Institutional Racism In My Family

Having explored my target and agent identities has helped me identify certain types of institutional racism that my family and I go through. In this paper I will go into depth on one specific institutional form that I feel has impacted my family and me in the long run. I will also link that form to two other forms of institutional racism and explain how each one of them potentiate one another increasing their ability to exclude or deny. Last but not least I will reflect my thoughts and emotions towards these issues for both my family and I. Incorporating the collage sharing that I had with two of my classmates and their feelings and emotions as well.
In the book, “Racism in the United States, Implications for the Helping
Profession” written by; Joshua Miller and Ann Marie Garran. The authors talk about this web of institutional racism in chapter 04 (pg. 61), they focus on nine types of institutional racism Residential, Educational, Employment, Accumulation of wealth and upward mobility , Environmental and Health, Criminal Justice, Political ,and Media.
The author’s purpose is to emphasis how racism remains institutionally embedded in the U.S society and focus on what remains as oppose to what has been accomplished. When I put thought into which forms of institutional racism affects my family and I the first three forms that catch my attention right away are, Residential, Educational and Employment. Having being born and raised in the city of Watts .CA and living in public housing were to me the best years of my life as a child. Yes there were several shootings and drug abuse and many other crimes being presented but as a child you learn how to appreciate the roof over your head. Now as an adult I question this residential racism that my family and I had to go through and are still going through. As a child I never really paid attention to the type of people that were living in my community until now I have realized that blacks and Latinos have been segregated into these communities for a reason. I remember growing up and my father always complaining how
it was too expensive to own a home outside the community we lived in. He would go out looking for different homes and would come back saying” the real estate showed me a couple houses but they are still in bad communities and we cannot afford something different according to him”. Now I understand what was the real estate doing he was practically redlining my family and I because of our low income. Education was also a form of institutional racism in my family. In my family out of eight children only one has been able to pull through k-12 and now University level. Education in my community is not enforced as it should be there’s no sense of motivation from teachers or mentors. Parents are forced to work two jobs at times to meet their needs as well as their children’s needs. So reading writing or help with homework is the last thing that is consider around my community. The lack of involvement in schools also plays in. As for employment low paid jobs are available to people who tend to drop out of school. Not having the proper education forces them to work hard labor jobs for the minimum wage and stressing some people out leading them to the use of drugs. My family has faced these three types of racism in many different viewpoints. Being raised in the ghetto put some of my family members at a disadvantage from actually getting a good education and employment. My three older brothers all dropped out of school due to lack of motivation in the school environment, leading them to low paid jobs in which they had to work in horrible conditions. They soon became frustrated with their economic status and began to get involved with gangs which lead them to prison. As for my parents they had little to no education and were forced to work low paid jobs but always did their best to encourage all of us to seek higher than what’s expected. All four of my sister have been able to survive these forms of institutional racism and are now seeking higher education little by little.
Educational racism has played a huge role in my own personal life both good and bad. Speaking from experience I can honestly say that throughout my K-8Th years of school never was I once introduce to the idea of attending junior college let alone a four year University. The lack of motivation in my school communities deterred my knowledge of higher education. I don’t remember ever getting homework as a child or having to write a paper. The teachers at the time were never really concern about whether the students were learning or not. It wasn’t until my high school years that I begun to get the proper education. I knew that I wanted to pursue higher education so I decided to enroll into a charter school outside my local neighborhood. Once I was enrolled never did I figure it would be so difficult to learn the material I felt lost in all my classes. I felt like if I were dumb because I didn’t understand the lectures and I kept failing my entire test. Luckily the teachers were very helpful the school was very resourceful and my grades went up after tutoring and practice test provided by my high school. I can honestly say that if I wouldn’t have made that choice I wouldn’t be where I am now. I thank all my teachers and mentors that taught me all the skills of becoming a well-educated person. Educational racism broke me and builds me in a sense which made me knowledgeable enough to never give up seeking for the appropriate assistance in other to succeed.
Now that I have been able to overcome and continue overcoming Educational Racism I will be able to overcome Residential and Employment Racism.
My urge to a higher education will lead the way to a successful career and possibly a beautiful home in a good community. I will also be able to set a good example for my little sister and my nephews and nieces. Having them realize that although our family has struggle for many years due to these intuitions that oppress us there’s always a way around it. I feel privilege in a sense because the struggles that my older family members went through were lived experiences that made me stronger and strive for a better outcome. The endless nights that my parents worked to provide me with food and shelter has kept me alive long enough to change history. I have also come to realize that these forms of Institutional Racism exist on many levels. The fact that we were redlined and segregated from good neighborhoods with lack of proper resources leads my brothers to dropping out of school. Forcing them to work at fast food places living check by check causing stress upon which lead them to gangs. Which eventually had them in jail facing time due to these forms of
racism?
Having explored these forms of institutional racism brings about mixed emotions. It makes me realize that Racism still exists and it remains strong. It bothers me to know that my family members and I have been victims of these forms. Yet it makes me stronger as a person and builds the passion to seek higher education. I can honestly say that knowing that these forms of racism exist challenges me to become bigger and better. To overthrow those expectations those societies has for minorities and pull through. Being able to hear my two partners experience confirms my experiences and made me feel as if Am not alone in this battle. It also opened up my eyes to realize that we all have experience racism in both good and bad aspects. The outbreak of these forms is to use them towards your advantage and seek education to its higher degree.