I’m actually not positively sure how I would help out illegal immigrants, because of the fact that I am not illegal in this country and I don’t know how it feels. I would feel bad about how they are being treated by the government, and the conditions they are living under because of their legal placement in this country.
I have vowed to myself that I will remain loyal to what I believe in and what I have been taught by y parents and other guardians that care about me and care about my feelings and emotions. I grew up in a very diverse and affluent area of north jersey and I had been exposed to other environments that weren’t as diverse as mine but still what I was used to was the variety or races, backgrounds, styles Sadly I believe that there wouldn’t be much to me as a whole if my social self were absent from the picture. Many of my qualities and characteristics stem from my socializing and how I interact with other people. If all of those things disappeared there would be nothing that would set me apart from the majority. I am a very strong person, physically and mentally so I do think that quality would help classify me as an individual. I have a mind of my own and a heart of my own of course and this would create this person who isn’t socially strong but strong in every other aspect. I enjoy being opinionated and passionate about society so taking those traits away from me would very drastic. The conversations that I hold with other people and their opinions make life that much more exciting, so life would become very dry and boring and fast. I keep trying to imagine me absent from my social self and it is difficult because that’s mainly what my life has been centered around, family, friends and always socializing and engaging.
I love helping people that is what I am in school for because that is what I enjoy doing and I plan on doing that for the rest of my life. I understand that most of the immigrants here are illegal but it is only because they are trying to create a better life for themselves and I can understand that because I would try to do that also because I would want to better myself and my family’s life as well. Interacting with illegal immigrants would be very risky and tricky but it is also apart of my nature to help people who are in need of it. Watching people work harder and harder to get to the point where they accomplish what they want is what makes me feel satisfied. It’s a sense of content.

It says a lot about society the fact that schools are more segregated now then in the 1970s. Everyone loves to believe and think that America has moved past that point where people want to only associate with people of the same race or background but its funny how sometimes it can be so evident which parts of the country are split of “different.” I was lucky enough to grow up in an area where there were so many different people that I never was accustomed to just one skin color. Families were mixed and integrated, when I would work at the pool during the summer little interracial babies would be running a round everywhere, it was great!
But then when I go to other towns and other school districts the difference is so prominent. For example if I go to some of the suburban areas in my state all I will find is white families living there, and then when I go to some of the inner cities in my state all I will see is all black families or Hispanic families living there. It’s amazing, and I don’t know why it is still like this. I mean we’ve moved beyond the point where it was illegal to have integrated schools but people still segregate them by moving into districts where everyone looks like them, or where they and their kids would feel most “comfortable.” I don’t always enjoy being around one group of people, that is just my opinion when it comes to interacting with other people because then I don’t get the full affect of integration but I know there are people who don’t think this way like I do and I will never understand why. Its an amazing feeling when you meet people like you but its an even more enlightening feeling when you meet other people who have something different then you do that they can share with you. Going to school in such an integrated district and town made my life more well rounded and appealing and I don’t know how I would be if it had been otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be as open minded as I am now and I am thankful for that quality that I have.
Although I do find in surprising that even today that schools are more segregated then in the 1970s, I also don’t find it as surprising as it seems. There is a girl who lives on my floor who told me she graduated from a school that only had 3 black people attending it. I don't think I could even imagine going to school with such a large dominant culture because I would feel isolated from what else is out in the world and, during the time that we are growing up we are supposed to be in the process of being prepared for what is in the real world. America still has a lot of improvements socially, and hopefully one day we will make it to that one goal.

I do agree with Ernso’s statement about the media and foreign aid always publicizing pictures of children to everyone. It’s almost as if they are trying to display young children to benefit the financial aspect of what Haiti is going through and in essence, its not a whole bunch of sympathy that Haiti needs at the moment, at this point they just need and are asking for help from anyone who is willing or capable of doing so. They needs brains and individuals who are willing to put themselves out there to help people who are suffering at the mercy of mother nature.
Its very different when the United States has experienced natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes but there are other locations in the world that experience devastation on a much larger scale then we will ever be able to understand personally what it is like. But that should not be the prime reason for helping, neither should the prime reason be seeing all those pictures of children, it should be simply to help other human beings who want their lives to be back on the road, they want to continue with their routines that got disrupted by something that was beyond their control.
Like Ernso said in class, its not the point to have money just thrown at them and expect that to make all the difference in the world, and in a way that is what is trying to be accomplished when pictures of children are published so that everyone will feel sorry and just donate money but that is not the correct or proper way to try and rebuild Haiti to be even better than it was before the earthquake. Ernso was putting emphasis on how these entrepreneurs need to be educated on the skills and resources that they should be aware about and use in order to get their business to a thriving standpoint. The same way that Americans have faith in each other, Americans need to have faith in others outside of this country, which have supported this country in the past. It’s a matter of give and take, helping those who are crying out for it. I see the hope and vision that Haiti is creating for itself and the amount of effort these people put into the things that they want to accomplish and its inspiring when you see other people trying so hard to make happen what they want so desperately to happen.
I think with out help Haiti could be even better and build up their country again. The people there are bright, inspiring and dedicated individuals, and with the right resources and strong support system they will be able to make it to that point where they know that they have made it to where they want to be.

The discussion we had today in class on the, “The Needy Penis,” was a very interesting one as well as somewhat uncomfortable. Unlike maybe so other students I found this uncomfortable in relation to my experiences with the opposite sex and things of that nature. There have not been any encounters that I’ve had with the opposite sex. I am very proud and not ashamed to say that I am still a virgin and plan to keep that mentality until I am deeply in love with a man who I know loves, respects and values my body and me as his partner. Until I find that person I will remain loyal to one of my most precious morals.
I have vowed to myself that I will remain loyal to what I believe in and what I have been taught by y parents and other guardians that care about me and care about my feelings and emotions. I already know the type of person that I am and how emotionally attached I is capable of getting to someone once I develop feelings for him or her. It isn’t just fun and games after that point, I expect to be respected and treated like a lady, unfortunately not all guys are capable of doing that for me and I have been let down plenty of times in the past. It is a disappointment but it just reminds me of how important it is for me to save myself maybe not exactly until marriage, although that is what my religious practices tell us, but until there is someone that can love me unconditionally accept me for all my flaws and love me through them all.
Many of the kids I grew up with back at home, by the time we all graduated they had all been previously sexually active. Sexual activity was apart of the normal routine for them and it was not such a big deal. Sometimes I felt like the odd ball and some times I did feel uncomfortable when they would be discussing topics about their sex lives and things of that nature but I never let it bother me to the point where I’d feel influences or pressured to go out and lose my virginity to some random guy or some guy that I had absolutely no connection with. I cherish something as precious as this too much for me to throw it away to someone who means nothing to me or I mean nothing to him.
The conversation was not so much uncomfortable but different. I could tell that there were people who were completely comfortable with the discussion must have some experience with the opposite sex or some form of comfort.

I grew up in a very diverse and affluent area of north jersey and I had been exposed to other environments that weren’t as diverse as mine but still what I was used to was the variety or races, backgrounds, styles and interactions amongst the different kids that I went to school with and over the years established good friendships with. When I first even thought about the idea of what kind of school environment I wanted to be in I thought that I wanted to attend a HBCU, historically black college, considering that I was a African American and I got along with my people very well and I just loved being in their company regardless, for some reason there was always that sense of comfort and trust when around them and those are two important factors when looking into a possible university. So my cousin was at Howard University and my grandma also went there so I was so hooked on Howard. After a while I realized, “Wait a minute I love my white folks too.” So I knew that me attending an all black school would not be best for me.
So I started looking into colleges more based upon my major of interest at the time and also the location and such factors as those. I figured once I had narrowed down a couple that I was really interested in, once I would go take a tour I could really visually see for myself the diversity and whether I could determine it right off the back from walking down the street. A couple times when I would run into the one or two people of color either my parents or myself would ask what is the ratio like here, how are they finding the comfort level of the diversity and such things like that so I could get a real feel for it. But from that point on once the application process began my focus on diversity diminished and I was more intensely focused on getting accepting into the schools that I felt were appropriate and suitable for me academically and as a whole. Once I got accepted into PSU I didn’t really pay attention to the celebration part of the acceptance because it wasn’t my first choice and I hadn’t even visited the school yet. I think what really put the icing on the cake was me coming for my first visit and experiencing the vibrant and friendly atmosphere as well as the fact that it was gigantic so the more world like scene was put into perspective for students. The summer before I came my biggest concern was the diversity I kept complaining to my parents how I wanted it to be just like high school, I have some black friends, a couple white friends, some Hispanics thrown in there just everyone! I think coming here and being housed on a floor that was split exactly down the middle racial wise and gender wise made this place that much greater and such a amazing place to be going to school. I couldn’t be happier with my decision and although I know the next three years are going to fly by, they will probably be 3 of the best ones in my life because this past year has been one that I will never forget.

In discussion group the other day I brought up the concern that I have with questions such as this one. I don’t believe that guilt is ever the right word that should be used when describing issues that we have with the world and the society that we live in today. When it comes to problems and distinct issues amongst various races, I don’t believe that the feeling of guilt should ever arise within people’s emotional mindsets. Guilt is too strong of a word to describe someone’s feeling they have on behalf of an entire racial or ethnic group.
In terms of my own personal opinions as well as feelings, no I have never found myself feeling guilty or even ashamed of who I am and the people that I am so called, “grouped,” with. I am an African American young adult living in a society that unfortunately finds a way to categorize every issue according to race and background because we cant seem to consider other possible factors in issues that arise amongst ourselves now a days. Some would ask am I ashamed at the fact that I am darker then others and that I don’t have naturally straight hair or a different set of physical features but I don’t feel that way at all. Some may think I am lying only to make myself sound non-cynical and proud to be who I am to make my family and ancestors happy but no the truth is that I am actually very proud to say that I am an African American and never once have I been ashamed of it, or expected special treatment because of it or expected guilt from other races because of it. I am living within my own skin and that will never change but I am not ashamed of it to the point where I’d want to adjust the way that I looked or the group of people that I would be claimed to.
Guilt in my opinion is addressing something that someone has done to someone else personally or something that I, myself would’ve done with another group of people. I couldn’t see myself per say feeling guilty or apologizing for something that I didn’t do personally to another group of people or just one person. Could I feel saddened or remorse for what other human beings like myself have experienced and had to deal with? Yes, but guilty isn’t the word I’d use because in different situations people handle things differently than others. It all depends on the person and the different people and how they were raise and what their morals are. So my answer would be no I don’t not and never will feel guilty for the person I am or the skin that I am in.

Affirmative action was originally established in light of trying to make more opportunities for minorities, so they had the same chances as the superior race. Do I think this was necessary, absolutely. There have been plenty of situations in history where the minorities have had to suffered discrimination to the point where they were not offered the same chances and were almost left behind and almost as people were trying to keep them down. The purpose of affirmative action was created for a very good reason but maybe at this point there might be some possibility that it may have been taken too far.
In terms of college situations it could be possible that because of the amount of diversity present at a specific university, some schools might be trying to create a better balance of the students that attend the school. Accepting more minority students and less white students might be how they try to go about doing so, but they might be looking at applications and accepting students because they checked off the box that says white instead of any other race which isn’t the right thing to do if the student does not meet the universal requirements of the university. That is putting the white students at a disadvantage of getting an education as well and hat is not considered fair.
I’m sure in the situation of the business world, this type of scenario does not occur as often as it would at a college or university. Usually the opposite would occur within the job setting, but its possible that in some careers they are looking for more well rounded employee staffs or office workers tend to hire more minorities than whites because they are tempted to create a better “looking” staff instead of giving any implication that they discriminate in any way. So in a way affirmative action might have taken one step too far in terms of education and the jobs that people are getting and trying to get these days.
Affirmative actions sole purpose was to create equal opportunity and availability in the society that we live in now, but sometimes it creates this image of a society that is so focused on skin color and race and that distracts us from what is really most important which is quality and accuracy. It has created a distinct barrier between races that exist in our nation because it’s the simple fact that we are acknowledging that there are differences of treatment amongst the different races but that is inevitable. It has created a separation that is not necessary because separation always stems tension and that is never needed but luckily our country has been able to move forward in a direction that is promising.

The shade on one’s skin has greater affect on situations and encounters then most people think. This is directed more towards the African American race. For a very long time I have been a very active and aggressive speaker on the subject of light skinned versus dark skinned. Society has constructed this idea for people to believe that what is considered true beauty or more desirable are those persons that have lighter skin than others. I would constantly argue with males in high school about their narrow minded view of how light skinned females are “bad,” in other words, sexier, more appealing and more beautiful. How was this all established? I don’t know, but I do know that it’s causing a downfall of self-esteem and pride that people of darker skin color use to have.
Barack Obama is in fact our first black president of the United States. Such a huge accomplishment considering where our country has come through in the past. But considering the President Obama is bi-racial, 50 % white and 50% black, does that have anything to do with his greater chances of being elected into office? The fact that he does have some white blood in him or that his skin color is not the same as the typical image of a black man in our society have anything to do with his greater success in achieving the highest position in office? Maybe there are some people that because he is so light skinned and can be less associated with the African American race that it is considered acceptable. Some want every possibility of getting the furthest away from the black population and that includes the shade of skin that an individual has. To be very honest the idea behind Obama’s election into office and some of the possibilities behind it never occurred to me until I heard this question asked, because I had to think about it for a few minutes. Yes, Obama is of African descent and he has never strayed away from that portion of his identity and that makes him our first black president but it could be a possibility that because he is not anywhere near close to 100% black that he is our sitting president at this time. When you think about the way that things play out, situations can become so obvious sometimes.
Light skinned versus dark skinned, does it really have a profound effect? Is it not just a concern in our society about strictly white and strictly black? Is one better than the other if they are mixed with some white, so that there skin color is not as dark as others? This very well could be some of the discriminatory issues as well as racial issues within one race.

Although most people believe that racism is just a part of the past that our country has experienced, in many ways it is still existent in today’s society. There are those hidden and discrete places that racism and discrimination is still apart of the society. But there is a significant amount of locations in the country that it is out of the norm to experience separation among groups. Naturally in more urbanized areas there is a larger number of people that live in that area and a wider variety of groups of different people that live in that area so threes more interaction and conflict amongst different people.
There are so many different circumstances when it comes to law enforcement in certain communities. In not every situation that has been publicized and has received attention has the police officer or officers been racist against people of color or anything along those lines but there have been some cases where the altercation or arrest that took place was clearly out of racial discrimination. I believe that the reason sometimes people assume that cops are racist is if the suspect being arrested is black and the cop is white, but in some situations it just happens to be that way. Rarely are black cops accused of being racist against there own kind or even the opposite race. It also has a lot to do with the fact that urban areas are automatically assumed to be all black communities. In some places this is true but others it isn’t and when a black person is arrested everyone thinks it has something to do with racial discrimination. Too many assumptions that go on within the minds of many people these days and that is what separates and makes the classifications appear and are prominent.
I don’t always agree with speaking in general so I want to answer the question saying no that not all law enforcers are racist, and some don’t join law enforcement to be racist. But sometimes there are those who do join the law enforcement and already have racist ways of thinking, which doesn’t make legal situations easier to handle and figure out. But color is not always the root to every situation that occurs although it has been in the past years. Sometimes we have to look past that as being the reason behind everything, because then out society will not be capable of moving forward and we will become a stagnant culture that holds on to the past for as long as we can. We cannot progress and better ourselves by staying paralyzed and poisoning the minds of those around us and the one who look up to us. It is important to understand the culture we live in and its past but we must look to the future as well.

Racism has been a part of history for an extensive amount of time. Some may only think of the United States and its experience with racism when it is mentioned. But there is a larger aspect of the problem that is still running rapid amongst the people that live in this world. It is easiest to start with the problem that is evident in the history that we are taught about the country that we live in and the country that marks us as a society of people. But this is the same country that made racism be the prime factor for all the turmoil and conflict that people have encountered in this country. It’s a shame because the agreement that was made in this country was supposed to be centered on “land of the free, home of the brave.” All of these statements would lead someone to believe that the place we call our country would be somewhere someone would dram of living and could picture themselves getting along with everyone but that has not been the case in terms of everything that has occurred in the past few decades. Different people have experienced different struggles in this country and I can’t pick and choose which one is more significant than the other. Minorities as well as gays and lesbians, are examples of the groups that have experienced the most discrimination amongst other citizens of this country.
As far as globally, most people are very familiar with the Holocaust and the horrific events that occurred during that time of war and what specific groups of people in Europe had to experience because of their religious values and preferences or the language that they spoke or even for the simply fact of having blonde hair and blue eyes. This is a perfect example of racism within one race. It happens everywhere and I think that it is still existent because it has always been existent. It is in the human nature to separate, discriminate, shy away and not associate with. When the first Europeans came to North America they viewed the natives as the “other” the people that they did not want to be associated with who they did not want to accept or open up to. It was about them looking down upon them as if they were anything but other human beings.
Like I said earlier the human race is complicated and has always been but we have yet to discontinue this feeling of discomfort when not around those who look, act or sound like ourselves. I’m sure when humans were created by whomever you chose to believe, we must have been created with extremely narrow minds because that is how we portray ourselves now.