Final_Project__Race_and_Your_Community

Final Project: Race and Your Community When analyzing the influences of race as it relates to my community, one would find a very diverse array of ethnic race and culture. The reason of this is very simple. I live in the town of Hereford Arizona. Not only is the location of my town five miles from the Mexican border, it is also a suburb of Sierra Vista which hugs Fort Huachuca. The region that I live in is Cochise County. Considering these two reasons alone, it is very easy to see how my area prides itself on a rich array of many different cultures. Some of the cultural groups found here are Native American (292,552), Mexican (1,295,617), Asian American (118,672), African American (185,599), Pacific Islander (13,415), White (3,998,154) and other races (677,392). Considering all these racial groups that reside in this area, the diversity in culture is very rich. With that many types of cultural celebrations are partaken in every year. Some of these celebrations are the O’odham Tash Indian Powwow, La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, Waila Festival, Cinco de Mayo, Dia de los Muertos, and many other celebrations that are an annual event. With the extensive cultural diversity that Arizona offers, the members in some ways look alike. In other ways, we look very different. If our thoughts with the aspect that we are all people then we do look very much alike. However, speaking of the aspect of how different our cultures are then we are very different. By this, I mean that we dress different, speak different languages, and study different religions. Inevitably, we are the same, as far as being human, but our cultures make us very different. The leaders within the community are very eclectic. Within the ranks, there are many different racial groups. With the knowledge that our community leaders are of a different racial background, all people in my community are equal in the treatment received. This is as it should be. In my community, it is uncommon that anyone is treated different just because of his or her racial background. Another reason for this, I assume is Fort Huachuca. On this military institution, installation people of all racial and cultural backgrounds come in and out all of the time. With reference to how people treat each other within my community. In actuality, the community that I reside in is predominantly a retirement community. With that knowledge in mind, most everyone treats his or her, fellow man-woman with respect. When we speak of the older generation, most of the individuals have learned through life’s lessons how to treat people respectfully even though they may not like them. Therefore, as a common practice, people within my community treat other people, as they themselves would like to be treated. The children within the community too treat each other well for the most part. Racial tension within my community is not a big topic of conversation. Many of the children that reside in my community are dependants of the military. Considering this, many of our children have been among different; racial groups all their lives. The community of Sierra Vista also prides himself on the knowledge that gangs are not an issue. Unlike inner city communities that have a problem with gang activity and racial discrimination, my community does not have these issues. In my community when I speak of employment, there is no racial discrimination. When we apply for and obtain employment in my community, the text and the work manuals are impartial to race. In these manuals the information within represents people as a whole. Employment manuals do not pertain to one racial background in particular. Our businesses provide a work manual that only pertains to the work ethics, regulations, and the processes, procedures and routines of things that are required to be done while working within the company. Agriculture continues to be an important segment of the Cochise County economy. Some of the crops grown here are apples, peaches, cherries, pecans, cotton, corn, wheat, chili and alfalfa. Another business in this area is the cattle business. Agriculture in this county is worth $105,400,000 a year. (Arizona Department of Agriculture, 2005, ¶ 1) With that in mind, there are many people employed in the agriculture business. Another important segment of Cochise County for employment is Fort Huachuca Army Post. Many of the residents here work and gain employment on this military installation. This installation is a very large intelligence base. Hence, the reason there are so many contractor and civil service jobs available here. Media in this area as well are impartial. Although it is imperative that they get to the latest news, it is unbiased as well. Within the media itself, many different racial groups make up the media. With that, much of the news and stories reported pertain to facts rather than racial discrimination. This I believe is how topics in the media should be. When we speak of the topics released through the media, often times, with the national news for instance things discussed are typically based on opinion. These types of things truly do not happen with our local media. The similarities between those in leadership positions and me, within my community are many. For many years, the city government has constantly discussed the matter of our children’s education. In my community, there is only one high school. As such, the discussion continues with the thought that another school was built to necessitate the large volume of students in that age group. As it stands, our high school currently has over 3000 students. With these numbers, many of the classes are overcrowded. Another similarity that the city and county government and I have is taxes. During every election, this topic is raised to try to lower the taxes that are paid. Although lowering taxes is a fantastic thought, oftentimes this does not happen. The biggest reason for this is that everything is becoming more expensive. This causes the taxes to be raised on a yearly basis. The largest difference that occurs with the government and I would be the topic of immigration. Although the government has stated that stiff, fines are issued to companies that knowingly hired undocumented immigrant. This law seems to be a good regulation in theory. Many businesses continue to hire these types of people. The main reason is that the employers can get away with paying the minimal amounts of money compared to what would be paid to a citizen. Arizona, as does most states has a minimum wage law. When immigrants come over and take these jobs for less pay, the immigrants are taking the jobs desperately needed by Arizonans. For this reason, I do not believe that the interests of minority groups or anyone else are represented appropriately. In my community, the biggest inequity that I can think of pertains to the people using the welfare program. People receive welfare benefits when they should not. Either these individuals continue to have children so that more benefits be received. On the other hand, they tell untruths when applying, allowing them to oftentimes use their welfare checks to pay their car note. I have seen this happen many times, especially in the Border States. When we speak of different cultures, we learn many things with which we are unfamiliar. Cultural diversity is everywhere. For us as the human race to understand these differences, we must learn from one another. Although people from different parts of the world speak different languages, dress different, or religion we as the superior race should learn from this. To understand means to learn. Conclusion Whether you live in my community or other communities, many different cultures make up the demographics. These differences in culture go beyond skin color. The culture pertains to music, language, religion, and many other things. Humans are the superior race which means that although many things are different, we are inevitably the same. In some regions, racial hate is still a very large problem. This I believe to be a sad revelation. There are communities however, such as my own, that does not look at this type of discrimination. Although my community is very diverse in its culture, we often celebrate different events together. Whether a Native American or a Mexican celebration we find people of all races at the celebration showing their support. I believe that if more people around the world would learn this way of life, the world would be a much better and more harmonious place. References Arizona Department of Agriculture (2005). Cochise County. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.azda.gov/Main/cochise.htm Arizona Office of Tourism (2008). Arizona Heritage Traveler. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.azhistorytraveler.org/templates/events.php'nid=2&id=5 National Relocation (2007). Arizona Neighborhood Community Profile. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://profiles.nationalrelocation.com/Arizona/ The City of Sierra Vista (n.d.). Cities Organization Chart. Retrieved November 12, 2008, from http://www.ci.sierra-vista.az.us/cms1//index.php'option=com_content&task=view&id=1100&Itemid=909