The money should be invested in child development because shaping the youth well will result in a better outcome for the community in the later generations of adults. It should go to a long term solution because short term solutions wonât solve long term problems. Irrelevant information was the mentioning of local businesses and stores. All other information is relevant to the state of the neighborhood. Other information that could be needed to solve this problem is the estimated income of households. It should go to multiple interventions to result in a better overall outcome for the neighborhood. The proposal wouldnât change much, we would just spread it through different problems rather than focusing solely on youth development.
When Kelly was 20, she made it her mission to go travel from living in a small village in Haiti to finding a new life in NYC. Haitiâs condition has never truly changed; compared to now, it is not as bad, however it was never an ideal place to live. The outside world was never safe, her family in Haiti received little to no money for hard work, and the government was too corrupt that she feared for her future. 4 other family members had already settled in New York; those being her mother, aunt, and siblings, so the transition would not be as bad she assumed. Nonetheless, once she did reach U.S. soil, she knew she was going to have to work hard. She goes to live with her family in Brooklyn and is given the ultimatum; find a job in two weeks or leave. She can speak some English, but her accent was strong, and the little bit of English she could not speak, she knew she would have to be interactive with other people or it would be impossible for her English to get better. Yet, her Creole would come in handy in finding a good job. While taking college classes, being an interpreter in a hospital, and tending to her small cooking business, she was often too busy to enjoy her life and her 20s. Aside from having to rush into working, working multiple jobs while in school, and the constant worrying of whether she would make it in New York, the world was not so kind neither. She recalls a time in which she was working at the hospital and a mid-40s White woman had asked her where she actually was from. The question didnât hurt as much as the expression on the womenâs face as she looked in disgust did.
âIt wasnât so much that what she said hurt, it was the way she said it and the conversation continuing afterwards sounded as though she felt bad for me because she was better. No encouraging words, more liked her talking bad about my people.â
Her mother had always told her that African Americans and Haitians were totally different people and despite being black, they would never be âAmerican Blackâ. It was always important for Kelly to never forget her roots and fall into the trap of assimilation. The culture was differentâŚfood was differentâŚway of communication was different, but NYC was full of immigrants at this time especially and a lot of different people from all over the world had moved to seek a âbetter lifeâ in the U.S. Of course there would be prejudice here and there, and bad talk about all different ethnicities, but the places she was in never really contained these issues as often. For most of her 20s, she lived with her family, until she got married, pregnant, and moved to PA. There, she struck a job in an office and knew her hard work had finally paid off. She visits Haiti every other year, but respects that her life has moved on and her children have been able to grow up with more opportunities than she had.
Speaking to Kelly was an eye-opening experience as I have many friends with migrant parents with the same journey almost, but never asked to hear their experiences. I truly believe all the different migrants in America is what makes up America. Never have I speculated migrants to be any less than me. Then again, I do have people who have traveled from the Islands in my immediate family. However, their stories are not the same as generations extend in the world. I feel as though most problems a migrant is faced by in society stems from stereotypes. They categorize people by their accents and appearances due to ignorance. In addition, migrant family can also be toxic within itself; either shielding a kid from their culture to assimilate to American culture or not letting their kid incorporate what they are adapting to. Kelly definitely has more of a story to tell and I hope one day she will release a book explaining it all.
"It's bigger than black and white
It's a problem with the whole way of life
It can't change overnight
But we gotta start somewhere"
During the many protests that took place during the height of the Black Lives Matter protests, a rapper, Lil Baby released a song relating to the struggles of black people and treatment inflicted.
Chapter 6: Ethnicity & Nationalism
Don't Mind - Kent Jones
"She said, "Hola, ÂżcĂłmo estĂĄ'?"
She said, "ăăăŤăĄăŻ"
She said, "Pardon my French"
I said, "Bonjour, madame"
Then she said, "Sak pasĂŠ?"
And I said, "N'ap boule"
No matter where I go, you know I love 'em all"
Artist, Kent Jones, expresses is love for many different nationalities, expressing the many ways they communicate and make him feel.
Chapter 7: Gender
If I Were A Boy - Beyonce
"If I were a boy
I think I could understand
How it feels to love a girl
I swear I'd be a better man"
This song brings to realization the double standards between a boy & girl; what exactly is acceptable behavior exhibited by each gender. The lyrics constantly name actions men tend to do that women would be judged for, while pointing out the fact that as Beyonce thinks as a woman (because she is a woman), she would be able to properly treat one.
Chapter 9: Kinship, Family, & Marriage
LET'S GET MARRIED - partynextdoor
Oh, make it feel like forever
When it's temporary, let's get married
Party reveals his ideal woman he would want to marry through this song, and build a family with...even if it may be temporary.
Chapter 10: Class & Inequality & Chapter 11: Economy
Lose You - Drake
Winnin' is problematic
People like you more when you workin' towards somethin'
Not when you have it
We all agreed on this being our final song as it can be interpreted in multiple lenses, not even just topics of the chapters mentioned. Through a poetic set of lyrics, Drake proposes many thoughts that a person elevating their status in society feels. He himself going from "unknown" and in a way, struggling, to one of the most popular rappers at the moment; he is able to convey how capitalism truly works. The harder the worker, the more money made; there is a fear that the worker can too be just like the boss if they invest their hard work elsewhere. Everyone wants to be the boss, nobody wants to be the worker, but both come with a price.
During the last two years, more than 1,000 clothing suppliers in Karnataka, India, allegedly failed to pay their workers nearly $60 million
According to Marxâs theory of social class, social class is split into two categories: the bourgeoisie and proletariat. The bourgeoisie serve as the capitalist who own the means of production, while the proletariat are the working class, who sell their labor to the capitalists in return for wages. This makes labor valuable for profit, encouraging factory owners to force their workers to work harder and faster for less. In this way, owners are able to capitalize off of their workers, profiting much more than what they deserve. The article observes a foreign perspective of Indians working for large American corporations like Zara, H&M, and Nike protesting for proper pay for their hard work. This concept fascinates me as I always find myself shopping on all 3 of those websites, as hundreds and thousands can agree, yet the laborers of their products are not benefitting i the way they should, A country such as India where the cost of living is much less than America calls for many American business owners to utilize their factories because production is cheap, however though the cost of living is âcheaperâ, that is only seen by a person who can afford it. Many people in India live paycheck to paycheck, therefore the money they feel they deserve from these American businesses are not just a feeling, but actually justifiable.Â
Max Weber
President Joe Biden's student loan debt relief plan is expected to help mainly working and middle class borrowers, an updated report from an
Weberâs theory of social class identifies individuals stratification based on their reputation, influence, and deference. His theory speaks on the idea of life chances, where individuals, have the opportunity to improve their quality of life and realize their life goals by access to things that could bring them into a higher stratification, but this access is determined by their wealth, power, and prestige. After the election of Biden, all middle class workers were elated to know their student loans could someday be erased. The plan is to âforgive up to $20,000 of debt held by those who qualified for Pell grants as undergraduates, as well as the measure to forgive up to $10,000 for those who did not receive such grantsâ. Exemplifying Weber's theory, this would be an example of a life chance in which the working class is being given the opportunity to be upper class citizens.The main issue is that the state holds the monopoly on how elite control is supported. So although the decision is not final, this shows how much power the state holds over its people in the dreams that society hopes of the sale.Â
Pierre Bourdieu
A U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that denying potential black employees for wearing dreadlocks does not legally constitute discrimination.
Bourdieu focused on family wealth affecting the success of a childâs future (academic success specifically) through perpetuation of cultural capital. Due to schools rewarding âcultural capitalâ, they reproduce social class advantage. Cultural capital is the knowledge, habits, and tastes learned from the family of an individual that can be used to gain access to valuable resources of society. This has an effect on your social skills, experiences, exposure to certain languages, genres of music, etc. that makes a person seem appropriate to fit a particular position in a workplace. In 2016, it was made legal for a person with locs to be denied a job solely because of their hair. Since then there have been cases where men and women have been discriminated against because of their hair. Aside from the race being a factor of why many of these individuals are isolated, these stories also shed light on the fact that whoever the hiring managers are have not inherited much from cultural capital. Their minds have only focused on a tiny margin of what is available to them and their own understanding that they are not able to comprehend the complexity and respect for the hairstyle, which is well worn within the black community.
As I look at my family tree, I notice the differences in my fatherâs and mother's individual families. My mother grew up with both of her parents married, and I believe that to be evident within her relationship with my father. My fatherâs parents being divorced may have had a role in one of my uncles divorces; there are divorces in my fatherâs extended family as well. That could also, however, be the result of my mother's religious background, where they donât believe in divorce and work hard to preserve the family. My aunts and one uncle on my dadâs side are pretty young, so my other uncle and dad are the only ones as of right now extending their family tree. On my motherâs side I only have one aunt who isnât married, but the rest have a husband and children. None of my first cousins have had a child on either side. I believe the major differences in maintaining relationships have to do with how each side of my family was raised, the performances of the generations before them, and their own goals in life.Â
I definitely have noticed the effect of the past while hanging out with each side of my family. My mom's side of the family is a lot more communicative and always together, however my dad's side of the family is not nearly as close. For this reason, I am much more close to my motherâs side of the family. Despite what is shown on the diagram, my momâs side of the family is also a lot larger than my dad's side. Although my grandfather didnât know much of his family while living, he did not grow up in a two parent household. This impacted him in a more positive way to where he wanted to be a present father and husband. I believe this to be what makes family so interesting; patterns do occur, but one person has the power to make a difference for the rest. No matter the differences between both sides of my family, I love them all equally and respect the union that we have.Â
my great-grandmother (left), great-great grandmother(middle), my great-uncle (right)
FROM SLAVES TO BUISNESS OWNERS
In the early 1910s, my momâs grandmother, Lorean, who at the time was a young child, lived in a small rural area of Georgia. Her father had once been a slave and mother was Native-American, but could pass as white though her features were distinctly Native. Due to her mother, she and her 12 siblings had a field of land that they would farm on and a one bedroom cottage of a house. My great-great grandfather had worked on a plantation for many of his years of life, however had managed to pay his way out of slavery, and became an endangered servant. At that time a Black man with a âWhite womanâ was forbidden and there were often conflicts of this when they would be seen together in public. Also my great-great-grandmotherâs tribe didnât take too well that she was âtaintingâ the Native blood. With that being said, all my great-grandmother knew of was the traditional clothes they would sometimes wear and how they would do their hair. Despite conflict, they were very religious Christians and didnât believe in violence so the ignorance of others did not bother them too much. My great-grandmother told me her parents would wake all 13 of them up at four in the morning just to pray. It didnât matter if they were asleep and hopefully they went to sleep on time so they wouldnât be tired for the Bible lesson their mom would give that day.
my great-great grandmother at 94
my great-great-grandmother's mother
One day however, my great-great-grandfather had almost fought a white man and to this day, my great-grandmother does not know what was said to make him react out of character. The threat to the white man had caused him to tell his friends, who were Ku Klux Klan members, and they had sent out a search to find my great-great-grandfather. It was either run away or him and his whole family get lynched. He only knew his brother who lived in Pennsylvania, so that was where he figured heâd take his family to go. They left all their belongings behind except for an extra set of clothes and set their way from rural Georgia, to a small town in Pennsylvania. Ever since then, the âLongâ last name became well known in the area. My great-great grandfather started carpenter businesses with his brother and grew generational wealth.
Willow Grove Park (they lived in a neighborhood close)
CUBANS TO CUBAN-AMERICANS?
my grandfather (left), my grandmother (right)
My dadâs father, Michael, had immigrated with his father from Cuba to America after his father, a musician at the time, had the opportunity to play for a white family, the Fords. Micheal was eight, and very smart; always interested in learning. It didnât take him long to speak English fluently and because of it, his white peers would always assume he was mixed with white. His mother would later immigrate to be the maid of the family. The Fords were very nice to my grandfather, helped him start his music career in California, and introduced him to a band, where he would be guitarist. Due to what he witnessed in Hollywood, it made him realize how corrupt America truly was; its entertainment industry, political systems, and holidays all had twisted meanings and backgrounds he told me. For this reason, he always identifies with his nationality and ethnicity being Cuban, and prides his last name, "Quintero".
my great-great-grandfather
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR ME?Â
Though African-American and Native, my great-grandmother always celebrated with black pride, black nationalism. She took up the holiday of Kwanzaa, marched for her freedom with Martin Luther King, and the only thing that makes her American is the soil she was born on; sheâs a Black-American, which makes her experiences different from any White person she interacted with. However, my great-grandmother on my fatherâs dadâs side adapted to the culture a lot more because she thought it would help advance her son in the future. Religion is technically the only thing âAmericanizedâ on both sides of my family as I am Christian, but the religion itself is not American; thatâs a story for another day. My momâs parents had gone through the times of segregation just as my dadâs parents. Their ethnicities did not change the fact that they were âcoloredâ. Due to knowing the true history of America and many of the holidays celebrated, both sides of my family do not celebrate the holidays, but rather just host our own versions of the gatherings.Â
1994 "Cookout in July" (Fourth of July Cookout)
my grandparent's wedding photo (mom's side)
Today, I appreciate that I have the opportunity to know my roots, but it pains me to not truly know where in Africa my ancestors were from and all I have are the accounts of my elders. Especially due to the fact that African-American is a nationality, and not an ethnicity. Nonetheless I love being Black. I love being Hispanic. I love that I can proudly say I am of many ethnicities and can name Cuban being one specifically. My family has taught me nationalism is about how you feel on the inside, who you want to identify with truly. Ethnicity is just a more detailed picture of it all. Â
my family photo (dad, mom, and I)
Below is a podcast, âCulture From Me to Youâ, from my junior year of high school when we had a similar assignment for my English class to describe our cultures, its importance to us, and its effect on the world. It goes into detail of specific parts of my African-American and Cuban culture while featuring excerpts of my family.
In American culture, it is often easy to skip over a word or phrase that may have been offensive to a certain race, gender, sexuality, etc. and as a result has deemed the opposing opinion to be sensitive. That is due to the lack of understanding of what is spoken that communicates negativity. Specifically this post is a screenshot from a TikTok video where a white girl had not only called locsâŚâdreadsâ, but also indicated that locs without a retwist were not good enough for societal standards. For many decades, black people have not been able to wear their hair how they want without being shamed for doing so. Nowadays, there are laws put into place so that we do not miss out on opportunities, however comments like these bring remembrance back to how things used to be. What makes this video so triggering is a person that is not of the same culture as a person with locs is judging the look of them, yet they have no room to speak as they would not have the opportunity to wear locs without appropriating said culture with locs. Itâs unfortunate that in society our hair is not a standard on its own.
Institutional Racism
It is no surprise that America struggles with institutional racism, because Americaâs roots are rooted in racial inequality. The debate of whether HBCUs are being funded less than PWIs since the first HBCU was opened. Due to the history the government has with giving equal advantages for all, it is not a difficult concept to process that still today, those laws have an effect on today. What makes institutional racism so difficult to eliminate is there is not just one individual devoting all the plans, there are multiple individuals setting up who, what, when, where, why, and how. Back when schools were segregated, we remember how black students would not have as many teachers or resources as white students. That was only the beginning to today, where we have institutions to attend in honor of black excellence, but not much money is going into them; despite the fact that Jim Crow laws are outdated.
Racial Ideology
Americans have bought Aunt Jemima, ignoring the racist past of it all or simply being ignorant to its origin. âAunt Jemima, Uncle Ben and âRastus,â the Cream of Wheat man, were actually meant to be stand-ins for what white people viewed as a generation of formerly enslaved Black cooks now lost to themâ(https://www.nbcnews.com/think/amp/ncna1231623). Although, the Americans today have likely not thought into the pancake mixâs history, something important to note is the once popular idea that Black slaves were habitually great cooks allows the discriminatory behavior of putting Black faces on easy meals. Though, slavery times are a âthought of the pastâ, it has affected our thinking in the present.Â
Nativism
Today, it is popular to immigrate to America as it is known for its many cultures in one, but it has a past of not desiring other countries' inhabitants. Above is a picture of Uncle Sam, nose closed, unwillingly âgranting accessâ to a person who is not from America into the land. The bags of the immigrant speak for itself and can be easily interpreted on its own. This picture has likely been in a newspaper and was once a thought of many Americans of that time. Although, this American superiority interferes with others just looking for better opportunities.Â
PhenotypeÂ
These two are actually twins; same mother, same father, just different phenotypes. The genes with which these two women were given allow them to have different characteristics from one another. While one is black to the outside world, the other is white. In addition, their hair textures and facial structure are not the same. Despite these characteristic differences, their DNA indicates they are undeniably sisters.
Hypodescent
Widely known as the âone drop ruleâ, in todayâs America, being Hypodescent is normal. Having black ancestors is no hard concept to fathom as rape in slavery was prominent. However, the legalization of mixed race marriages have allowed different communities to elope and grow their children with multiple cultures. Kim Kardashian and Kanye have children who are European & African-American. Today, being Hypodescent is in a way an accomplishment of how far America has come, but also has a weird side of fetishism. In the media, those who are Hypodescent are seen as exotic and those who are Hyperdescent are seen as boring. The underlying problem of fetishsizing mixed raced children begins with the idea of watering down a race with hopes of gaining the features wanted for said child. For example, many people are getting perms because curly hair is a trend, and in result people are opting for partners that meet these standards. Many do not understand that genes do not necessarily work in this way, but overall the goal is to keep as many European looking features with âdropsâ of the opposite race.
Through this assignment, I have identified that I have been a participant of consumer culture for many years now. As I looked through the list, I was surprised with how many items I had, considering I still have items in my bedroom at home. I have so many items, I know I had to have missed at least a few while trying to complete this list. It is not something that I am proud of, but I am also a person that believes fashion is a way of expression and can tend to be influenced when purchases seem to be worth it. Due to the area I grew up in and the people I grew around, I am highly impacted by what I grew up seeing; so honestly this behavior is habitual to me. Most of my âwantsâ are clothes and shoes, and the desire often stems from the idea that I think they would look good on me or make the perfect outfit. Ultimately, without these wants, I would be healthy, and living perfectly fine. It's also important from to comprehend that many of these items are from expensive companies or brands, when I truthfully could get them for much cheaper elsewhere. To give an instance, I could easily substitute my MacBook for an HP. This makes me contemplate on the spending I do, and slowly I definitely plan on balancing the wants I have with my needs.
Like many teenagers and young adults in this world, when I see a trend I feel drawn to participate in, I do (ex: my Telfar bags).
I am not too big a fan of that particular design, but on a average day, a post like this would capture my attention and fair to say, that's all it takes. Many of the items if I had not noticed on Instagram, Twitter, or Tiktok, I would not even have thought of buying. My most unnecessary buy is for sure my Apple Watch. Often times, I forget it's there and because I am not a super active individual, my use causes it to lose its purpose. The Apple Watch was designed for busy people, and during the time I got it, I was indeed quite busy. Nonetheless, for the price and effect it has on me today, I can admit that it was a waste. One of the most important items I have is my Iphone 13 Pro Max. Similar to a previous example, this is one of the items I could have gotten at a much lower price, but I use it more than any other item I have; that is aside from my toiletries. While in college and away from family and friends, I am able to utilize it as a tool of communication, it keeps me busy when I am bored, and I use "Reminders" daily to not forget daily tasks or assignments. Additionally, I also enjoy taking pictures and without having to buy a camera, my phone does a pretty good job. Overall, I know that people think differently and define "wants" and "needs" to their own liking. I just hope that one day consumer culture will not truly phase me.
At least once a day, I press down on the pedal of this trashcan and fill it with any waste I see around me. From containing left over food, to hiding the contents of my small vacuum, my little trash can sitting under my bed does it all. Once a week in my hometown neighborhood, trash is collected into a large truck and while some is exterminated, others are recycled. I always found this arrangement of getting rid of excess product beneficial as itâs a quick way to reduce cluster. While dorm shopping, I actually almost forgot to grab this trashcan for my own personal use. My mom so happened to find it in the wrong aisle in Target and put it into the cart without my knowledge. When I saw the it in the cart, I sighed with relief, but what truly was this relief? Not once did I stop to think, âWhat would I do without this trash can?!ââŚuntil today.
The very first garbage can was developed by Eugene Poubelle; its original use was for ashes of burnt garbage. However, it became more convenient for horse-drawn carts to pick up the garbage and transport it to several hundred incinerators nationwide. As motorized vehicles became popular, they replaced horse-drawn carts. France hopped on this idea, establishing the âPoubelle Lawâ in 1883, which called for the use of closed disposal waste containers. Daily disposal of waste became the law and seperation of waste became vital. One bin indicated perishables, a second container was used for paper and cloth, and the third receptacle was for glass. Charles Harrison, an African- American industrial product designer, is the Father of the plastic garbage can, which came later on in the 1930s.(https://www.plasticmill.com/blogs/plasticmill/who-invented-the-trash-can)
How Poubelle transformed waste management forever
Previous to Poubelle's invention, waste receptacles have been used dating back to 200 A.D. in early civilizations, but unlike today's load of paper and plastic use, they were not really necessary. Romans designed the first "Sanitation Organization", where two men would pick up trash off the streets to be taken into a wagon that deposited the trash away from the area. In the 1350s, England rakers, known as the first garbage men, had a similar job; they too had to rake the trash once a week into piles that would be dumped into two rivers. The first trash waste management system had not developed in America until 1914. Ben Franklin had the idea of filling holes in the ground with trash and before Yellow Fever had spread in Texas, this was the way of life. (https://www.plasticmill.com/blogs/plasticmill/who-invented-the-trash-can)
Oct 24, 2010 - Uncollected garbage piled up on the streets of London during a sanitation strike in 1979. These days, Britain experiences few
Today, the trash can is vital for society to maintain a healthy environment. Without it, streets would be cluttered with waste, and conditions would be highly unhealthy. I recall the days where I would see ads encouraging the use of trash cans on beaches, because plastic rings would be found around turtles shells, or birds' beaks. When waste is improperly stored, there are possibilities of unwelcoming scavengers into homes and even deaths of animals.
The manufacturer of my household's trash can is Simplehuman, which is a minimalist brand, looking to improve peoples' lives with the use of their trash cans (https://www.simplehuman.com/pages/trash-can). Frank Yang, the founder, began producing these trashcans in the 2000s, making revenue of $220 million by 2018. Native to Taiwan, Yang says he "saw trashcans that looked good, but didnât function. I(he) set out to change this". Manufactured from California, Simplehuman began producing motion sensored and voice activated trashcans in 2010.
"Somehow simplehuman turned something tedious into an enjoyable and interactive experience"(https://www.forbes.com/sites/meggentaylor/2018/09/28/from-technologizing-the-trashcan-to-reinventing-the-mirror-the-evolution-of-simplehuman/?sh=64a8c1a37a16).
Frank Yang combines creative design with stainless steel to bring elegance to items like trash cans.
On social media, news gets around to people all over the world at a fast pace. For example, this couple was revealed via Instagram by "TheShadeRoom".
2. Flexible Accumulation
3. Increasing Migration
4. Uneven Development
In third world countries, many struggle in poverty due to the lack of resources supplied to them. The specific area the man and woman in this photo lives in is a "forgotten" village that is quite isolated from the rest of Haiti, lacking in health care and education.(https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2019/jan/16/haitis-isolated-and-forgotten-village-in-pictures)
Mirical Solana @miricalsolana - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
