Before and After

Being part of a minority group I felt that I knew what I was about to get myself into. Often times while talking about race with peers with whom I share the same ethnic background I hear the same concerns and complaints. I have become bored of the same comments when this topic comes up that I have tried to avoid bringing it up all together. My friends routinely bring up the fact that this country is racist, and for that same reason it is commonly too difficult for minorities to carry out a lifestyle that the White community has for the most part privatized. Unfortunately, I have found this statement to be true in many occasions. The reason I avoid this topic is that most times it is brought up, my peers have used race as an excuse for anything negative that happens to them. I am an individual who believes that we are in the land of opportunity, and that if we work hard enough we can attain the socio-economic status that the White public has always hogged.

                While trying to fulfill my last general education course, I realized that my options were limited for the ethnicity portion. I did not want to find myself in a course where students go in and complain about the treatment they receive from the White community, I had seen plenty of that from my friends. Not looking forward to what I expected the class to present, I signed up and hoped that it would all be over quick. I was pleasantly surprised when I attended my first lecture. I realized that my expectations for this course were inconsistent with the material that it would actually cover. I found myself immersed in most of the readings. It was insightful to study why the White race has remained dominant in this culture and how the Black community has fought back to have their voices heard and to be respected as part of the human race. The assigned reading that has been most eye-opening is George Lipsitz’s chapter on “The White Spatial Imaginary”.

                This reading was able to answer many of the questions I had regarding the Black community. Before studying this work, I, like many other individuals, believed that the Black and other minority communities were not taking advantage of the opportunities that they have by living in the United States. To me, minority groups were wasting their time and resources on unproductive activities such as gangs, drug dealing, prostitution, and crime. As part of the minority group however, I realized that only a small percentage of our population was actually involved in these activities. One thing was certain though, most of the individuals that appeared in the news for such crimes where usually part of a minority group, rarely did I see a White individual being charged for these criminal activities. It is frustrating to see that time after time members of the minority group reinforce the stereotypes that the White community has summoned upon us.

                Through the “White Spatial Imaginary” I have finally been able to understand why the minority community has not been able to match the success of White America. I often wondered why, after many years of being “free” and “equal”, the Black and Latino communities were still struggling to be appropriately represented in society. White America was able to maintain the traditions of the slavery age through legislation and economic practices that favored the White individual but only made matters worse for those of a different ethnic background (Lipsitz). Housing legislation for example, is a big component for why White and Black communities have been spatially separated. It is because of legislation like the Federal Housing Authority of 1934 and Fair Housing Act of 1968 that the Black community, as well as many minority groups, has had to condense themselves in cities (Lipsitz). Living so closely together and being spatially separated has left them with little government assistance to better their living conditions. What legislation has created is a poorly funded neighborhood with inadequate access to good quality education and health.

                Through all this new insight, I still hold the belief that we live in the land of opportunity. Unfortunately many minority groups have been blinded by the living conditions that Whites have forced onto them. Because of this I do agree that Whites have an unfair advantage in terms of education, health, and general safety, but I also agree that if we really want to achieve equality we must fight for it and stop victimizing ourselves. To make ourselves heard and respected, it is important to show our power and importance to this country. This can be achieved by realizing that even though we are at a disadvantage, and even though we must work harder, it is possible for us to represent ourselves just as capable, if not more, than the White individual. Whites, like minorities, may not be aware of how this segregated society was formed. Unlike Whites however, people of color have suffered the negative consequences of segregation, and even though we may not be responsible for current conditions, it is in our best interest to educate our race and motivate them to pursue true equality and respect.