Personal Narrative-I M In Cleveland's Contemporary Youth Orchestra

In America, we are told that it is the land where everything and anything is possible. For many years, it wasn’t like that for African American. With many hard work, strength, and courage African American manage to earn the right to an education. To the African American community education became more of a need than a want. We’ve learn that education is such a powerful asset that with it you are unstoppable. You can do so much if you put your time and energy to it. Having an education to African American is the one hope for a brighter and better

Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president of the United States and the president who signed the Civil Rights Act into law, once said, “Until justice is blind to color, until education is unaware of race, until opportunity is unconcerned with the color of men’s skins, emancipation will be a proclamation but not a fact.” Many are unaware of how well a person can receive their education when their race differs from the dominant white majority of the U.S. Whether it’s ignorance or the deliberate choice of not giving other races the same opportunity to succeed, we don’t know, but that is what we have set out to find. Throughout all of our literature, we can see examples of people not getting the same choices or opportunities as other citizens

Raised by a successful Black single mother, she taught me at an early age what it meant to be a Black woman in today’s American society. The daughter of field workers from Mississippi, education was my mother’s most important value. My grandparents worked hard to make sure she and her siblings received the education they did not and in turn, my mother stopped at nothing to make sure my brother

The future of our world lies in the hands of our youth. These children are our future educators, doctors, lawyers and even the people that might find the cure for cancer. My job as an inspiring teacher is to educate and provide a role model of excellence but more personally Black excellence. For years the African American community has been frowned upon and belittle as human beings. It is time for our race to rise above these perceptions not with words but with actions. So what better way to start than with our African American youth.

The famous activist, Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. Martin Luther King Jr. said this in 1963 during the civil rights movement, which advocated for racial equality and justice, after over 300 years of oppression and dehumanization. The aftermath of this speech has led to the Civil Rights Act and the US having an African American president, but there is still racism and inequality today. Examining the roots of racism and inequality in the US requires diving into a complex history marked by slavery and segregation, and how systematic racism continues to impact individuals. impact individuals in factors

For generations African Americans have been disadvantaged in America and effects of these injustices have made a lasting impression. Education is one of the leading problems in the black community. Though there have many reforms in education over the years, racial injustices still exist because no attention in placed on how legislature affects people of color. I was raised in a middle-class family of educators. My entire life I’ve been told to “stay in school, get an education, and work hard so that you can beat the system.” Recognizing the structural forces in my life has helped me understand my place in society. Being able to “understand everyday life, not through personal circumstances but through the broader historical forces that

Some people are better with words; others work through art and make an impact with their actions and creations. I may not be the best at expressing myself verbally, but I consider myself a great writer. Writing is one of the few ways I am able to reach inside my soul; I can ultimately capture my thoughts and emotions with a simple pencil and paper. Sometimes I get lucky and profound statements sneak past this step and out of my mouth, but that happens on rare occasion, so instead I write. The second way I am able to release my emotions is through my saxophone, my music, my soloing. Jazz. This brings us full circle. Jazz Band. What’s so special, what’s so great? To the untrained eye, nothing, it is just another band, but there is so much more

In order to create change in these prejudices and misconceptions, initially, the educational system of this country must begin to show the struggles and reality of minority groups’ experiences. If a person observed the average class in America, ranging from elementary school to high school, they can see that classrooms do not explicitly discuss racial issues. Not only will classrooms not talk about current events, but they often discourage the talk of modern events. I have been told several times in various classrooms that I was not allowed to continue to discuss current events. Classrooms do not allow children to understand the issues or protests or struggles black people are facing today. If children do not hear or experience what it is

Imagine America different from what we know. A different yet real America, which existed in the past, an American governed by hate and cruelty, fully equipped with racial segregation policies. Imagine parents, struggling for their children 's education but being denied access because of the color of their skin. Imagine constant disapproval, crime, and suspicions towards someone because of their status, or something beyond their control. Today, we find America changed, healing and progressing from its previous judgments of African-American people. As we set aside our socialized ideas of them, they have become capable of opportunities and chances inconceivable to their ancestors.

Segregation, degradation, and the absence of equality were simple ideals for people who are not of color. White men and women have been feeding this ideal their children and many more generations to come for centuries as an unimbellished and benefitial realism. As the years roll on some think that the blatant racism doesnt exist anymore. However, it is still grossly protuberant out on the streets and in homes of ordinary Americans; this, of coarse, is atrocious, Un American, and acrimonious not to mention a stain on America history. The history of African Americans has been full of heartache for as long as any of us could remember. “I feel it's vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.”(Beyonce K.) The evolving issues in black identity and the struggle for equality are in

Matthew (2014) claims that “both public and private discrimination have combined to produce an outcome that reduces the opportunity of blacks; residential segregation is the product of public policy, discrimination in real estate markets, and discriminatory personal choices individuals make about where they want to live” (p. 78). Discrimination can be hurtful to the “other” races and cause setbacks in their opportunities. This program can help diminish some of the discrimination that prevents opportunities for people with color. The program can help children of color talk about what it is like to live in a world where it is harder for you to succeed because of the color of your skin. An open discussion on social justice could broaden their young minds and give them an opportunity to learn from each

The early existence of slavery leading to Racism wrote a large part of the American history living a legacy most people will never forget and relive. Unfortunately, the scares left on our ancestors who suffered from slavery have moved on to the next generation, even though some people still might deny the reality of racism. Circumstances happening in our world today; where people of certain colors are being mistreated and undermined automatically as criminals without evidential fact has somehow played a role in discouraging the youth of their capabilities and the potential they have in this world. Even through the adversities, limited job and educational opportunities, and when it looked like there was no hope, some courageous African American men and

Click, click, THUD, RING! The rusty old halls off Thorogood rung out with the noises of doors shutting, the clitter clatter of high heels across the slippery brown tiled floors, bells ringing leaving an echo through the halls, almost like a symphony. The conductor, Dr.Bell had just walked through the doorway. “WELCOME TO WEEK 27 OF SCHOOL.” she said with a loud booming voice that rang off of every colorful painted cinder block wall. “Today is the day we have been training for...” The room got silent and by the looks of my classmates they were as querulous and appalled as I. “Today will be the day I determine my All City orchestra group” A gasp fell across the classroom. Whispers and murmurs of, “I hope she chooses me!” and, “I've always dreamed of performing on stage, will this be my chance to?” spread about in moments until, “SILENT!

“William, it’s your lesson today, start practicing! I’m paying for you to learn violin, not to waste time playing with Rubik’s cubes!” This used to be a common occurrence on Wednesday’s, the day of my violin lesson. My mom would screech at me to start practicing, and I would wave her off and pretend to practice for twenty minutes.

York City memories in my heart, I joined the rest of the cast and reveled