Ahmad Young
Professor Keese
Sociology 1101
9 November 2017 Penalty and Privilege Do any white Americans truly believe that blacks in this country are treated as equally as they are? African-Americans have faced shortcomings in this country since the 1600s when we were brought here as slaves, also in the early 1900s when we were being beaten, killed and hung by the KKK, and even now with issues we encounter with police brutality. Many Americans fail to realize that just because we elected our first black President, does not mean that we’re anywhere near being equal to our white counterparts. On the other hand, I have had some advantages in my life for being African-American. Being black in today’s world, we have a lot more benefits than …show more content…
I’m pleased that some of the “advantages” that the black, doesn’t give us better opportunities than those who aren’t black. In the black community, your family values are everything to you, without them you’re nothing. For hundreds of years many black families were torn apart by their slave masters and even by government, incarcerating a lot of black fathers after they polluted their community with drugs. When I was growing up multiple generations lived in the same house as me and my siblings and I learned to respect and care for our elders, to practice good manners and to avoid backtalk. My mother and father couldn’t afford to pay for a babysitter for my siblings and I while they were working, so eventually my grandmother moved in with us. These living situations were very prominent in the black community and my grandmother taught me how to be a respectable, young black man in America and I’ll forever be indebted to her for it. She was the first person that instilled in me that I must work twice as hard in this world to get half of the recognition that whites will get in this country. These same teachings were taught in many black houses, which gave young black children a harder work ethic. Additionally, gender roles in my household were indistinct because everyone worked together to keep the family in order; whether it be cooking, cleaning, or taking out the garbage. My family bond was wired by
Professor Keese
Sociology 1101
9 November 2017 Penalty and Privilege Do any white Americans truly believe that blacks in this country are treated as equally as they are? African-Americans have faced shortcomings in this country since the 1600s when we were brought here as slaves, also in the early 1900s when we were being beaten, killed and hung by the KKK, and even now with issues we encounter with police brutality. Many Americans fail to realize that just because we elected our first black President, does not mean that we’re anywhere near being equal to our white counterparts. On the other hand, I have had some advantages in my life for being African-American. Being black in today’s world, we have a lot more benefits than …show more content…
I’m pleased that some of the “advantages” that the black, doesn’t give us better opportunities than those who aren’t black. In the black community, your family values are everything to you, without them you’re nothing. For hundreds of years many black families were torn apart by their slave masters and even by government, incarcerating a lot of black fathers after they polluted their community with drugs. When I was growing up multiple generations lived in the same house as me and my siblings and I learned to respect and care for our elders, to practice good manners and to avoid backtalk. My mother and father couldn’t afford to pay for a babysitter for my siblings and I while they were working, so eventually my grandmother moved in with us. These living situations were very prominent in the black community and my grandmother taught me how to be a respectable, young black man in America and I’ll forever be indebted to her for it. She was the first person that instilled in me that I must work twice as hard in this world to get half of the recognition that whites will get in this country. These same teachings were taught in many black houses, which gave young black children a harder work ethic. Additionally, gender roles in my household were indistinct because everyone worked together to keep the family in order; whether it be cooking, cleaning, or taking out the garbage. My family bond was wired by