Nhung Le
Ms. Rodriguez
ETH/125
31 March 2012
Cultural Competence

1. Explore race relations in your community. What is the cultural/racial make-up of your community (For demographics of the city you live in search http://factfinder.census.gov/ , or other credible source)? Are you a member of the majority or minority racial or ethnic group in your community? What does it mean to be ________________ (your race) in your community? What does it mean to be ________________ (your ethnicity) in your community? How do community members treat you because of this? Do the leaders in your area represent community members like you? Do the local media (I.e. news, newspapers) represent community members like you equally and fairly? Are there racial/ethnic inequalities in your community? Explain.

I explored the race relations in my community and the cultural/racial make-up of my community using 60135 is:

Subject | 60135 5-Digit ZCTA, 601 3-Digit ZCTA | | Number | Percent | RACE | | | Total population | 6,007 | 100.0 | One race | 5,948 | 99.0 | White | 5,753 | 95.8 | Black or African American | 9 | 0.1 | American Indian and Alaska Native | 13 | 0.2 | American Indian | 7 | 0.1 | Alaska Native | 0 | 0.0 | Both American Indian and Alaska Native | 0 | 0.0 | American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified | 6 | 0.1 | Asian | 16 | 0.3 | Asian Indian | 0 | 0.0 | Chinese | 1 | 0.0 | Filipino | 5 | 0.1 | Japanese | 0 | 0.0 | Korean | 0 | 0.0 | Vietnamese | 1 | 0.0 | Other Asian category | 9 | 0.1 | Two or more Asian categories | 0 | 0.0 | Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 2 | 0.0 | Native Hawaiian | 0 | 0.0 | Samoan | 0 | 0.0 | Guamanian or Chamorro | 1 | 0.0 | Other Pacific Islander category | 1 | 0.0 | Two or more Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander categories | 0 | 0.0 | Some other race | 155 | 2.6 | Two or more races | 59 | 1.0 | Two races including Some other race | 23 | 0.4 | Two races excluding Some other race, and three or more races | 36 | 0.6 | Two races excluding Some other race | 36 | 0.6 | Three or more races | 0 | 0.0 | HISPANIC OR LATINO | | | Total population | 6,007 | 100.0 | Hispanic or Latino (of any race) | 507 | 8.4 | Mexican | 424 | 7.1 | Puerto Rican | 21 | 0.3 | Cuban | 0 | 0.0 | Other Hispanic or Latino | 62 | 1.0 | Not Hispanic or Latino | 5,500 | 91.6 | RACE AND HISPANIC OR LATINO | | | Total population | 6,007 | 100.0 | One race | 5,948 | 99.0 | Hispanic or Latino | 486 | 8.1 | Not Hispanic or Latino | 5,462 | 90.9 | Two or more races | 59 | 1.0 | Hispanic or Latino | 21 | 0.3 | Not Hispanic or Latino | 38 | 0.6 |

I would consider myself to be part of the minority racial and ethnic group because I am Vietnamese. Being Vietnamese in my community means that I am making my community more diverse. Whether it is racial, ethnic, or even different personal experiences every community benefits from diversity.

Being a racial and ethnic minority I can open the door for discussions and considerations in my culture. Having a more culturally diverse community means that people are able to learn about people unlike themselves, and be more mindful of how they interact with someone of a different race so they offend them. My community treats me well. They are considerate and have never offended me. They are very welcome and do not even make me notice that I am racially and ethnically different. They always want to learn about my culture.

I have seen Asian restaurant’s getting awards for being outstanding restaurants in my area by the local media and newspapers and doctors getting high praises from people living in the area but I have heard of one particular person getting praised a leader. I think one of the reason why is because the area I live in a not very diverse. The local media represents the community well and treats the community members equally and fairly. I do not feel that there is any racial or ethnic inequality in my community all of the grocery store have and Asian isle. They have Oriental grocery stores around here. And the Asian restaurants are making great business.

2. What does it mean to be part of the “majority” group in America? What benefits come with being “white?” What are some drawbacks of being part of the majority race?

Being a “majority” group in America means that you get the upper hand. Those who are part of the majority group hold certain positions of social power in a society. Majority groups get better quality or condition of living. Majority groups have superiority status. Majority groups are already in the circle and the minority groups are the ones that are trying to fit in.

The benefits of being white is that majority of whites do not have to deal with racial and ethnic issues. Whites rarely ever get profiled and they do not experience much racism. Whites do not have to deal with racial inequality. Whites get better quality in living, education, health, etc.

Some of the drawbacks of being white is that they are considered majority group and that prevents them from programs that can help them like affirmative action. They are responsible paying for taxes that they do not account for. They are victim of interracial violence than any other race in America. They are considered the norm now a day’s. America wants to be more diverse and being won’t give you the upper hand for better opportunities. Whites have a limit to what they say when it comes to racial issues.

3. What does it mean to be part of a “minority” group in America? What benefits come with being a minority group member? What are some drawbacks of being part of a minority group? Being part of a “minority” group means being categorized. The minority group is differentiated based on ethnicity, race, gender, wealth or sexual orientation. The "minority" group tends to hold few positions of social power. People who are considered part of minority groups are treated different.
Some of the benefits of being a minority group member are having more programs to support them. Like affirmative action. Schools need to make sure that they meet racial quotas and balance out inequalities between the minorities and majorities in the education system.
Some of the drawbacks of being a minority is you do not have the upper hand in social power. Minorities are faced with more adversity in all areas of life such as slums and redlining. Being a minority I feel like people pity us. Even though affirmative action helps us and we have a lot of programs that support us but I dislike pity. Minorities deal with racial prejudice and stereotyping. Minorities are always blamed for the countries mistakes such as overcrowding and raise in taxes.
4. How diverse is American society? What is the current racial/cultural make-up of American population? What is the projected cultural make-up of American society in the future? Use credible statistics to backup your assertions. Be sure to include in-text citations (author, date, & page or paragraph number) to show where you found the statistics.

American society is very diverse and it is still growing. The education system opened the door and made schools become more diverse with racial quotas. The work force is encouraging diversity in their workplace. America has been more accepting of celebrating diverse and unique culture and holidays. “In the 2010 Census, just over one-third of the U.S. population reported their race and ethnicity as something other than non-Hispanic white alone (i.e. "minority"). This group increased from 86.9 million to 111.9 million between 2000 and 2010, representing a growth of 29 percent over the decade. Geographically, particularly in the South and West, a number of areas had large proportions of the total population that was minority. Nearly half of the West's population was minority (47 percent), numbering 33.9 million. Among the states, California led the nation with the largest minority population at 22.3 million. Between 2000 and 2010, Texas joined California, the District of Columbia, Hawaii and New Mexico in having a "majority-minority" population, where more than 50 percent of the population was part of a minority group. Among all states, Nevada's minority population increased at the highest rate, by 78 percent.” (http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn125.html) The current racial/cultural make-up of American population is
(http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/briefs/c2010br-02.pdf)
The projected cultural make-up of American society in the future according to the census bureau is based fertility, life expectancy, net immigration. The nations cultural population is projected to 392 million by the year 2050 more than a 50 percent increase from the 1990 population size. The U.S. population is projected to become more diverse. There will be an increase in population with Blacks, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian, Eskimo, Aleut, and Hispanics. And there will be a decrease in the non-Hispanic White population. “By the turn of the century, the non-Hispanic White proportion of the population is projected to decrease to less than 72 percent with about 13 percent Black; 11 percent Hispanic origin; 4 percent Asian and Pacific Islander; and less than 1 percent American Indian, Eskimo, and Aleut.”
“The non-Hispanic White population would contribute nothing to population growth after 2030 because it would be declining in size. 
According to the middle-series projection, the Black population would increase almost 5 million by 2000, almost 10 million by 2010, and over 20 million by 2030. The Black population would double its present size to 62 million by 2050. 
The fastest growing race groups will continue to be the Asian and Pacific Islander population with annual growth rates that may exceed 4 percent during the 1990's. By the turn of the century, the Asian and Pacific Islander population would expand to over 12 million, double its current size by 2010, triple by 2020, and increase to more than 5 times its current size, to 41 million by 2050.” (http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/natproj.html)
5. What are the challenges and benefits of diversity?
There are some challenges that come with diversity such as communication. You may have cultural and language barriers that you would need to overcome. There might be some resistance to change; there are always people who will not to accept the different cultures and lifestyles. Some other challenges is always having to accept that there will be racial prejudice, stereotyping, and profiling. Some benefits of diversity are the increased in adaptability. People from diverse backgrounds bring individual talents and experiences. Diversity brings a diverse pool of skills and experiences. And having diversity you open the door for people to be more accepting to others that are different from them.
6. Why is the study of cultural diversity important?

The study of cultural diversity is important because a lot of problems between nations grow from deep misunderstandings between people. There have been many wars and hardship between different nations. One of the roots for these misunderstandings is cultural difference. Understanding other cultures helps us be more knowledgeable about someone's reasons for their behavior. Being educated on other cultures helps eliminate prejudice and discrimination.

7. What areas of life does one’s ethnicity/race/religion impact? In what ways does one’s ethnicity, race, or religion influence their personality, social interactions, goals for life, etc.

Some of the areas of my life that was impacted for being Vietnamese and Catholic were everything. My parents are the first generation here in America. They did not know any English and still till this day know very little English. I had to always translate for them. My parents did not have any education in America so the only jobs they had were factory jobs that did not require any education. Because they only were able to get factory jobs my family were financially unstable so I always had to work at my godfathers factory to help make money. I remember working at the age of 12. Since my parents did not know English and I was the translator I remember all of the account numbers for the bill and I knew how to lie to the debt collector so we can set up payment arrangements. When our family went to church, we went to Vietnamese church instead of am American church. I grow up traditional Vietnamese and never celebrated any holidays until I was 18 with my friends. We never ate American food growing up unless if I was at school.

Being Vietnamese I never was able to go hang out with my friends and that made me very shy. I always went to school and then went to work with my mom. I remember being 11 and being so stress in school about late bills and foreclosures on the house because my father did not pay for property taxes. Because I was Vietnamese I did not get the chance to live like other teenagers. The one thing that was different for me being Asian then others is that I never really experienced prejudice and discrimination. My parents raise us in a wealthy area and the people there was very welcoming to us. My parents were always hard workers and never accepted less from their kids. They always expected me to become a lawyer or a doctor but for me to grew out of the traditional Vietnamese tradition and did what I want.

8. How does power and privilege relate to racial and cultural diversity? (See Brantley et al, 2003, http://www.workforcediversitynetwork.com/docs/Race_5.pdf ) In America power and privilege relates to racial and cultural diversity. For example, white people are the majority group and the dominant group. They are giving power and privilege. They set the cultural norms such as norms of power and all other counter cultural views. And being a minority they want to gain access to the power, privilege, and influences. Being white they have a access to full range of educational resources, access to full range of credit and wealth-building resources, favorable terms for large purchases, preferential treatment, access to full range of professional choices, access to full range of professional advancements, and etc. If you are any race other then white you do not have power and privilege. Being racially and cultural different in America you will get reduce access to educational resources, reduce access to career opportunities, glass ceiling on professional advancements, public mocking and stereotyping, profiling, etc. (http://www.workforcediversitynetwork.com/docs/Race_5.pdf)

9. What theories exist to explain why diversity can result in problems (stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination)? What is the root cause of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination? (See Chapters 1 & 2)

Some theories that explain why diversity can result in problems like stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination is functionalist perspective and conflict perspective. “Functionalist Perspective is when parts of society are structured to maintain its stability. According to this approach, if an aspect of social life does not contribute to a society’s stability or survival, it will not be passed on from one generation to the next.” (Racial and Ethnic Groups, Tenth Edition, by Richard T. Schaefer 2006. Pg. 14.) Functionalist perspective causes racist ideologies, racist beliefs, racial ideologies, racist myths, and racist beliefs. In contrast to the functionalists’ emphasis on stability, conflict sociologists see the social world as being in continual struggle. “Conflict Perspective assumes that the social structure is best understood in terms of conflict or tension between competing groups. Specifically, society is a struggle between the privileged (the dominant group) and the exploited (the subordinate groups). Such conflicts need not be physically violent and may take the form of immigration restrictions, real estate practices, or disputes over cuts in the federal budget.” (Racial and Ethnic Groups, Tenth Edition, by Richard T. Schaefer 2006. Pg. 15.) Conflict Perspective causes blaming the victim, labeling, and stereotyping. No ones explanation is sufficient enough to tell what the root causes of prejudice, stereotypes, and discrimination are. People of different races are usually uncomfortable with each other. Each race and culture has adopted attitudes towards each other similar to White Americans. There will always be hostility between racial and ethnic groups.
10. How do stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination impact the lives of minority individuals? Provide credible statistics to support the existence of racial/ethnic inequalities in society (I.e. education, income, criminal justice, housing, politics, health care, etc.)
Stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination have impacted the lives of minority individuals by making them stronger and more united. It has made them more accepting of other cultures and more aware of what’s going on in the world. It encourages them to voice themselves and fight for there rights and help reducing prejudice because it can lead to support for policy change. They are able to confront prejudice and overcome hatred in civil ways.
It has also have a negative impact on minorities. Minorities have unequal treatment in the education system, job opportunity, and health care. Minorities till earn less then whites. The median white family earns about $52,000 while the median Hispanic and black earns about $32,000-$37,000. There are more minorities living in poverty. There is only .3% of whites living in poverty compared to .8% of Hispanic, 1% blacks, and, 1.1% Asians. (http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-239.pdf)

11. How do the concepts of “melting pot” and “Assimilation/integration” AND “salad bowl” and “Multiculturalism” relate? Is modern American society a “melting pot” or a “salad bowl”? Do you think society’s goal for dealing with diversity should be assimilation/social integration or multiculturalism? (See http://www.culturalsavvy.com/understanding_american_culture.htm)
The concepts of “melting pot” and “Assimilation/integration” and “salad bowl” and “Multiculturalism” relate because their main idea is to bring together. These metaphors intensions are having a society becoming more uniformed. Having different cultures come together to form a harmonious common culture. Having people get accustomed to new customs and through interaction and communication.
Modern American is a mixture of both “melting pot” and Salad bowl”. We celebrating different holidays and we welcome different cultures. The Latino culture is becoming the norm for use. Modern American does not consist of just Americans anymore. America has become very diverse. I am an American and I still a traditional Vietnamese person. I celebrate both cultures like they are my own cultures. Different people are portrayed different.
Society’s goal for dealing with diversity I feel is multiculturalism. We are trying to educate kids at a younger age about different cultures. And school systems are celebrating different cultures. Cities are having more parades and activities dealing and associating with different cultures. The media is slowly accepting different racial and cultural backgrounds by portraying them in positive ways.

12. What can be done to encourage multiculturalism and foster a more tolerant society? What societal changes need to be made (laws, education system, media, etc.) to create a more equal and accepting society?
Some of the step people can take to encourage multiculturalism is learning basic facts about other cultures. Always have and spread awareness about various cultures and ethnic groups, and to identify cultures as being different from each other, not superior or inferior to each other. Begin practices and multiracial education in early education. Have people participate in multicultural activities.
Some societal changes need to be made to create a more equal and accepting society is have the education system introduce more multicultural activities instead of just studying about the culture. Like celebrating Chinese New Year (Chinese), Waitangi Day (New Zealand), Hinamatsuri Day (Japan), etc. The education system should also have months where they have speakers of different races and ethnics to come in and speak to the students. The government should limit the media on profiling and limit the media on what is put out the world. They should rate media on what age group is able to listen to what.
References
Brantley, C., et al. (2003). “On Matters of Race, Power, and Privilege.” Wetware, Inc. Retrieved on May 12, 2010, from http://www.workforcediversitynetwork.com/docs/Race_5.pdf

Constantine, M., Hage, S., Kindaichi, M., & Bryant, R. (2007). Social justice and multicultural issues: Implications for the practice and training of counselors and counseling psychologists. Journal of Counseling & Development, 85, pp. 24-29.

Cultural Savvy Web. (2009). “Understanding American culture from melting pot to salad bowl.” Retrieved on October 4, 2009, from http://www.culturalsavvy.com/understanding_american_culture.htm

Racial and Ethnic Groups, Tenth Edition, by Richard T. Schaefer 2006. Pg. 14 & 15. http://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p60-239.pdf

http://www.census.gov/population/www/pop-profile/natproj.html