Self-Analysis

As I progressed with this blog project, I was able to see my knowledge and thought process on the issue grow and become more informed. Looking back to the first postings that I made, I am now able to realize that I had a certain ignorance on the topic. I was not aware of how prevalent the issue of racism was in schools and within the youth and young adult population. I had acknowledged the fact that the cases of the Jena Six and the torture of Megan Williams were obviously charged by racism, but I did not have an accurate knowledge base on how widespread the issue still was in the country today. With doing research on the cases of racism during the Civil Rights Movement I was able to see that although I had the opinion that America had progressed so much from the racism of the mid 1900s, many of the same issues still existed in different ways. I was also able to develop the idea that there is a strong need for education on the subject. Until those in authority are able to get over the fact that racism is a touchy subject, the youth population will not be able to be properly educated on the topics of racial equality and how to properly solve conflicts having to do with race. Education is the main thing that will help to stop racism in the future. The research that I have done in order to complete this blog project has allowed me to develop a more educated and less naive perspective on the specific issue of racism today and how it manifests itself in the youth population of today.

Implications

If the issue of racism within the youth and young adult population and in schools continues to go without being addressed, extreme cases like that of the Jena Six will continue to become more and more prevalent. Violence will continue to increase if the youth are not educated in issues such as conflict resolution and the need for racial equality. If the root of all the violence and the discrimination is not addressed, there is no way possible for manifestations of the issue to end. The cases will continue to become more serious and harder to control. Those in authority are currently taking issues and looking at them solely on their exterior. The reasons for why the conflicts and issues come up must be thoroughly addressed and discussed before a true solution can be planned out.

Class Links

The main purpose of this blog, in the beginning, was to fulfill a requirement for and English class. Because each student was instructed to create his or her own blog on a subject that he or she felt strongly about, I would like to take this post to recommend that you read the blogs of three of my classmates. These blogs do a particularly good job of addressing both sides of their argument and expressing their opinion with valid support.

Heatin' it Up- This blog addresses the many effects that global warming has on this country both politically and personally. The blog addresses how global warming will have an effect on the environment and the inhabitants of the environment while giving a clear analysis on the attempts that have been made to address the issue and how and why these attempts have failed.

The Abortion Debate- This blog does a thorough job of not only addressing the sides to the debate on abortion, but it also provides background information which allows the reader to gain knowledge on both sides of the argument. The blog gives information on the debate about when life begins and under what conditions abortion may be considered murder.

Alcohol 101- This blog shows its support for the lowering of the drinking age to 18. The blog does a thorough job of gathering support for why the drinking age should be lowered by using logical arguments. The blog also addresses the opposite side of the argument by giving the example of a MADD. The blog addresses that drunk driving is an issue and gives a solution to help eliminate it.

Helpful Links

Before one is able to accurately tackle the issue of modern racism as it effects our youth today, one must have an accurate and vast knowledge of how racism has played a large role in American history. The following links help to give an informational background on some aspects of racism that have affected our country.
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAjimcrow.htm
http://www.cnn.com/EVENTS/1997/mlk/links.html
http://www.africanaonline.com/civil_rights.htm
Along with a concrete understanding of the past, it is necessary to have a familiarity with the events of the present that involve racism. The following links give detailed information on two cases of racism that have recently been headlined in national news.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14533821
http://news.bigg.net/n84611-Rape_Torture_Victim_Megan_Williams_Gives_Exclusive_Interview.html
The following links give descriptions of how racism affects the youth of today, particularly in schools. These links help to support the argument that the extreme cases that have been showcased lately in the news are not the only manifestations of racism within today's youth population.
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/racism.htm
http://saxakali.com/edwatch/racism_in_schools.htm
http://www.racismnoway.com.au/pdfs/recognising.pdf
http://www.kimberlyswygert.com/archives/001786.html
http://reasonandradical.blogspot.com/2005/02/more-on-school-racism.html

My Theory

The issue of racism and how it affects America's youth is one whose severity can be argued. Many people hold the opinion that the issues of violence that have occurred against African American youth are isolated and that racism is not a huge problem in today's society. The few incidents that are made public through the media do not even begin to touch on all the cases of racism that have been present in schools. In order to begin to end the racism in schools, parents and their children must be educated on the topics of accepting others and racial equality. If the future generations are educated, racism can slowly begin to become less of a problem in schools and within youth and then later society as a whole.

Racism Starts at Home

In order to make steps towards ending racism against African American youth in our country, it is imperative that children are taught differently in their homes by their parents. Outdated views about race in America are still being taught to the children of today. Parents should understand the impressionability of today's youth and should be careful to teach them about other's without bias. This short article brings up a good point that racism is not something that a person is born with. The values that the person is taught and the experiences that a person has cause racism to be developed. A change in the ways that children are taught is a sure fire way to begin to end racism.

Effect of Authority Figures on Racism in Schools

In September of 1998, it was voted that the control of the New York City public schools security be transferred over to the New York Police Department. This new approach further made students feel separated from those who are in power over them. The fear of racist police officers abusing minorities now became an issue that spilled over from the streets. This new control by the police department divides the students and those in authority over them, making it obviously more difficult for them to feel comfortable going to them for conflict resolution, or just bringing up a concern. The article also states that there is no humongous threat of violent infractions in the New York City public school system. The average number of violent infractions is only 3.1 for every 100 students. One of the solutions to end racial violence among youth, especially in the school system, is to create a more open relationship between those in authority and the students. This will open up the doors for non-violent conflict resolution and the elimination of racial tensions.