Introduction
The American dogma proposes that all its citizens are entitled to equivalent opportunities notwithstanding racial pressures (Patterson & Susser, 2001). There are several citizens without any cultural issues or influences mainly due to the presence of a populace which is primarily not based on ethnic connections.
There are several regions where human exchanges may be racialized mainly due to the occurrence of a diverse population which may entail black Americans, Latinos, or West Indians. In my community, mainly comprised of African Americans and West Indians, unfairness and stereotypes affect all features of our social associations including political standings and other opportunities in the locality, groups, academic and job centers, and community environments.
My Community
Similarities and Differences in Community
I am an African American residing in St. Albans where the community is mainly working class and the populace is generally encompasses African Americans and West Indians. My region is encompassed by a suburban community which is in an averagely middle-class society (Perna & Henderson, 2010).
Members of my community look like me, as the neighborhood is greatly encompasses middle-class African Americans. There is amplification in the development of houses in the region, hence escalating the strains of residing in high-density localities. The populace is more clustered, hence greater diffusion of cultures. African Americans have some characteristic features pertaining to, for example, coping with difficult situations and the relationships with the general family structure and extended relations.
West Indians on the other hand have their own diversified culture owing to the several nationalities it encompasses (Patterson & Susser, 2001). They speak English, but in different vernaculars which initially was pidgin. They regularly use these dialects whenever they are with their tribesmen, but try to cope with the normal pronunciations when interacting with other cultures.
The region experiences assortment in cultures particularly due to the high migration flow and its candidness to visitors. In the broader New York, there is no ascendancy by any particular ethnicity or race (Patterson & Susser, 2001). There are diverse individuals representing dissimilar nationalities worldwide. Business and societal exchanges are conducted freely by people from, unlike countries of origin.
Leaders in Community
Leaders in my area, Mr. Meeks and Scharsbough are African Americans, and so are several other officials with central positions. African Americans are the most occupied minority group in the U.S. political arena judged by their high registration turnout and input in elections. Through the dominance of blacks on my community, most of the leaders are African Americans (Perna & Henderson, 2010).
However, there is no discrepancy in treatment for any of the other cultures, as the leaders seek to uphold accord in the community (Patterson & Susser, 2001). Therefore both African Americans and West Indians obtain equal treatment and access the same academic and social facilities.
Government departments serve the general population as the verbal communication is widespread across the population. There are no offices intended for West Indians, neither are there those for only the African American population. For the average citizen, services are afforded evenly. For a smaller populace who are not very flowing in English, there are interpreters offered in agencies such as the judicial system.
In access to governmental services, West Indians and African Americans are accorded with same chances without any substantiation of impartiality (Patterson & Susser, 2001). There are diverse leaders from both races and hence community members are allowed to favor who they prefer in case they are not contented with the headship offered by other cultures. For example, in sectors like the army, there are both races, proving that people who may be deemed as singular fewer in the society may also access such headship positions.
Attitude Towards People
My neighborhood is typically settled down and everybody is engrossed in self-development and the accretion of property. There is a general cohesion in the society, with the diffusion of cultures occurring (Jefferson Matte). The West Indians, however, feel like their dialects is fading because of such pressures, chiefly now that the way of life of African Americans is more evidenced in diverse institutions and governmental centers.
In schools and other learning institutions, there is not much disparity in education as English is a predominant language. Most of the West Indians speak English as a native language despite the language influences. Hence there is a better amalgamation of all the members of the society, providing no room for unbiased treatment.
Activists and academicians also uphold gender impartiality and social integration (Patterson & Susser, 2001), ensuring that people from diverse localities are treated equally. Racial integration is progressed in the community to guarantee the races cooperate freely and diffuse positive cultural influences. There is a general improvement of welfare conditions, typified with the expansion projects provided to ensure accessibility of proper structures for shelter.
Educational Manuals and Structures
Educational methodologies and structures have an impact on access to edification opportunities and performance in academic levels (Perna & Henderson, 2010). Many texts and work manuals hold information about African Americans, most of which afford an opportunity to be better prepared to gratify the needs of the community’s racially and ethnically diverse learners.
There are several publications in the locality, some of which target the West Indian community; but they are in English as they can understand it despite their variances in dialects. The literatures offer proper coverage of the neighborhood, citing the happenings of different members in the society (Patterson & Susser, 2001).
The courses offered in my locality are naturally interdisciplinary and seek to sanction the general populace to comprehend how their cultures play a role in manipulating attitudes and behaviors while appreciating differences in principles and perceptions in the societal interactions. The literature also gives the overall community the aptitude to constructively deal with communal problems arising from cultural diversities in the society and the administrative centers.
Local Media
The local media represents us in diverse ways both in print and television. Unlike the past where media materials evidenced notions of lowliness in principles where African Americans were typified as being crude in language and more physically aggressive. Intelligent individuals were commonly referred to as white people (Jefferson Matte).
The media, however, does not symbolize most of the ills affecting the African American society (Patterson & Susser, 2001). Concerns affecting the community and other social evils are not prioritized in news coverage, probably because they are seen as common and customary among the black society. Rape and lethal gang violence cases in the streets may go unreported or covered.
There is a tendency of the community members to watch particular programs specially related to the African American culture, for example, Black American Television (Perna & Henderson, 2010).
Channels which underscore the cultures of the black population are preferred as such cases may be reported and more alertness is created on the matters pertaining to our community. News on the happenings in the home areas of the community members is given in various publications, thus offering the citizens with notifications on current trends back home.
Leadership Positions and Minority Group Interests
Several headship positions in my community are held by African Americans, where I am integrated. Thus there are not many resemblances and differences arising from race. However, ideological differences exist based on government and how the West Indians receive opportunities for development.
Minority group interests are represented within the community, exemplified by the presence of both African American and West Indian leaders. Most of the people in headship positions are African Americans and hence there are not many physical dissimilarities (Patterson & Susser, 2001). There are various interest groups who ensure that all the groups are well represented and offered with alike opportunities.
Inequities
With a larger black population, there are not many cultural imbalances within my community. However, there are some which must be resolved in order to create a more self-motivated environment where citizens can work for their common good. A society with different ethnic affiliations will typically present some inequalities in the access of basic resources, education, employment, assets, health, and accommodation. This generally presents a society of social peacefulness
There are several new constructions and redevelopments of homes in various locations, most of which are unlawful, thus damaging infrastructure. This has eventually affected the superiority of life in the overall community, ranging from educational facilities and other amenities (Perna & Henderson, 2010).
Leaders in my community seek to promote a multicultural society in which lenience and integration is promoted. Both the two races in my community receive racial isolation in the wider community, especially by the White, because the two both arise from a tradition of slavery.
Race
There are several concepts pertaining to race from the text. My community is developing into a society where the residents have the potential to obtain a fiscal and social status through determination, without any bases on ethnicity and racial prejudices.
Race may be analyzed based on the social and cultural interface of individuals, rather than their heritable influences. Absorption of the minorities into the African American culture thus does not depend on the heritable factors characterized by race, but rather the social interactions and the availability of equal prospects to accumulate assets. Groups can adopt characteristics of other cultures which may be perceived as superior in the region, typified by ways of dressing and communication styles.
Conclusion
The restrictions that racial influences present influence both the individual facing the typecast and discrimination and the general society they inhabit. In America, both African Americans and West Indians face racial amalgamation in spite of their divergence in cultures and occasionally their viewpoints (Patterson & Susser, 2001).
There is a better progression in the interaction of societal members from all the races typified by the greater incorporation by leaders and other interest groups.
Leaders in the community guarantee equivalent treatment for all races and provide opportunities for job formation for the community members. The various publications also offer imminence on the diverse cultures and happenings in the society, thus promoting assimilation as community members from different races can learn and comprehend the cultures of either society.
There are not many instances of inequity in the region mainly due to the assimilation of both cultures and the provision of apt leadership skills that also represent minority interests. There are several concepts in the text which refer to race and can be aptly applied in my project.
References
Perna, M. & Henderson, V. (2010). The West Indian community in New York. New York University. Web. Web.
Jefferson Matte. (2010). Cultural diversity. Interviewed on September 17th, 2010.
Patterson, C. & Susser, I. (2001). Cultural diversity in the United States: a critical reader. New York: Wiley-Blackwell.