Monthly Archives: November 2019

I’m currently researching how internalized racism has divided the African American community in a terrible way. The reason I choose this topic is because I’ve first hand see how this changes close friends into enemies when they get older, so I strongly believe writing about this topic will bring awareness as to what is going on in these neighborhoods who face such a problem. Something that I learned while researching this topic is that everything dates back to when colonists first came to Africa with the divide and conquer mindset. The result of it has then evolved here to America; instead of sticking together and fighting for what’s right for us African Americans we stick to that divide and conquer mindset and it’s destroying everything that we once had. Honestly the researching part has become somewhat difficult in a way because most of the articles are similar to each other but just worded differently.

Hi Everyone,

We will be meeting in a computer lab for Wednesday’s class.  Please meet in the VC in room 6-130 at our regular time (9:55).  We will be working on finding sources for your research projects!!!

See you tomorrow in VC 6-130.

Professor Sylvor

The NYC Albanian community is one of the many communities I belong to. I was born in Albania and I moved to NYC at the age of two, so most of my life I have spent in America but I still like to stay grounded to my roots of being Albanian. The Albanian community in NYC is somewhat big compared to other states, Albanians typically move to NYC because it is the closest trip back to Albania since most go back for the summer. There are about 500,428 Albanians in NYC. Pelham Parkway which is where i live is actually called Little Albania like hoe Arthur Ave. in Fordham is called Little Italy. The NYC Council Member of the Bronx is in fact an Albanian and many re-elect him. By the end of the month it will be Albanian Independence day so expect those 500,000+ Albanians to go a bit crazy. 

One issue with my community is that many people like to stereotype us as people who settle for working in construction, and being part of the mafia. The problem is that many of us actually have a degree is business or medical like doctor, nursing, dentist and psychiatrists but we cant use those degrees when we move to America and many already have families that they need to support have very little money because are moving to a different country and so they don’t have the time or money to go back to school and start all over to they resort to whatever job is possible to get here. Also many Albanians are stereotyped for being part of the mafia, especially if they have seen the movie Taken. Not all Albanians are part of the Mafia, sure some may be but what country doesn’t have a Mafia. One way i think i can help fix this issue is to be one of those Albanians who continues to strive for more and prove to others how strong and hard working Albanians are.

The community that I am involved in is the Desi community. Desi is a term used to describe people from South Asia such as Bangladesh, Pakistan and India. I am proud to be in this community because I can get the support from my fellow brown people. Another great aspect of my community is the culture itself. We have great food such as curry. We can make curry out of anything and it will taste awesome. In addition to that, our clothing are unique from the western world. It is very colorful and joyful. The community itself is full of happiness and I am proud to be Desi.

However, one issue that I see in my community is that they do not like to mix. Even though both India, Pakitsian and Bangladesh are all Desi and share similar cultural values, they can not stand one another. This is true specially when it comes to older people. The reason for this being are the old historic facts. Due to the War in Pakistan and Bangladesh over about 60 years ago, older generation do not get along with one another and judge each other. On top of that Pakistan and India are constantly fighting with one another because of a common land and they can’t get along with each other. In order to a address this problem, I think the new generation should get involved and influence the older generation because it is us who will run the future. So if we help the older generation understand that we all share the same culture and are neighbors, we can help get the Desi community as a whole. 

A community I am a part of is the Mexican Community. I was raised with both of my parents and since both of them are Mexican I feel so proud to be part of this community. Being part of this community also means enjoying the culture, such as the food, music, fashion, and the family. One important thing about the Mexican community is that families are always together no matter the situation. So if you ever have a problem, you won’t be alone and you can always count on your family.I think this is important because not all people are close together with their families. The food is also great, everyone likes it and many people try making it there own way. I also like the fact that people who are part of the Mexican community are hard working. There are many Mexicans fathers who come to the United States to get a job and earn money so they can build a house in Mexico and to send money to their families. This shows the sacrifices they do in order to succeed. They leave their wives and children in Mexico so they can get a better living.

A problem in the Mexican community is that they often face racism in the United States just for being Mexican. Ever since the trump election people have showed hate towards Mexican because of the way the president talks about them. He has said that Mexicans are rapists, drug dealers and that they are bringing crimes and problems to the United States. Because of this people have showed hate towards Mexicans. This is a problem that just doesn’t seem to stop because Mexicans basically go through this everyday whether at work or in the streets. Some ways that this problem can be solved is to work hard and don’t get in trouble with the law. To show everyone that Mexicans are not what the president says and that they are hard workers who are just trying to succeed.

One of the many communities I’m part of is the mixed communities. Which is basically where all the biracial children fit in. Within this community I have met many other people who love their divide in culture just as much as I do. It’s amazing to say that I’m apart of not only one but two different cultures, religions, and customs. Getting to be part of both the Ecuadorian and Guyanese community has shown me how much each had to offer. It also showed me how much each culture can compliment each-other. Since my fathers side(Ecuadorian) is so calm and shy my mothers side(Guyanese) brings such a great light to the Ecuadorian side. When combined together at a party I can truly see how much each side shines through in their food and music. One aspect though that I believe needs improvement is definitely the compassion. Although it may not seem a big deal to others it’s often hard to keep a good relationship with two very different cultures. Don’t get me wrong when they are happy and together it’s enlightening but it’s often hard to get them at that point. It’s often hard to understand another culture from our own because we don’t know where they’re coming from. Which is something that often happens. My mother’s Guyanese side is more outspoken and loud and as such my fathers Ecuadorian side is confused as to what they’re trying to communicate. My mother’s words can often be mistaken as rude and inconsiderate because she’s so loud about it. Although it isn’t a major problem in the community I think the overall empathy that each side gives each other should be more open.  As a mixed child though I could bring more light to this issue in order to improve it. I could be more vocal about it to each separate community so it can be recognized as a problem that should be fixed.

Being apart of the CUNY community was the last thing I wanted. I always thought I thought I would be dorming but instead I have to commute to school everyday and being so tired from the commute. Not only this the only school near my house is CSI. CSI has a 100% acceptance rate and is not know as the best school as graduation rates are not the best and the schools education is not the best. As my friends tell me all the time how bad there professors are. This was until I found out about Baruch it was a CUNY school which meant it was cheap and it had a good reputation. I always knew I wanted to do a business and this school was perfect. One problem with this community is that people make it seem like you earn less of an education which is not true in most CUNY schools the education is good. One thing I can do to make a change is to inform others on how CUNY schools are actually good and teach you a-lot for a cheaper price.

The community that I am apart of is the CUNY community. For a long time, I looked down at this community. While I was deciding what colleges to go to, I was avoiding city colleges. I felt like CUNY schools wouldn’t be able to give me the best quality of education. I got these feelings from people who told me about CUNY. Later, however, I ended choosing a CUNY school, Baruch. Going to a CUNY school now, I have a completely different view of CUNY schools. There are so many opportunities available, and I feel like I’m at a home with a big family. However, CUNY’s biggest issue is the amount of funding that it receives. They don’t get a lot of funding which hinders the resources and environment of students. For example, at Baruch, the 17 lex building has been under construction for a long time. The elevators constantly do not work, there are problems with the heater system and other issues. I walked into the building today and there was a sign that said that only bathrooms on floors 1-7 are working. When a student sees that a school is lacking basic resources, like working bathrooms, they look down upon the system. Also, it is very hard to find spots to do work. Besides the library, Baruch doesn’t have many student areas. This is because there are a lot of students which is a problem that CUNY has. Having minimum funding means that CUNY schools cannot accommodate all their students. I am currently a part of a committee in the Baruch undergraduate student government. I am already taking the initiative to solve this problem because it is one of USG’s projects. Specifically, we are preparing to go to Albany to advocate for CUNY to get more funding. There, we are hoping to appeal to legislatures and convince them to boost the funding for CUNY schools, especially Baruch. We are quick to complain about what the school is lacking, but we must start advocating and fighting for our school because it is our community and deserves attention.

Being a New Yorker is an interesting experience. There are so many things that make this city great. Everyone knows about the plethora of different monuments, buildings and locations in New York, they make this city famous. By far my favorite part about being a New Yorker is that there are so many different people, here from distinct parts of the world. This exposes us New Yorkers to what these cultures are. The city gives them the ability to share their culture with the rest of New York. For example great restaurants in both Manhattan and Brooklyn and clothing stores in Queens. One of the best places I’ve found to see these distinctions clearly is in the subway system. So many different people regardless of race, religion, and social class (up to a point) take the subway, and its almost as if there was an even playing field.

Despite this city being amazing there are countless things that definitely hinder the city from being better. Of course the subway system and the trains run much smoother. Also the trash which is annoyingly piled up on the block waiting to be collected. The endless amount of littering is one of the problems that bother me most often. It is easy for one to take their trash with them when they eat at a park or anywhere else. In the city there are trash cans on almost every block and they should be used more often. There are so many good reasons as to why you shouldn’t litter; its bad for the environment, its illegal, it contributes to bad health and overall it makes the city look worse. Obviously the easy fix would be to use the trash cans more, and if it isn’t available, hold onto your trash until it is. Despite this I think why people litter is because they are lazy. So I believe the easiest way to combat this would be to implement more trash receptacles on city streets (it would be a step ahead if they were recycled too). In order to do this New Yorkers should advocate to their government officials and help reduce the littering and making the city much more beautiful for the millions that travel here every year.

What it is to be a Mexican woman.

I always knew that I was treated differently from other people. I am a Mexican immigrant in the United States where there is bias, and we are unwelcomed. I am Mexican and there is a negative aspect around that word especially by people like the President of the United States. For a long time, I have felt like I had to defend my who I am and where I come from.

Being a Woman does not make being a Mexican American person any easier. There is so much machismo in Mexican culture. It means misogyny but in Mexico men are proud to be misogynistic. The men take pride in being machos. Being machos means that women cannot do everything they do and not as good as they can.

The biggest problem I see in my community is how were meant to act. When I was growing up I was questioned for not being a party person, and I was I just was not into partying every week. The girls that were like me were all very different from me. They are told that being party girls is cool and not caring about an education was fine, but I did not see it this way. I feel like girls like me have no role models which have been truly successful in the United States, so we do not strive for it.

The issue with people in my community is not having someone to help guide them. Someone who shows them that we can be successful. I looked up to my teacher who looked like me and came from the same background. She went to NYU and she became a teacher in my high school she helped me with my college application process.

I know there are programs which connect people to role models and guiders, but the issue can be resolved when people are aware of the resources they have.