StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Barack Obama - the First African-American President in the History of the United States - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
From the paper 'Barack Obama - the First African-American President in the History of the United States" it is clear that the election of Barack Obama as the 42nd President of the United States has made me think about race and racism in American today and reconsider my own thoughts about race…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.8% of users find it useful
Barack Obama - the First African-American President in the History of the United States
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Barack Obama - the First African-American President in the History of the United States"

race and my community Barack Obama, the first African-American President in the history of the United s, was recently ushered in on a wave of promise and a desire to enact thorough changes to the United States in a variety of social, economic and political realms. Importantly, the election of Barack Obama has returned issues of race in America to the forefront of domestic politics and has forced each and every American to reevaluate his or her conception of race in America. Seeking to address racial issues and my community of Staten Island, an island borough of the incredibly diverse and eclectic City of New York, the following aims to provide a first person account of how human interaction in my community has been racialized. I will explore race relations within my neighborhood and wider community and discuss how race is an issue in the community in which I live. I will begin with an introduction to racial issues in America and discuss the racial composition of my community and the demographic characteristics of the island which I inhabit. Following this, I discuss the representation of different ethnic and racial communities on Staten Island and conclude with my thoughts on how racial issues can be mitigated in my community. American society has a shameful legacy of slavery and is a country stratified by race, gender and class. For many in America, racism is an ever-present aspect of the social condition and is built upon a rigid social code, a white/black binary which has its roots in early American settlement and the shameful tradition of slavery in the New World. The binary logic of race is inherently hierarchical and in modern American society, white people are perceived of as being superior compared to people of color, according to this subjective racial hierarchy. This hierarchy has important ramifications in the social, cultural, economic and political realms as access to social services, jobs, and political office are presumably easier for white Americans rather than black Americans. Although racial harmony predominates in Staten Island, the African-American community faces unique challenges in the community in which I live (Fredrickson, 2007). Race on Staten Island As a 35 year old Caucasian woman, I am fortunate to live in one of the most diverse and multicultural cities on the planet. My ancestry is American through and through and my ancestors have been living in this country for many generations. I am married to a wonderful man, also of Caucasian descent, who presently works for the Armed forces and I am the owner of a small business. Staten Island is a multi-cultural and multiethnic community, which has is an important borough of New York City and is home to a variety of cultural communities. Unbeknownst to many, Staten Island is home to the largest concentration of Italian-Americans in the country and as a result Roman Catholicism in prominent on the island. There are many places of worship for the diverse faiths which inhabit Staten Island, including synagogues, temples and churches but do to the Italian influence, Roman Catholic churches seem to predominate (US Census, 2007). What is interesting from a sociological perspective is the fact that the composition of Staten Island has changed dramatically over the past 100 years. We are now home to significant ethnic minority populations and accordingly to the most recent US Census, nearly 21% of my community if foreign born. Almost 30% of my community speaks a language other than English at home – which would probably be a big surprise to the historic European inhabitants of Richmondtown if they were alive today! – and while people of European ancestry predominate, the area is continuing to grow, economically, socially and ethnically, at a rapid pace (US Census, 2007). In a city such as New York, or even a borough like Staten Island, it is impossible to say that the people all “look like me”. Just like the United States, Staten Island is a microcosm of the world and a place where different ethnicities, religions and races meet and intermingle. There are many people who make up Staten Island and the community is quite diverse. With a population of almost 500,000 people, Staten Island itself is predominately white with estimates that fellow Caucasians comprise approximately 77% of the total population. The Spanish population follows at 14%, then the black community at 10% and Asians which account for about 5% of the total community. Although the neighborhood in which I live is predominately white, most of my neighbors are of Italian descent and thus of a different ethnic background than myself. While we all probably self-identify as “white”, we do share different ethnic backgrounds and subsequently belong to different cultural communities on the island. Our leaders tend to be Republican - in fact conservativism is a feature of this community and this differentiates it from much of New York City – and while I cannot recall a black, Hispanic or Asian political leader of Staten Island in recent memory, nearly all people are treated with fairness and equality from what I can tell. Despite this, there is however a significant black community in my community and I will discuss the particular challenges facing Staten Island’s black community later in this essay (US Census, 2007). My textbook has taught me that race is a social construct and while we subconsciously believe that racial differences are real and are written in stone, in fact most are socially-ascribed and the result of social forces. The social construction of race and gender roles has been particularly informative for me and has allowed me to view race in my community through a new lens. While stereotypes do predominate in American society, I try my best not to judge others based upon their race and treat each and every person as an equal. This brings me to the issue of racial profiling which is a topical issue which is commonly discussed when one references race in America. I have been fortunate not to have witnessed racial profiling where I live – I do notice that the NYPD police force is quite diverse and this is something which they pride themselves on – but I am sure that certain members of minority cultural communities do face racial challenges, particularly with respect to the police, which I have not encountered. Racial profiling is a “hot” issue and one which makes front-page news and headlines across New York. It is also sometimes used by political entrepreneurs (who will go unnamed) who seek to stoke racial insecurities and provoke racial disharmony in my community. Diversity is a fact of life living in New York City and I believe that our city councilors as well as local media do an excellent job portraying the ethnic mosaic which is New York. We have people from all over the world who have come to America for the freedoms and greater opportunities which make our country what it is and I am fortunate to live in a country which prides itself on being tolerant of others. While there is a significant Jewish community on Staten Island, it does not compare in size to other Jewish communities in other parts of New York and it seems to cohabit with the rest of the island in peace and harmonious co-existence. The Asian community is small but growing and many new entrepreneurs in Staten Island are recent immigrants from the countries of Asia. I know of a small and nascent Indian community (foreign born and not native American) and they bring a wealth of cultural traits and excellent delicacies to this cultural mosaic. While white people, meaning people who look similar to myself, remain the majority on the island, the cultural communities of people from all over the world have flocked to New York City and have begun new lives in this multicultural mosaic we all call home. While I do believe that the leaders of my community represent the interests of minorities on Staten Island, racial issues do exist particularly within the black community which predominates among the Public Housing Projects on the island . Concluding Remarks The election of Barack Obama as the 42nd President of the United States has made me think about race and racism in American today and reconsider my own thoughts about race in the 21st century. His election would have been impossible with the emergence of the U.S. Civil Rights movement, one of the most important social movements of the twentieth century. Established in response to the systematic discrimination which plagued much of the United States, the U.S. Civil Rights movement sought to abolish racial discrimination in this country. Although I rarely encounter racism in my community and am not often the subject of racist attitudes of behaviors, walking through the Public Housing Projects of Staten Island reminds me that it is real and continues to exist. While I do believe that minority interests are represented within my community, the African-American population largely remains relegated to poor social conditions in the Housing Projects which predominate on the island. If I could resolve the racial inequalities within my community it would be to tackle the abundant misery and hopelessness which have become of feature of life for many blacks on the island who live in the Housing Projects. Since we have a lot of Housing Projects and they are most often occupied by blacks there is obviously a problem with race and economic opportunities in my city. I would like to see changes particularly at the social, economic and politician levels. I believe that the black community is stereotyped in a negative way – either consciously or sub consciously – and the violence and crime which is a result of poverty and hopelessness has come to be seen as a “black” issue. While a small percentage of Staten Island’s total black population lives in these Projects, the entire community is stereotyped and believed to encompass a monolithic group. I think that the best way to tackle the intersectionality of race and poverty would be to reevaluate the welfare system and evaluate each case on a case by case basis. Although racial harmony is the norm in my community things need to change in order to ensure that all racial groups are treated fairly and appropriately in Staten Island. We live in a global world and perhaps the most multicultural city on the planet. With the election of Barrack Obama, the time has come to reevaluate our conceptions and misconceptions of race in America. references County and City Data Book. (2007). U.S. Census Bureau. Fredrickson, G.M. (2002). Racism: A Short History. Princeton: Princeton University Press,. Jackson, K.T. (1995). The Encyclopedia of New York City. New Haven: Yale University Press. Read More
Tags
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Not Found (#404) - StudentShare”, n.d.)
Not Found (#404) - StudentShare. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/social-science/1726309-an-autobiographical-research-paper-that-analyzes-the-influences-of-race-as-it-relates-to-my-community
(Not Found (#404) - StudentShare)
Not Found (#404) - StudentShare. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1726309-an-autobiographical-research-paper-that-analyzes-the-influences-of-race-as-it-relates-to-my-community.
“Not Found (#404) - StudentShare”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/social-science/1726309-an-autobiographical-research-paper-that-analyzes-the-influences-of-race-as-it-relates-to-my-community.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Barack Obama - the First African-American President in the History of the United States

Iconic Presidents of the United States

Additionally, he provides an effective basis of comparison with some of the recent presidents such as the incumbent president Barack Obama and George Bush among many others who also served during some of the most tumultuous times in the history of the country.... Among iconic presidents of the united states was Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the united states who served until his untimely assassination in 1865.... Though not a Member of Parliament, the president influenced the lawmakers during his tenure as the president of the united states thus succeeding in emancipating the African Americans....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

African-American psychology

They carried on the torch of struggle for the next forty years or so to elect a negro to become the first president of the united states.... othing is wrong with singing to an audience of different race per se,but considering the long history of division between the negro people and the whites one can infer that James Brown's decision to do so might have emanated from his deep desire to express his talent … Even under the critical eye of the sneering public, Brown plunged and took the risk....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Causes of Obama's victory

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the united states was a historic event in the life of the American republic.... The election of barack obama came as part of a historic mandate that saw record turnout by the electorate and a campaign team that relied extensively on the internet to propagate their message as well as secure funding is a sign of our times.... The fact that an African American was elected president and on a platform of “change” was heralded as the beginning of a new era in the politics of the nation....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

The US Sociological Framework and Socialization

These theories would be used in examining the demographic characteristics in the united states of America and the extent at which it affects the social trend.... the united states, being a pluralist state with a diverse race inherent, presents a society that explains the actions of different groups and how they affect decision making in the American community.... The African-Americans present in the united State gave their support to their fellow black compatriot, which opens up a new dimension to the American political terrain, as it was stated in history that a black American has the possibility to rule America (Cole, Hirst & Figgis, 1994)....
1 Pages (250 words) Essay

IT MUST BE WITHIN THE TIME PERIOD COVERED BY YOUR U.S. HISTORY COURSE( FROM 1877 TO THE PRESENT)

This was the beginning of what would later be known as the War on Terror that would last years, cost billions of dollars, American and foreign lives, and cause a shift in America's foreign policy and well the world opinion of the united states.... This topic looks at attacks on the US on September 11 by examining the events of the attack, the actions of the US government after the attack and reviewing the changes brought about by this event on the various issues among them, American foreign policy. On the morning of… mber 11, 2001, two planes rammed into World Trade Centre in New York within 18 minutes of each other with the first one hitting the building at 8....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Critique of a Political Speech

After his victory, the first black president of the united states gave a speech before an enthusiastic audience of 240,000.... He mentioned the fundamental issues faced by the united states and the rest of the world.... “YES WE CAN”, the three words that On the 4th of November 2008, Senator barack obama spoke at the rally in Grant Park in his hometown, Chicago, Illinois, after winning the competition for the seat of the President of America....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Barrack Obama: First Black President

As a student of political history, I would like to point out that the most spectacular invent in the history of the united states of America (USA) that captivates my interests is the election of Barrack Obama as the 44th President of USA.... Without it, there is no history.... This is because it is the evidence which is reconstructed to make history become what it.... It was of course, a great history which will not shed off the memories of Americans and the global community for many years to come....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Race in Politics

hellip; At the time of the enactment of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) in 1965, it was impossible to imagine that an African – American would be elected the president of the united states.... Consequently, it was believed to a major extent that the white votes would go against barack obama.... From the paper "Race in Politics" it is clear that Obama gained widespread support from a large proportion of white voters in some states.... first, those white voters were racists at heart, despite their public posturing; and that they would never vote for a black presidential candidate....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us