Awareness o Microaggression

Describe at least one example of a microaggression which you detected this week or remember from another time. In what context did the microaggression happen? What did you think and feel when you observed the microaggression or when you found yourself as the target of a microaggression?

•  When we first moved to Pensacola Florida my daughter had an incident with her teacher because she was made fun of because she talks so proper, or should I say, she didn't use broken English or slang words and the teacher told her she needed to stop playing and use her regular voice because she doesn't talk like that. I didn't understand what that mean, so I went to the school and talk to her teacher and she told me, "She thought my daughter was disguising her voice to try to make the other students laugh." Well my daughter was upset because she told the teacher this is the way she talk which is very proper. I told the school how was my daughter suppose to talk using broken English, ebonics, or even slang. The school really did not know what to say and I kind of made a statement that not all black people spoke improper English. I was upset because not only was my daughter going to get in trouble for speaking proper English but she was also told to speak the right way and my question was, "What was the proper way to speak?"

In what ways did your observation experiences this week affect your perception of the effects of discrimination, prejudice, and/or stereotypes on people?

• This subject is really touching to me because I experienced racism as a child and when I moved to the South from California I did not think that racism like I have observed in the South still exist, but in fact it does. Children living in the South are still labeled or stereotyped because the way they talk, dress, social economic status, and gender. Because as a society African American males are labeled as dead beat dads, staying in  out  of prison, or jail, uneducated, and pretty much not achieving anything in life. I see this everyday young boys being pat down, thrown on the car, or pulled over because they look, or dress suspicious. People  should not be judged or classified as everyone else but, unfortunately this will continue in the world into we learn to except, and appreciate every one's differences.

Culture and Diversity

On Friday 18, 2011 I had the opportunity to talk to three of my friend’s one of my friends Donna who is from Trinidad, Ericka who is Caucasian, and my other friend LaShanda who is African American. I asked my three friends what culture mean to them and their definition of diversity. Their response was:

·         Donna said Culture means the habits of the people of a particular region, nationality, or religion and Diversity to her mean to either look, act, or possess qualities different from the majority of similar people or things.

·         LaShanda said Culture includes all of the knowledge, beliefs, habits, laws, etc. that are specific to one group of people or one society and Diversity to her mean is the differences and uniqueness separating one person or thing from another. Diversity means that people come from a different culture, or have different ideas.

·         Ericka said Culture means someone background or nationality and Diversity to her mean different genders, races, religions, and sexualities.

 

Listening to my friends and co-workers on Diversity and Culture which included  some different aspects on social identity, all three of my friends pretty much stated that same thing just in a different version that culture revolves around the importance of family within their culture. Their responses really made me realize the importance of culture and diversity in todays society because people must be prepared to teach, work, and live in a world that is culturally diverse meaning be able to tolerate and be respectful about the differences and similarities between one another.

My Family Culture

Sitting here thinking what three personal items I would take was pretty easy because I have always been told to take my personal items just in case of a catastrophe. My three personal items I would take are:

• Pictures of my family like husband, children, mother/father, aunties/uncles, grandmother/grandfathers etc.
• Important documents like  birth certificate, social security card, i.d.these items I chose because it will prove my birth, nationality and citizenship as U.S. American.
• Medical records/prescription also because my history if I was in need of medication, show my blood type, shots that I have had, and also may be able to trace my blood line to find my family.

Upon arrival to this new destination I am told that I can only keep one of these items. This would be the hardest thing I would ever have to do because it's like you are leaving a part of yourself and history behind but if I have to choose I would choose important documents because as much as I love my pictures which shows my family culture and our family over generations my documents are a way to prove who I am and who my family is.

Doing this assignment really made me start to think how important family, family life, and family culture is so important to reserve the memories and life history to pass down from generation to generation. I hope one day to sit down with my children and just remember our ancestors by looking at photos, videos, and listening to recordings of our family to remember not forget.