then reverted back to black at home. A question I asked her was “When you say you reverted back to black, was that your actual personality and style you wanted or did you liked straightening your hair, and fixing grammar like you did?” My mom replied that she really didn’t know. She felt she was just doing anything to please others and not get bullied. Her black friends would pick on her if she acted to white, and white friends pick on her if she acted to

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black. And because of her Hispanic mix she was lighter so she was able to attempt to fit into both crowds. After asking my dad with his experiences he mentions that he never grew up with racism from peers, because everyone he was surrounded with was the same. However, the racial experiences he was exposed to was directed towards law enforcement. He grew up with a really bad perception of law enforcement and what they did. He felt as though the law and government didn’t care about him and “his kind” and wouldn’t help if they called. He also felt they were racist and would kill him unjustly at any time. This is one of my earlies teachings about race I remember. When my brother and I became a certain age my dad did have “the talk” with us about what to do when we come in contact with law enforcement. We were told to be respectful, keep your hands in their line of sight and do exactly what they say with no resistance. So due to his experiences and his view on that subject he felt the need to pass those lessons on to his kids. Growing up I did ask my parents about their experiences. I asked them questions because I wanted to know if they ever went through what I do. They are able to give me advice and a different perception on the world based on their wisdom and experiences. I think it’s very important to have that conversation with your parents no matter what race or ethnicity you are. This can show how or how not that world has changed and present a different perspective overall. Neighborhood

What is the racial makeup of the neighborhood you grow up in? What was your first encounter with a person/or person of another race? Describe the situation.

Due to my socioeconomic status and environment I have always lived in predominately white areas. This has led me to both positive and negative experiences. One of my first

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encounters/experiences with a person of the opposite race was very positive, and the girl ended up being my best friend for majority of my childhood. Racism and seeing the difference in physical appearance is not born into someone, it is taught. Therefore, early on in life I had only positive experiences with my younger peers and friends of the neighborhood. I was oblivious to how adults and parents saw me, and thinking about it now I’m thankful to not have known.

Cultural influences: TV, advertisements, novels, music, movies, etc.

Cultural influences played a huge role in the period of my life that I became lost. Seeing the standard of beauty projected on every magazine, TV show, and music video, it was hard at such a young age to think of myself in a positive manner. The standard of being white, blonde/brunette, blue eyes, slim body, white teeth, etc. I questioned why I don’t look like them, why I don’t see people who look like me, why I wasn’t seen as pretty or wanted. This was all a very confusing time for me. TV shows portrayed black women as “ghetto”, loud, violent and obnoxious, and growing up I assumed that how I was automatically seen. These shows give a negative connotation of me before even meeting me. It was discouraging to have no representation of me and where I came from, and for me to believe it was weird and absolutely wrong to be African American.

What color God(s)/Supreme beings, Angels, Santa Clause, tooth fairy and dolls we resented to you?

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Although growing up in a predominately white environment, and having these biased cultural influences my parents always made sure I would be exposed to some representation in the household. For example, Santa Claus, and angels were always black in my home. Jesus was African American, and so were all of my dolls. This was their way of exposing my brother and I to representation of African Americans and seeing different than we saw in our everyday life.

Elementary, Middle and High School

What was the racial make-up of your elementary? and middle school? High School? What was the racial make-up of its teachers in elementary, middle and high school? Think about the curriculum. What Blacks did you learn about? What about Asians? Latinos? American Indians? Whites? Mixed-race? Other?

The racial makeup of my elementary was predominately white. However, when I got to middle and high school it became a lot more diverse. The racial of my teachers were all white. Until I got to college I hadn’t had a single African American teacher. I never really paid that much attention, it was just the norm for me in school. As for the curriculum, we learned a lot about white history. History class spent the entire curriculum learning and talking about the history of white people in America. We would have a small section about slavery, segregation, MLK and that was about it. Even during these discussions, we would never learn everything we should have. These events in black history were almost always downplayed and left out so many important and often gruesome details. I have learned more about this time period from outside sources than from an educational setting. This was the same for all races. Every race learned about only white history in their schools where I am from. The exposure to other cultures was

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limited to almost one. Thinking about this now and how much I wasn’t taught in school is discouraging, however, I’m glad I took the time to educated myself on these things.

Was there interracial dating? Racial slurs? Any conflict that was racially motivated? Have you ever felt or been stigmatized because of your racial or your ethnic group membership?

In my schools interracial dating was not at all common. Growing up I didn’t even think that was an option. I assumed every race stuck to their own race when it came to romantic relationships. When I got to high school it became a little more diverse in the dating realm. However, if there was interracial dating it was always a white boy and a mixed girl, or vice versa; or a black man and white girl. It was never a black girl like me, and a white man, or any other race. It felt as though black women were always the bottom of the food chain. Being stigmatized is something I think every African American goes through in their life. It can come from all different places, whether its from peers, teachers, adults, etc. Being pre-judged based on how you look is something that it inevitable in my life. Like I said previously about representation and the perception of black women, it never changed as I grew up. We were those loud, obnoxious girls, who needed to calm down. Names started to develop in social media to describe those types of girls. For example, “Hot Cheeto Girls” is a way to describe black women now who are loud or perceived as ghetto. Because being a black woman was made into a joke, I was stigmatized every day growing up especially in high school.

RACIAL AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

1 Conclusion and Action Steps

Explain in detail the action steps you might take that demonstrate your understanding, acknowledgement and incorporation of racial equality that embraces inclusion and diversity. Give specific examples supporting your intended action steps

Due to tragic events that took place in 2020 that fueled the Black Lives Matter movement to its peak, I think there is potential for change in America. I think the world is more aware on the issues at hand, not just with the justice system/law enforcement but in every aspect. With that being said one of the biggest action steps I think needs to be taken is education. Everyone needs to begin to educate themselves more and more about different cultures and races. Right now, it is becoming more expected to educate yourself and go out of your way to research. I think that schools need to implement more diverse teachings, and spend way more time on certain lessons. This would be a huge step in the right direction to inclusion and diversity. Another step that needs to be taken is more representation. Children should be exposed to multiple different kinds of people, races, ethnicities’, sexualities, etc. This would be healthy for people like me growing up but also pushing society forward as a whole. Steps I would personally take to implement these changes is to write a letter to TV networks and school boards. By writing these letters expressing my concerns and want for change could help push these steps forward. Other action steps I would take specifically for myself is to speak out more and more about racial issues, racial educations, etc. Social media has become a source of information for people my age. Knowing that it is also a great platform to speak up and get the attention needed for issues. In conclusion race has a huge influence on how everyone perceives the world and grew up. Whether their experiences are good or bad race and ethnicity play a huge role in people lives. Personally, growing up African American had its downfalls. All the racially targeted experiences

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have shaped me into the person I am today. Growing up in the area I did, surrounded by the people I was, I had to take an extra step into becoming my own person. That period of time of confusion of who you are, your worth, your differences can be overwhelming. However, due to these experiences I have learned to love myself, my color and where I came from. I see the world differently than other races and ethnicity and that is okay. However, there are numerous steps and actions that need to be taken so my African American view on the world can become more positive overall....