Race and racial identity

High school and College 

    Throughout high school I do not remember learning about race or racial identity. Race was never really a discussion in any of my classes that I can remember. I feel as though we definitely should have had conversations about both race and racial identity but we really did not. To this day I am still hesitant when it comes to talking about race as it is a pretty difficult topic to discuss. I think the fact that we did not talk about it in high school makes it harder for me to talk about it in college. In many of my college courses we have talked about race and racial identity. It has not been easy opening up to talk about this topic but it is very important to discuss especially during this time. There are many events happening in the world having to do with race and they are things that many people are confused about. Talking about these things has helped me and knowing that many people have the same thoughts comforts me in a way. 

Other experiences...

I remember specifically talking about race for one of the first times in school. It was in my social work class and the professor was asking us to define different words having to do with race. Words like prejudice and oppression. When we were asked to talk about these terms and define them I did not know where to begin. I knew what the words meant but not enough to be confident in answering in front of the class. I was very hesitant, and like most people, waited for others to raise their hand and answer the questions. I felt very out of place and kind of like I did not belong. It seemed like a lot of people knew so much about these words and race and I barely knew anything. Yes, I knew racism has always been an issue but these words were so unfamiliar. I am thankful that now I know a lot more than I did and continue to talk about these issues. Below is a quote that allowed me to think differently about waiting for others to answer the questions about race in class...

Things I am still unsure on...

After three years in college I have had more discussions on race and racial identity than I have in my life. I definitely have a better understanding but I am still unsure on some things. 

Number 1: Word choice. Sometimes when speaking about race I want to say a word but second guess myself and think it could be offensive. I know in my mind I do not mean it to be offensive but I do not know how others will take it. 

Connection to Tatum's narrative:

Number 2: Racial identity. When I am asked what race I am in a document for the doctors office, for example, there are not many choices. I usually choose the same thing, white or not hispanic. It always confused me because what if someones racial identity was not listed? Now what?

 Narrative about Marcus

Adults and their interactions with Marcus:

Emily- Emily was Marcus's teacher in the narrative. Throughout the reading she tries having patience with Marcus which she did for the most part. For example, when Marcus gets up and announces to the class several times that he is going to the bathroom. Emily kind of disregards it and continues on talking to the other students. I feel as though she tries hard to help him and wants the best for him. Sometimes it seems to her that he cannot be controlled but deep down she knows he is only trying to fit in and relate to the others. She knows he has potential and wants to help him as much as possible but also encourages him to be independent. 

Author (Carla)- The author of the narrative, Carla,  happens to be Marcus's one on one aid in the classroom. Carla really tries to understand Marcus and only wants to help him. One particular moment that stood out to me was when the students had an assignment of writing letters. Marcus was not focused at all and had nothing written down in his letter while the other students did. Carla knew that Emily did not want her to help Marcus but Carla could not help it. She saw him struggling and knew if she gave him ideas he would be able to get back on task and write a letter like the other students  She saw the potential in Marcus and knew he was smart so she gave him an idea of to write a letter for his brothers birthday. 

Librarian- The librarian was very patient and understanding of Marcus even though he talked poorly about the books. She took the time to get to know Marcus by talking to him and she realized he did not own any books of his own. The librarian ended up giving him some books to take home so I feel as though she feels bad for Marcus. I think she sees Marcus as a poor boy who does not have many resources outside of school. 

Each of the adults in the reading really wanted the best for Marcus. I feel as though they see him as very smart since they give him so many chances and help him out as much as they do. Marcus is a kid who knows what he wants and knows how to get it so I think they realized this and wanted to help build off of these strengths. They each saw his strengths and weaknesses and knew he could be a successful student if they don't give up on him. They can see through his weaknesses which I think is very unique and something all adults should do. 

Stereotyping our youth

                    Stereotyping our youth 

The video mentioned about adultification bias which I found to be very disrespectful. Adultification bias eliminated the distinction between childhood and adulthood and holds different children more accountable. For example, in the video black girls were held at a higher standard and expected to be more adult like. They were also held more accountable when making a mistake compared to a white girl. 

Stereotypes include: 

• Black girls are loud, aggressive, and disrespectful (hoods)
• White girls are more innocent (preppies)
• It was assumed in the video that black girls drink and have sex

The article mentioned a lot about teenagers and there were a few stereotypes used. Some stereotypes include "nobody likes teenagers", "don't trust them", and "they are a problem". They basically classify all teenagers under this category which is unfair. There is no reason for them to assume these things about ALL teenagers. 

Each stereotype listed is impacted by race, class, gender, and sexuality. There are many stereotypes that only apply to black girls just as there are stereotypes that only apply to teenagers. Throughout the article and the video stereotypes having to do with these four things were shown. 

My experience with prejudice 

Overall, I cannot think of many times I have experienced prejudice. The one time I did experience prejudice was when someone asked me if I was Italian. I proceeded to say yes and this person said to me "Italians hate black people". I had never been so upset in my life that someone would say this. My initial reaction was to explain that this did not apply to me and I started crying. I will never forget this experience and continue to think about it to this day. 

About me

                                Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past couple of years. 

My name is Christa Vaccaro. I am a senior at Rhode Island College. I also compete on Rhode Island College's gymnastics team. I am a youth development major focusing on physical education. I am a part time Nanny and also work with individuals with intellectual disabilities one on one to help them achieve their goals. After I graduate, I want to go to school to get my masters in occupational therapy. Other things I enjoy include working out, running, coaching gymnastics, hanging out with friends and rollerblading. 

                         Pictures of lifelong friends, family, and amazing people I have met at RIC. 

 Youth Development Guide reading

What I already knew:

After reading this article the one thing that stood out for me and that I remember learning about was "resiliency". Resiliency is the ability to recover  quickly from adversity. In this article it talked about how researchers looked more into how young people were able to succeed when their environment was not always so positive. The focused on what allowed them to succeed rather than the risks surrounding them. I learned about resiliency in my social work class and ever since it stuck with me people we talked about it so much. I think this approach is a positive way to go in this case and can allow researchers to better understand how to help young people.

What I learned:

I learned about the deficit approach. I have heard the word before but this approach was something knew for me. It was used when young people were showing signs of a potential problem or multiple problems. This approach focused on specific problems and behaviors which determined what programs they would use. They came up with programs for drug abuse, violence, and teen pregnancy. This approach was not successful as it only focused on single issues in each program. The population that this approach was used for was also knows as "at risk" young people. I have heard the phrase "at risk" before and I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. I do not believe this is the correct terminology to use because "at risk" is a negative phrase. 

What I want to learn more about: 

I would love to learn more about the shift in policy. This really interested me as I was able to see there was a lot of change in a pretty short amount of time. I feel like a timeline would help me better understand it and I could more easily see everything that led up to the policy changes.