Race, Class, and Culture
Toccara Townsend
12-2-2008
SBS 318
Critical Essay #2
Does being born connected to a certain race, class and culture define you as a person and the way you should or shouldn’t live your life. Does being in a certain class make you have class? In the paper I plan to give examples of how race, class and culture affected the African American culture. Growing up you always heard your family members speak of making sure you get an education or that education was the key to your success. It gave children the impression that without education you wouldn’t or couldn’t have a bright future. So the question is, because a child decides to further his/her education and/or move from where they have grew up does that put them in another class from the others that didn’t have the same opportunity or want the same things in life. In the article “Our kind of people, by Graham Lawrence” it speaks about how you find pride and quilt in the black elite. Basically there are some that strive for greatness and in the same token want to come back and help those that was less fortunate, but then on the other hand you have those that take on the superiority attitude, who feel embarrassed of their less accomplished brethren. (page 197) In the Black community we have some the most talented, educated, and accomplished people that are considered role models but because of their smug and prejudiced attitude you would never know. Families were under the impression in 1938 that in order for their kids to meet some role models that had to be secluded in a particular organization called the Jack and Jill school/chapter. Jack and Jill was an organization where families of black professionals had there children attend. Shirley Barber James stated that the real reason why parents insisted that their kids grew up in Jack and Jill is because of the social and educational benefits (page 199). That no matter if your kid went to a private school she still couldn’t guarantee they would meet a
12-2-2008
SBS 318
Critical Essay #2
Does being born connected to a certain race, class and culture define you as a person and the way you should or shouldn’t live your life. Does being in a certain class make you have class? In the paper I plan to give examples of how race, class and culture affected the African American culture. Growing up you always heard your family members speak of making sure you get an education or that education was the key to your success. It gave children the impression that without education you wouldn’t or couldn’t have a bright future. So the question is, because a child decides to further his/her education and/or move from where they have grew up does that put them in another class from the others that didn’t have the same opportunity or want the same things in life. In the article “Our kind of people, by Graham Lawrence” it speaks about how you find pride and quilt in the black elite. Basically there are some that strive for greatness and in the same token want to come back and help those that was less fortunate, but then on the other hand you have those that take on the superiority attitude, who feel embarrassed of their less accomplished brethren. (page 197) In the Black community we have some the most talented, educated, and accomplished people that are considered role models but because of their smug and prejudiced attitude you would never know. Families were under the impression in 1938 that in order for their kids to meet some role models that had to be secluded in a particular organization called the Jack and Jill school/chapter. Jack and Jill was an organization where families of black professionals had there children attend. Shirley Barber James stated that the real reason why parents insisted that their kids grew up in Jack and Jill is because of the social and educational benefits (page 199). That no matter if your kid went to a private school she still couldn’t guarantee they would meet a