Introduction
Race is a most important factor which determines social, cultural and economic life of a person and community. San Jose, California, is one of the places which introduced different diversity programs on the local level which help to eliminate national and cultural differences, and create a healthy social environment. A major concern of social thinking is to identify the nature of these relations and to trace their social and political effects. In recent years the understanding of race has been changed, because as a collective sentiment, race needs to be upheld and reaffirmed. Thesis Racial differences and inequality does not play a crucial role in human relations and distribution of income in my region because of effective and successful social programs and multicultural approaches introduced by the local government.
Discussion Section
San Jose is a large multinational community (population – 953,679). Critics admit that San Jose is one of the best examples of ethic diversity which does not have a great impact on the life of citizens and their social status. As a Serbian, I do not experience racial segregation or discrimination faced by many immigrants around the USA. Members of my community do not look like me coming from different backgrounds: Asian immigrants, blacks and Hispanics, Russians and Lithuanians, etc. They differ by national and cultural traditions, color of skin and eyes, figure and character. As a Serbian, I do not differ greatly from white Americans in terms of color of skin or eyes, but the only difference is an accent and lack of cultural knowledge. The leaders of my community treat people like me the same way as Americans and other immigrants who live in San Jose. I can say that they employ special programs and social support for those who are different in order to help them socialize and assimilate (Fredrickson 2001).
National and racial diversity of San Jose helps to eliminate racial segregation and discrimination. Race encourages the development of self-consciousness and presents it as worthwhile. Although on some occasions they focus upon a past splendor, they always promise a better future and advocate regeneration (Gilroy, 1993). It is important to note that even if in contrast to a concept of a nation, race does not belong to a particular country (some countries, a part of the world, a continent), and geographical boundaries are not clearly identified, a particular race represents cultural peculiarities of its representatives. In this case, race can be defined as a multinational unity with similar cultural background (including philosophy, religion, customs, etc.). Race gives strength and resilience to individuals in so far as it reflects their own identification with an entity (the race) that transcends them in a broad context. As for me, I share the opinion that the concept of race is culturally constructed and influenced by a cultural peculiarities more than by genes (Merriam et al 2007).
The work manuals do not contain a lot of information about Serbians and their national traditions, but they contain information about East European identity and nationalities. The local media represents people life me introducing special programs for immigrants and national minorities. In San Jose, Serbian community is nor large and for this reason there is no special TV programs or shows on Serbian language. Local media creates special programs devoted to needs and problems of minority groups and their daily life. One of the students comments: (Merriam et al 2007).
There is no great difference (cultural) between people who are in leadership positions in my community and me. The only difference is language barriers and cultural distinctions. In San Jose, there are a lot of people who belong to different racial groups (biologically), but identify themselves only with one of them, mostly on the basis of the culture they share. In this case, people like believers who identify their race on the basis of values and traditions instead of genes. In contrast to many cities, there is no a psychological and cultural problem for people whose appearance does not coincide with their cultural background.(Merriam et al 2007).
In San Jose, social agencies and organizations play a major and continuing role in the lives of people. Organizations of one form or another are a necessary part of a society and serve many important needs (Merriam et al 2007). The workforce diversity need not be considered as a barrier to achieving wide objectives, but a facilitator of achieving improved competitive advantage. Human resources have an individual as well as a corporate existence, each person having certain goals and aspirations. All employees come from different cultural and social environments; they have different social statuses and class location, different religious beliefs and belong to different cultures. Differences are bound to exist, due simply to the physical characteristics of the employees, such as sex, nation race. These differences create a certain tension between employees which requires special intervention actions of the HR department to manage workforce diversity (Torres et al 2003).
The facts mentioned above show that minority groups pare represented in San Jose and protected against discrimination or segregation. In addition, local authorities eliminate barriers for racial minority groups. The schools’ internal structural organization and their cultures of implicit understanding of how things are and how things ought to be done contribute to processes that differentiate other compensatory education programs. Recent studies show that racial discrimination is eliminated through multicultural approach. Many schools introduce billingsgate education and programs for racial minorities. Main problem is lack of Serbian teachers and courses for people like me. But, I am a native speaker and have a good knowledge of my language and literature. Human rights are particularly difficult to operationalize in education if the object of these rights is to protect students’ identity (Torres et al 2003).
Following some concepts form the text, I can say that “race” does not exist as a biological phenomenon, but rather that it is socially and culturally constructed” Torres et al 2003). It should be mentioned that biological identification of race limits the concept of diversity but it helps to examine and analyze social process and mobility of society. Many educators make a vital point in this respect in relation to visibility and its importance in disciplinary modes because racial inequalities are always highly visible, marked out within the public sphere and within the discourses that construct the student audience. Today, the issues of racism and multiculturalism are closely connected as the term “multiethnic education” is used to bridge racial and ethnic groups (Torres et al 2003). Such a process has had a profound impact on the education process not least upon the ways in which cultural identities and relations are forged by racisms, whether in the form of hegemonic gendering or the subaltern masculinities and femininities associated with subordinate groups. In education, “multiculturalism” becomes a reflection of racism aims to hide negative outcomes of racial diversity. Multicultural education tends to smooth prejudices and difficulties arisen between (Gilroy 1993).
In my community, school is a major arena where people are exposed to cultural diversity and conflict. It is there where attitudes are shaped, reinforced, or changed. And the process starts early. Children in day care centers and kindergarten classes are exposed daily to cultural differences. The preponderance of data indicates that our school systems are not adequately preparing students for cultural diversity (Gilroy 1993). A discomforting paradox is that within two decades, if the current pattern continues, 48 percent of the public school student population will be ethnic minority children, but less than 3 percent of the teachers will be minorities. Instead, increased alienation occurred as the gap between the educators’ and the students’ values and lifestyles widened. The gap also widens when those students enter the workforce. Even though each employee is shaped by his or her ethnic and racial group, managers must not forget that each person is unique. When confronted by employees who are culturally different, effective managers become aware of the nuances of individuality. Work environments in which the majority of employees are from the same ethnic group often create the illusion that all employees are alike, therein distorting individual uniqueness and causing workplace identity conflicts. Cross-cultural differences and multicultural conflicts are convoluted because of the multiple identities found within cultures. Examples of multiple identities include Catholic African Americans and Hispanic homosexuals (Merriam et al 2007). Also, cross-cultural differences due to geographic location may have little to do with race. Understanding the history of an ethnic group, the current stage of its national and social identities, and its relationships with other groups is critical to recognizing and resolving cross-cultural conflict. Specifically, an ethnic group’s reasons for coming to the United States can provide valid data pertaining to intercultural conflict. Some ethnic groups are still searching for freedom from religious persecution that drove them from their homeland, or escape from ethnic group prescription, or job opportunities not available in their native country. For others, however, migration was a way to survive political oppression. And others–Africans–are trying to extricate from their lives a history of being kidnapped and sold as chattel property. The relocation of more than four hundred American Indian sovereign nations adds yet another issue to intergroup conflict. Indeed, employees bring their cultural histories to the workplace.
Conclusion
There are always certain groups in any society that are discriminated against unfavorably due to the prejudices and preconceptions of the people with whom they have to deal. These preconceptions are sometimes verbalized, but often not, and the people holding these preconceptions may well be unaware of the way that they see and judge things and people. In my community, class is more important factor then race. The new economic conditions provide upper classes and majority with wider economic and social opportunities depriving lower classes and racial minorities a chance to compete on the labor market. Workforce diversity policies and equal opportunities movement are a part of social programs in all organizations and companies aimed to level racial differences and cultural diversity. In contrast to other regions, San Jose’s immigrants are not seen as marginal because they are easily assimilated into the dominant culture. They do not feel as second-class citizens socially alienated. The ability to exchange ideas is a primary vehicle for managing business negotiations, expediting decision-making, and evaluating employees’ performances.
References
Fredrickson, George M. (2001). The Black Image in the White Mind. New York: Harper & Row.
Gilroy, Paul. (1993). The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Torres, V., Howard-Hamilton, M. F., & Cooper, D. L. (2003). Identity development of diverse populations: Implications for teaching and administration in higher education. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, 29(6), 1–78.