I found this week’s readings more difficult to relate to, particularly because I’m not Dominican and haven’t been a victim of racism, but some parts of “Black Behind the Ears” — and Up Front Too? Dominicans in The Black Mosaic by Ginetta E.B. Candelario intrigued me. The problem of identity that’s noted throughout the article is […]
The primary intention of “The Black Mosaic” was to bring a sense of cohesion between the Latino/a groups and African groups in America. While an admirable goal, I was fascinated by the notion that many intricate racial relationships can coalesce under one identity. This article concerning racial identity led me to a New York times […]
Racism began since the mass movement of Europeans to the Americas in the 17th century. When the Europeans came to the Americas, various groups of people and sects separated and became distinct with their own set of laws and religions. As time passed, these sects were distinguishable and unique, each with its own importance. Many […]
Although I am not personally qualified to speak on the experience of blacks and Afro-Latinos in America, the article on Dominicans is to me an example of internalized oppression. Because the message that blackness is inherently negative is subtly perpetuated in both Dominican and American society, Dominicans distance themselves from their black ancestry. On an […]
In “Behind the Black Ears”–and Up Front Too? Dominicans in The Black Mosaic,” by Ginetta E.B. Candelario, the idea of “the box” is presented. The box is the idea that racial identity is more important than national or ethnic identity. A Dominican woman, Carmen Quander, said, I am a person of color and very proud […]
In initiating a racially-fueled social structure, an individual’s personal exposure to a racial group may become diluted by preconceived notions of a racial group’s characteristic behavior, as described by the general populace. Stereotypes pose significant threat to those who are being stereotyped. Michael Omi and Howard Winant of “Racial Formation in the United States” bring […]
In “Black Behind the Ears”, Ginetta E.B. Candelario brought up an interesting point about how Dominicans in America used a tactic of embracing their “Latino identity” in order to combat “anti-black racism” and to distance themselves from their African heritage. Giving an example of this, Candelario writes, “Doña Campos clearly understood that she and her children […]
What is a race? The term race is a very problematic one that has been used incorrectly time and time again. In Lifespan Development, a Topical Approach, Feldman describes that although race is purely biological, it has taken on many more meanings, such as skin color, religion, or culture. “Depending on how it is defined […]
Science suggests that climate and sun exposure differences are responsible for the evolution of differently pigmented humans. The extra exposure to UV A and UV B radiation in regions closer to the equator allowed for people with darker pigmented skin in those areas whereas humans located further up north evolved to have lighter skin pigmentation […]
It appears to me as though the two readings assigned this week examine two sides of the same coin: methods of racial categorization have both practical and humanitarian impact. Which offers greater insight into the issue at hand is difficult to say, though it is apparent that one impacts the other. Separation between scientific and […]
For many people, race is an important factor that contributes to their identity. It is the right of an individual to recognize themselves as part of a particular race group. That is not to say that any person should randomly choose their identity based on whim. On the contrary, a person’s racial identification is influenced […]
There are times when I can go through life barely trying to look at things for more than they appear on the outside. But recently I’ve been questioning a lot about how society operates and why we do the things we do and see the things we see. The piece, Racial Formation in the United […]
