Personal Experience: Explore Different Thoughts about Origins and Academics

We are all a product of our environment. What we hear and see while we are growing up, becomes the norm. This was the case for me. Since being removed from that environment, I have realized that this is a big world that we live in and I have to share it with a lot of people, no matter what our differences are.

Growing up as a young African American girl in Philadelphia was not always easy, however, having a strong family structure, old fashion southern culture, and beliefs have molded me into the strong women that I am today. Now that I am a mother, following my family’s culture and beliefs are not always the easiest thing to do. Times has changed and I feel like I am forced to conform to the everyday social norms of America, which makes me feel impuissance. Yes, growing up was not easy, but my family and youth kept me in the dark when it came to how society treats individuals of darker complexion, what to expect once I left the confines of my family and neighborhood, and how to befriend or interact with individuals of other racial groups. All of the things that I listed were things that I had to learn through trial and error, which makes life a little harder than it already is.

Have you ever heard of the hood? Well the hood is where gangbangers, drug dealers, and homeless people who have nowhere else to go besides the abandoned apartments and buildings. In the book If I Grow Up by Todd Strasser, Deshawn the main character lives in the hood with his family and lives the life in the projects. Deshawn doesn’t want to be a gangbanger but, his sister, niece and nephew, and his gramma. So he joins the gang to make some money for his family. Deshawn has a choice because, getting a job anywhere, taking a fresh start on life instead of gangbanging, or go to school and have an education.

“Forbes collected their information from the FBI Crime Statistics Database. Since 1985, the total violent crimes in the city have totaled above 8,000 each year” (Jennes). Some Memphians believe that the violence increase among the city because of the gang culture that spread across the whole city. Based on the police data, more than 12,800 documented gang members have been recognized in Memphis city. Almost 2,750 people have become a part of this culture in the past three years, which mean two to three people join every day. Additionally, many gangs that have originated in major states such as California and Chicago have been moved to Memphis, which make most of the committed crimes primarily relate to the gang culture which increased the violent crime rate by 6% last year as Jeremiah Graham and Dominique Jennes mentioned in their article about the Gang activity on the rise among Memphis youth. Most of those who joined and involved in the gang activities are youth because of the carelessness of the family. To give an illustration of what I mean let’s look at the case of the parent’s indifference, when the parental control of the child is not existing, this will lead him to the wrong way with the wrong people. “A child’s home and family are the center of development. One of the most important functions of this matrix is to provide structure and guidance in an effort to encourage and aid children in their socialization and identity development” (Stern et. al.,

For example, in Orange Country Florida, where black students only make up 27% of the public school’s population, black students represent over 50% of the students getting suspended (Lynch, 2016). This can be the effect of discrimination in the school system as young black males are already viewed as “trouble makers.” This alone can also create violence in black males because they recognize the unfair treatment which leads to resentment and anger. This soon manifests into even bigger problems within the self. "Exposure to aggressive experiences, in school and outside school, can profoundly affect mental health, including adjustment at school,” (Basch, 2011). Also found in this article, a recent study showed more than 42,000 11-17-year old’s that were affected by school violence were associated with having experienced internalizing behaviors such as depression, anxiety, sadness and more. Depression, anxiety, sadness are all ways for a child to cause aggression behavior because that's the only way they know to express themselves. This all stems back to the environment in which these young African American males are subjected to (Farrell et al, 2010) as well as their place in society and how they are viewed. If all they see and experience is negativity in their communities, homes and schools, it is what

The starting point of violence takes place in communities and at home--not at school. Youth take what they hear and see at home and in their communities to school. The environment in some communities and households are positive and the presences of protective factors outweigh the high risk factors. However, there are communities and households where there is a lack of informal social control and high risk factors exist more than protective factors--, which affect youth in a negative manner.

Additionally, my parent’s substantial economic and social capital was a great asset in my career path of finding a better education outside of my community. Professor Abrego explains that one’s social location shapes an individual’s identity and how one experiences how the world treats them (Abrego, Lecture 01/06/16). In my case, there were not as many resources that my social location offered, for this reason, my mother was determined to find another high school for me to attend, away from South Central. To emphasize, my local high school carried a bad reputation of teen pregnancy, gang violence, and lacked many resources, therefore, due to my mother’s strong social capital she managed to obtain a fake address in order for me to attend a better

Boyz in the Hood is a statement of how urban youth have been passed a legacy of tragic indifference, and the writer has shown that it is an almost inescapable fate for those born into racism and poverty to repeat the patterns they wish to escape. The movie’s characters are clear representations of how the system fails young black youth in the United States, and the difference one mentor can make for these kids. During segregation young black children became targets for white brutality. This movie reflects what the European mentality and what it has done to the African American culture.

Some challenges between anti-social behaviors and geographic are evident in the film Boyz n the Hood. It a 90’s films created by John Singleton, about a boy Tre styles who is sent to live with his father Furious styles in South Central Los Angeles after he got into a fight at school. At his father 's house, he is taught morals and values of being a respected man. On the other hand, his friends Ricky and Doughboy who are half-brothers has a different upbringing with no real support system, resulting in forming a gang, involvement with drugs and a tragic ending. This film is based on the African American experience in terms of environmental conditions which results in a great deal of African American males being pushed into the criminal justice system.

Children raised in adverse conditions, such as abuse, violence, drugs, and lack of physical activities may not develop in the same manner as a child is raised in a positive atmosphere.

At times in life there comes something called change. In my opinion, I was not a big fan of change. You cannot imagine how I was feeling when my mother announced that we were moving. It was the middle of my sixth-grade year, I was feeling countless emotions, none that could be explained at the moment of the announcement. The main thing on my mind was school; my friends, my outstanding teachers, and the environment. All things I had left behind. All I could think about was, “How will I ever adjust?” I knew exactly what was to come, I knew exactly what I was going to become, an outcast. There were numerous of ways on why I was feeling this way, but

The environment of where a person was raised is another leading cause of crime. When someone grows up in a place where they see all these bad things happening in their society it serves as a role model to them and they adapt other people’s actions. Growing up in a household where somebody does not have parents or a guardian telling them what is right from wrong leads you to do the unthinkable because they do not have any family direction showing you the right way to live life.” One of the most important environmental factors during childhood development is that of socialization or the way a child is ‘taught’ how to act”(Chemistry Web) Lack of faith causes a person to think of violence as their only way to get attention. When someone has no religious values, they think of all the bad things that are bothering them instead of the good that they can bring into their life. Gangs in an environment are a big cause of bringing crime to a society because they are the people who do the most outrageous crimes. They are the ones who are drug dealers, who bring graffiti into neighborhoods, and who commit drive by shootings. Individuals join these gangs to be accepted, to be honored by the people within the gang, and because they may not value themselves

Our community was like the one Timothy Egan described by saying, “Americans long have had gated communities,” because it was as if we were cutting of the black community from entering in with us. I feel that hindered my development as a child. I got no real experience of the outside world. There was no diversity in my life; it was like I was blind to all other things outside of the white middle class community. With that being said I still think my neighborhood helped me grow into a better man be engraving in my head good morals. Ever since I was a little kid the catholic laws or morals have been put into my head and have helped me become a better person. The people that drove these morals into my head were my friends and family. So that brings me to my second social force.

Instead they worry more about being accepted into the right crowds and owning lots of expensive items to show off. Most people fail to realize gang members are products of a bad environment that they are forced to live in. Immigrant families arrive with little money and have no choice but to live in bad neighborhoods. Society sees ghettos that are overfilled with immigrants and gangs so all low-class minority teens end up being stereotyped as being gangsters. The violence is not only on the streets but also at home. Often times, lower-class minority teens come from unstable homes. Immigrant parents no doubt already have a difficult time trying to make it in this prejudice society. With hard time the common cycle of poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, and sometime physical abuse arises. As a result teenager often rebel against their parents and find solace elsewhere. Because of the lack of love and guidance from parents, teens often stray from the family and wander blindly into the life of a gangbanger. Many of these ghetto troubled teens feel that they have nothin going for them so choosing this type of lifestyle is their way of getting through life and it is the only way they know to get through llife. Adolescence is the most crucial time to shape a young mind. When the world is against them during these times, many minority teens tend to easily stray from the right path and enter into the wrong crowd. Gangs have become a growing

            For example, I had couple of my friends that had little brother that were just one year old that was living in a bad environment the way he spoke such as always saying bad words and wearing all blue to  represent there gang color.It’s sad having to see many young children adapting into there parents environment having a vision of what they became when they are older.Moreover, I could remember asking the child  what would you like to be when you are older he said I wanted to be just like my dad which he reference as been in a gang member.