Topic:Autoethnographyof race
Autoethnographyof race
Thecommunity I grew up in was comprised of various races. Some of thefirst discussions that my siblings and I had with my mother mainlytouched on racism. Our childhood was characterized by biased commentsfrom different people all over the town. The key business within thearea we resided as children was mainlycafé buildings and small convenient stores. Since it was aneighbourhood with a small population, there were not large chainstores and other big businesses to serve the local area. Peoplewithin the district lived in residential homes with most of themhaving their own compounds and backyards.
Theschools within the area were mostly integrated. The school that mysiblings and I attended operated in a system that remained at thesame level for a long time which represented the worst aspect ofliving within my population as I was forced to regress several times.
Thefact that the school was integrated made it more challenging to dealwith the numerous belligerent activities that characterized thesystem, and the negative impact that teachers had on their studentsexacerbated it. Usually, Caucasian students were favored more by theschool system and attempts to make this issue known to theadministration typically never bore any fruits.
Eventhough our area of residence was characterized by racial injusticeand racism, our mother always ensured that we looked at every personas a child of God. Considering we were living in a community that wasfull of ethnic prejudice, it was difficult to look at people in thisway. However, we had to follow the teachings that our mother gave usregardless of the different aspects of our lives that negativelyinfluenced the racial beliefs we had.
Presently,my life is characterized by peace and love as I am currently residingin a community that is larger than the one I grew up in. I amcurrently working in a Catholic Preschool and this has enabled me tosee children as curious beings. The dissimilarity between my life asa child and the life I am currently living has allowed me to share mysignificant achievements as I remained determined regardless of theenvironment I grew up in.