Leonel, expressed to me that he felt that he has been treated fairly by his friends, classmates and teachers, since he has been in the United States. To be honest, I felt a sense of relief, to hear him make such a statement. From what I can tell, his parents have limited his interaction with others to mostly school and close friends. Since his parents “shelter” him from the world, (as best as they can) maybe he has not had to face prejudice “head on”. I do no doubt that in the future, he will one day come across an experience, that may be identified as prejudice, but for now he is truly oblivious to the concept (which, is honestly, good for him).
For myself, I grew up in a biracial family. My father is Caucasian and my mother is African American. Growing up, many people (classmates, neighborhood children and even later in life co-workers) always assumed that because I’m multi racial that my father is African American and that my mother must be White. When I tell people, that indeed, it is the other way around, people usually gasp in disbelief. Somehow, there is widespread prejudice (in Cincinnati) that multi racial means that one’s mother must be White and their father must be Black. Many people that I have encountered in my life share this misconception, which only illuminates their close-mindedness and ignorance.
One stereotype of my identity circles around the idea that because I am a single mother, I must be not value or support the “traditional nuclear family myth”. Indeed, I do believe that two parents are the ideal family for children to grow up in but I created my family on my own terms and I feel no shame. Society really puts down single mothers and portrays them as failures or financial burdens of the welfare state but that is simply not true. I work hard, volunteer in the community, church and fulfill my school obligations, while raising my children. I pay taxes and donate to good causes, I am a good person and a proud American, and so for people to look down on me and my family, shows that they are ignorant because they choose to believe inaccurate stereotypes about single mothers.
I was raised to accept people for who they are and judge individuals by their actions and never their skin color. Not everyone was reared in that way of thinking and I can’t change that, but what I can do, is educate others. It is only through education can we open others minds to see the fallacy in their way of thinking. I believe in giving people facts and from there let them decide what they believe.
The privileges I have (that Leonel does not have) were ascribed to me at my birth. I am an American citizen. I have a social security number and I am protected under the Bill of Rights and Constitution, which grants me voting rights, habeas corpus, and the right to have a gun. I am also a native English speaker, with no foreign accent, which of course allows me to communicate easily in Cincinnati.
On the other hand, I would argue that I to do not share some of the “white privileges” afforded to my fellow classmates. I do not have the luxury of seeing many persons of color on TV, teaching at U.C., or working in highly specialized fields of engineering, medicine, and law. I do not have the privilege of going to restaurant and asking for manger, and having 99.9% that the person will be the same color as me or the comfort and privilege of being in a classroom where there are more person of color.
Even though I am an American I do not have all of the privileges afforded to me, and so clearly, Leonel I are in the same boat. I am optimistic, that over time many minorities will gain higher SES in American and then fully gain all of the privileges afforded to them.
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