Kiah Case Study

When I was young I didn’t really realize the impact of being African-American until high school. I went to a predominately white school for elementary and middle school. I was just like any other youth. I had my group of friends who were white; I was active in school activities and clubs. I was a student athlete and I got along well with my teachers. Everyone saw me as an upbeat person with a bubbly personality. Surprisingly, race was never brought up it wasn’t an issue for me during that period of my life. However, as I got older I realize there was a difference. As an adult I could really see the prejudice in others. I recall working a on a special project for the

If the parents are able to successfully guide their child through the elements of being an ethnic minority, it allows them to develop a strong ethnic identity (Wakefield & Hudley, 2007.) It seems that if Keisha’s teacher is able to cater to the needs and values of minority students, it could create awareness and sensitivity in the classroom. By creating an environment to reflect and support the values of ethnic minorities, there might be a better understanding amongst the students. The school does a good job including Keisha’s identity as a minority. They could continue supporting her by allowing her to be a part of both her ethnic group and the main culture represented in the class and or

The second stage of Black racial identity development refers to the encounter stage. This depicts the juncture in life when a black American experiences a traumatic event/circumstance that causes him/her to reconsider their overall beliefs on racism. Dr. Cross asserts that this event/circumstance usually heightens an individual’s racial awareness and additionally, triggers major conflicts with their earlier viewpoints under the pre-encounter context. This causes one to reassess his/her own identity and develop an awareness of the Black experience.

As a person of color, Jordan Banks faces many challenges at RAD that most other students do not face, such as stereotyping, wealth inequality, and feelings of alienation. Starting a new school can be a nerve wracking experience, and joining as a minority can be even harder. When Jordan first joins his new school, RAD, he is overwhelmed and feels like he doesn’t belong there, especially because he is one of relatively few Black

On the very first day of the class, Introduction to the Black Experience, we learned that people are defined by their culture and geography. We are also defined by the gaze of others and our own gaze. This realization led me to contemplate what the “black experience” means to me. As a first generation Haitian-American woman at Wellesley College, it has become clearer to me how important the language and culture of parents has been in shaping my identity. I have also begun to think more critically about how my identity as a woman of color separates me from black brothers as well as my white peers at Wellesley.

Tara Krishnan is a sixteen year old Indian American girl attending Brierly High School and living in Greenwich Connecticut. Tara is average height, has light brown eyes, olive brown skin, black hair and the delicate bone structure of her mother. Tara is a very observant, shy, and introverted person, however she is very academically motivated and has the highest GPA in her class. She also participates in yearbook club and is one of the best swimmers at the school. Despite all of her accomplishments, she has a very harsh view of herself, chastising herself for any minor slip up she might have and always feeling like an outcast because of her mixed race while attending an all white school, her family's lack of extensive wealth and her

Racial identity is one of the biggest themes that John Singleton explored in the film “Higher Learning” Most of the characters were in search for tangible answers to this exact question.Character like Ice cube couldn’t graduate from Columbus University because he couldn’t find an answer that could totally satisfy him. Omar Epps who play the character known as Malik dealt with his internal struggles of being a Black man in college. From the way he saw himself, how he perceived others viewed him, and how he saw the system work against him. Malik struggled internally with doing the right thing

Imagine, it is the first day of school, and you are the new student, in a new environment, and no one knows who you are or where you come from. You notice how everyone is in his or her separate cliques, the jocks are in one corner but you do not play any sports, the chess club is in the coroner while everyone else is in their own worlds. You wonder where to go, where you would fit in, with whom you will get along with. You want to fit in but you seem to have nothing in common with anyone so you begin to act out to gain attention. You want attention not only in the social circles, but you want attention in your classrooms as well. How can you achieve your goal of being noticed? After reading the article, “The Burden of Acting White”. The concept of acting white comes from the struggle of blacks being qualified as inferior their white counter parts. From trying to keep up in school but at the same time, letting your true colors be shown was almost contradictory to what was going on in the classroom (Thomas). In the African American community, many issues are causing the epidemic of Acting White. Not saying that acting white is an issue; but who is to say how we are acting is wrong? We all have our own identities and it is up to us to help students mold themselves into who they want to become in the world.

Individuals often possess the need to conceal their true identity (method of speaking) in order to appeal to a specific group of people. Samantha White, the protagonist of the TV series dear white people faces cultural bias and social injustice. Samantha, who is biracial, attends a predominantly white Ivy League University where she struggles with fitting in. Samantha faces an identity crisis, having trouble distinguishing whether or not she belongs to one subgroup more than the other. She receives criticism from both sides and is stuck in deciding whether it'd be best to abandon one in order to feel better welcome in the other group.

Topics such as pregnancy, rape, race, and parenting are rarely discussed within the school system, contributing to black girls mental, emotional, and physical insecurity (Crenshaw, 2015). In many cases, African-American female students that are affected by any of the issues often become "segregated from their peers and stigmatized in a manner that may undermine their attachment to school" (Crenshaw, 2015, p. 39). By providing educational programs that create awareness and consciousness of common issues, and give helpful information on how to solve dangerous circumstances, black girls become more engaged in the curriculum and learn how to cope with the trauma that is encountered outside of the academic setting. These individuals can utilize these educational programs as mean to express their personal experiences, removing any form of internalized trauma that can be detrimental for their academic attainment. By addressing what these individuals encountered within their everyday lives, blacks girls become more focused and involved in their

Credibility is a key part of ethos so that you are able to understand the actual situation instead some type of foggy interpretation. He knows the current atmosphere so he’s able to speak from a place that white heterosexual males couldn’t while putting him in a position to connect with people going through similar struggles. This may even attract the actual University attention, being able to see the University graduate point of view, the fact that he’s a graduate instead of transferring to a different school carries a lot more weight basically saying, that he didn't have academic issues and that he has struggled all the way through. He actually begins to build his credibility from the very beginning with his title “I’m a black UChicago graduate. Safe spaces got me through college,” this would make it very clear he knows what happens within the college and that makes it very hard for the University to disregard his credibility because he’s not on the outside looking in, he's on the inside looking around. Cameron also stated “I would know. During my four years as an undergraduate at UChicago from 2011 to 2015,” he directly states he would know through those four years which gives a timespan in which he had a chance to experience everything so the credibility is still there. He goes further to establish this in “As a first-generation black student, I needed safe spaces like the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs.” Him stating he’s a “first generation,” builds more credibility amongst that demographic because many black students can sympathize with him due to the fact they are also one of the first in their family going to college, meaning he would be going through many of the same trials and tribulations.“I even slept there during a particularly brutal finals week,” this appeals to college students in general past or present, this shows us that he’s just a

Prideful Black identity socialization, per Allen (2015), is an essential element of success and resilience. Researchers have created, recreated, and scrutinized many Black identity models, but William Cross’ (1971, 2001) theory is regarded as the most accurate and beneficial (Constantine, 1998). Cross created a Black identity development model that observes three patterns (Cross et al., 2001). First, Nigrescence pattern A is the process by which individuals have formative Black socialization experiences throughout their lives. Next, Nigrescence pattern B is the process by which individuals who were not socialized toward Blackness, or those who do not have a healthy Black identity

On the white development model I put myself at the last stage, integrative awareness phase. “reaching this level of development is most characterized by (a) understanding the self as a racial/cultural being, (b) being aware of sociopolitical influences regarding racism, (c) appreciating racial/cultural diversity, and (d) becoming more committed to eradicating oppression. (Sue, 122)” I am very aware of the differences and people have aside from whites. I believe I am at this stage because in my community and school I would say we have a wide range of races and cultures that are integrated within. Understanding of what white privilege is I can tell a time that it worked in my favor. A Black male student and I in middle school were being disruptive throughout class. The teacher called the principle and said that two students had to be removed. When the principle arrived he took the boy and said, “she can stay here I am sure she will behave when he is gone”. I was unsure of the situation because I personally knew this principle and thought he was trying to give me another chance, or if it was related to race. During that moment I just thought it was because I knew the principle, now I start to think that it had a correlation with race. I thought more about the development model and people can move up and down on this model depending on events that happen to them personally. As social workers we want to assess the individual to find out where they fall on this model and act as

Coming from a diverse community to a predominantly all white community has been a slow transition. I’ve experienced situations where sometimes I question my identity and who I really am. I’ve experience microaggressions within my work environment and my internship at the Boys and Girls club in Mckinleyville. Kids are extraordinary, but are a mirror image of their parents or adult figures present in the household. You can see by the way kids talk to peers or adult figures, treat one another, that there’s an unfair thinking being embedded in their cognitive development. This will affect them in how they go about their day, who they chose to interact with, what they allow to happen and the type of

Just as family does, education plays a major role in the shaping and development of your identity throughout your childhood and adolescence, during primary and secondary school. Although completely unaware, the teachers, bullies and friends at school are influencing the decisions made and ultimately are part of the personality that defines who you are. Sandra Laing, although having a coloured appearance, was for a short time allowed to attend an all-white school; because at first, legally Sandra was white. However after many beatings, bullying and downright humiliation, Sandra was expelled from the school, because, as her parents were told, “Sandra does not belong here”. Little did they know this action turned out to define the way Sandra accepted white people into her difficult life. Point being that, no matter how insignificant situations, experiences or environments may seem; the interpretations, memories and influences can last a whole life long. This fact plays out not only in the school yard, but also later in life in work places and in relationships.