Capstone__Eth_125

Capstone Discussion Question Kelly Styles ETH/125 February 23, 2011 Tina Arnds Capstone Discussion Question What information about race and ethnicity in the United States has helped you better understand or relate to specific minority groups' Though little is known about them, I do have some ancestors who emigrated from Germany when Hitler was holding the seat of power in Germany. While a few distant cousins were smuggled out of Germany into the United States, many more were forced into concentration camps never to be seen or heard from again. One of the lucky individuals who lived to tell the story of the most infamous concentration camp, known as the Auschwitz Death Camp, was my Great-Grandmother. I can see how she would have related to the Japanese American internment camp due to the circumstances from which she came at the tender young age of six. Have you learned something new about your own cultural or history' I am not truly sure that I learned something new about my culture or history. Living so near an Indian reservation and having family who live on the reservation its self keeps me in close contact with my heritage, culture, and history. Stories and traditions passed down to me from my mother, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and from many other family members. I did learn a few names and faces to put with descriptions of individuals who helped my ancestors during the Trail of Tears along with names and faces to go with those who abused my ancestors as well. Trends in immigration continue to shape the face of the United States. What will the face look like in the year 2050' By the year 2050, we are sure to see a continual flow of Chinese, Hispanic, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Japanese immigrants continue to flow into the U.S. I for one believe that by the year 2050, there will be so many ethnicities in the states that it could be difficult to determine where each person originated. While few immigrants marry outside of his or her ethnic background or culture, more of the younger generations who have been born and raised here in the United States are more open to inter-racial marriage than when immigrant’s first began to seek refuge and a new life here. How might the country best prepare for the changing race and ethnicity of its current and future citizens' Surely, there will still be instances of racial prejudice evident. Surely, there will be the presence of those who will take everything in stride, and not be affected by the changing face of America. I am unsure if there truly is a way for current and future citizens to prepare for the changing races and ethnicities that will come to the U.S. Since we do not have a crystal ball which can look into the future and show us how the United States will evolve, one must take each day at a time. Change is never easy for some, but there are always changes that happen, that we do not even realize until the change has taken place. I see the change taking place without conscious recognition to the American people.