The Is My Real Life Story Of Bias At Uc Davis

Being a black, queer identifying female has allowed for me to move through the world in a very different way. With the unique opportunity to hold such a diverse set of characteristics, I connect with different people at a much deeper level. With this, I have been able to

I am applying intersectionality and the sociological imagination to my intersecting identities: class, gender, and ethnicity. By employing intersectionality and the sociological imagination, I am analyzing how my positionality affected my personal experiences while connecting those events with society. I also included five peer-reviewed articles as supporting evidence.

I had my appointment on the previous week at the Writing center. I brought my 2nd project for ENGL 160 class. I scheduled tutor to “face to face”, because I think it is the best way to improve all of my mistakes. Before going to Writing center, I was thinking that this tutor doesn’t help me at all, but fortunately my thoughts was wrong and I enjoyed 1 hour of editing my project.

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

In Common hour, we learned about Diversity, Community, & Social Justice. We learned that Diversity and Social Identity are interconnected, one cannot exist without the other. Social Identity is one aspect of Diversity, while Diversity is based upon Social Identity. However, both of these concepts depend on whether you experience Privilege and Oppression. Like Diversity and Social Identity, Privilege and Oppression cannot exist without the other. On the other hand, it’s not necessarily good that Privilege can only exist because of Oppression because people, regardless of their own personal accomplishments, are judged and discriminated by others.

In the memoir “Two or Three Things I Know for Sure”, Dorothy Allison recites stories from her life that ultimately depict the oppression and liberation seen in gender, sexuality, and social class. Intersectionality is a theme that can be seen throughout the book. Intersectionality is the overlapping of characteristics (such as sex, gender, race, class, and sexuality) that forms a person’s identity. Although people may have similar traits and characteristics, they are distinct from person to person. They can depict different features about different people throughout society.

Racial preference has indisputably favored Caucasian males in society. Recently this dynamic has been debated in all aspects of life, including college admission. Racial bias has intruded on the students’ rights to being treated fairly. Admitting students on merit puts the best individuals into the professional environment. A university’s unprejudiced attitude towards race in applicants eliminates biases, empowers universities to harness the full potential of students’ intellect, and gives students an equal chance at admission.

We talk a lot about our social location, or identifying who we are. Before I get further into this paper I wish to identify myself. I am a white male born to two white, heterosexual Anglican parents. I grew up having mostly white friends, until graduating high school. I also have been diagnosed with clinical depression, which is a significant attribute of my identity. As a result of these intersectional attributes they create an identity that is both privileged and oppressed and these elements change depending on the situation (Curry-Steven, 2007, p.37). It is important to understand who you are, as it will shape who I am in the work I do as a social worker.

I was going to write this essay about growing up biracial. I had it all planned out. I was going to start by telling you how, for as long as I can remember, meeting new people always seemed to require explaining just what exactly I am. I had drafted a detailed mental blueprint of where my essay would lead; I would talk about being restricted to one checkbox on standardized tests (and the accompanying inner turmoil about which race is “more” me), about being told to wear a Filipino outfit in my [second grade show about the American melting-pot] instead of the German dress my grandmother bought me. I was going to impress you with my multicultural background. You would have learned all about my struggle to reconcile the two very distinct sides

Merriam Webster defines Affirmative Action as “the practice of improving the educational and job opportunities of members of groups that have not been treated fairly in the past because of their race, sex, etc.” Opinions on affirmative action in the United States vary greatly depending on who is asked. In a poll done by Pew Research in 2009, it was found that 59% of African Americans, 53% of Hispanics, and 22% of whites agree that minorities should get preferential treatment (Stewart). Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) called into question the application of the 14th amendment in rejecting Allan Bakke admission to the University of California Medical School at Davis.

Over the last several weeks we have completed many assigned readings, watched several movies in class and had many class discussions. I have enjoyed all the assignments so far and I feel that I have learned a lot from the time I wrote my first journal. In particular, The Color of Fear and Tatum’s description of white identity development models in Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? have really caused me to stop and reflect and have had an impact on me.

Earlier this Semester, I participated in "The Power Of Assumptions Activity" which took place during a training I was helping facilitate. I was asked a series of questions and then I had to stand by a sign in the room that answered the questions being asked. The signs had different pieces of a person 's identity listed on them. A few examples included: Socioeconomic status, Family, Education, and Race. As the activity progressed, I realized that I don 't think about how the Racial piece of my identity affects my life as much as some other pieces. "The Power Of Assumptions Activity" allowed me to experience the uncertainty of not knowing how I would answer one of the questions on the contrary experience the opposite by answering many questions right away and which sign to stand under. "The Power Of Assumptions Activity" surprised me as I saw myself standing alone and also with other people depending on the questions that was asked and how each person decided to answer the questions for themselves. I chose this example to illustrate to introduce my paper about my Racial identity and also the challenge of writing this paper and reflecting on my Racial identity.

Firzlaff was very helpful in providing real life examples and topics to write about. She provided insight and helpful comments to make my writing better. I could tell that she was interested in helping me become a better writer. She always did her best to help me reach my full potential. She was also very understanding and kind, I didn’t feel uncomfortable asking Mrs. Firzlaff questions. I find that I don’t like asking questions in my other classes because I don’t want to “sound dumb”, but I never felt that way in Mrs. Firzlaff’s class.

Throughout my life, certain identities have remained consist. And these identities have come to shape my perspectives and my needs and wants within American culture. Typically, my social

Another inevitable reaction that came to me when I was reading this text, was the thought of – Who am I? And most importantly – Who can I be that will embrace my identity, while encouraging the diversity of others? The few identities I do own now is that I am a young African American woman, who comes from a low income neighborhood, and who is not necessarily religious but spiritual. I do not think these specific traits changed from when I was younger, however I do think the external groups I associate with have matured through my morals and values. For example, I consider myself a Democratic and a Feminist – due to the experiences I have had and the knowledge I have gained. I