The Power and PRIVILEGE of Keeping things sanguineous
As a young person, I was aware of inequality because of my own experiences of discrimination, but I saw this as a private problem that affected me and my family and the other undocumented people in my community. At Pine Manor, however, I became more aware of the magnitude of the issue as I learned to think more critically. I came to see inequality not as a personal issue, but as a consequence of a global system of oppression. I have been able to understand my own story and that of my community as part of a larger, worldwide narrative.
I'm aware that in order to positively contribute in my community, I need to be patient and understand that not everyone wants to or is able to understand that we are all part of the system. Power and Privilege was the class that helped me come to this realization. I had many discussions with Prof. Singh and with my classmates about philosophy, inequality, and stratification during the fall. The class was divided by levels and since I belong in level two, I was responsible to collaborate with my other level two classmates and help draft and edit the exams for the classroom. In that course, I was exposed to the research of Galletano Mosca, who argues that the people who truly make the laws that dictate our lives are so wealthy that they are isolated from the rest of society. This helped me to draw distinctions between the people I interact with in my work with whom I might not agree and the oligarchs who actually determine the rules of our political system.
In addition, Alejandro Portes' work in "The Ethnic Enclaves" and "Resilient Minorities," gave me a better sense of my place in history. Although I had been taught about the Civil Rights movement in high school, it wasn't until Pine Manor that I came to learn about the long, powerful history of my people. I see now that my struggle is part of a fight that has been going on since Mexico was colonized and subsequently lost its territory to the US. I felt empowered to sit next to intimidating city officials because I know that I am part of a legacy of resilience that stretches back to Emiliano Zapata.
I also learned about the origins of racism in the systematic struggles of working class white people through the writings of Emile Durkheim. Prior to attending Pine Manor, I was frustrated with the racism I confronted in my daily life, but I didn't see the way in which it is a product of a system that impacts us all. All of this intellectual development has been a progress of self-reflection and negotiating my identity. I am a part of both social groups, the long time assimilated residents and the more recent immigrants. I have lived both experiences, and I can serve as a bridge for both communities to at least begin a conversation about what has been happening and how we need to address certain issues in a respectful way.
The only way to truly create change is by meeting people wherever they are at and seeing which attributes positively contribute to the community, then sharing with them the critical analysis necessary to understand our current position in the global economy. Of course it is easier said than done, but my undergraduate studies have enabled me to more clearly articulate to people with privilege that we immigrants may not look like you or your grandchildren, but we also live in Revere and want to see it prosper. I know that just by passing that message along, the youth that I'm working with will learn the necessary tools they need to organize, and will have an easier time being accepted and listened to in our community.
I'm aware that in order to positively contribute in my community, I need to be patient and understand that not everyone wants to or is able to understand that we are all part of the system. Power and Privilege was the class that helped me come to this realization. I had many discussions with Prof. Singh and with my classmates about philosophy, inequality, and stratification during the fall. The class was divided by levels and since I belong in level two, I was responsible to collaborate with my other level two classmates and help draft and edit the exams for the classroom. In that course, I was exposed to the research of Galletano Mosca, who argues that the people who truly make the laws that dictate our lives are so wealthy that they are isolated from the rest of society. This helped me to draw distinctions between the people I interact with in my work with whom I might not agree and the oligarchs who actually determine the rules of our political system.
In addition, Alejandro Portes' work in "The Ethnic Enclaves" and "Resilient Minorities," gave me a better sense of my place in history. Although I had been taught about the Civil Rights movement in high school, it wasn't until Pine Manor that I came to learn about the long, powerful history of my people. I see now that my struggle is part of a fight that has been going on since Mexico was colonized and subsequently lost its territory to the US. I felt empowered to sit next to intimidating city officials because I know that I am part of a legacy of resilience that stretches back to Emiliano Zapata.
I also learned about the origins of racism in the systematic struggles of working class white people through the writings of Emile Durkheim. Prior to attending Pine Manor, I was frustrated with the racism I confronted in my daily life, but I didn't see the way in which it is a product of a system that impacts us all. All of this intellectual development has been a progress of self-reflection and negotiating my identity. I am a part of both social groups, the long time assimilated residents and the more recent immigrants. I have lived both experiences, and I can serve as a bridge for both communities to at least begin a conversation about what has been happening and how we need to address certain issues in a respectful way.
The only way to truly create change is by meeting people wherever they are at and seeing which attributes positively contribute to the community, then sharing with them the critical analysis necessary to understand our current position in the global economy. Of course it is easier said than done, but my undergraduate studies have enabled me to more clearly articulate to people with privilege that we immigrants may not look like you or your grandchildren, but we also live in Revere and want to see it prosper. I know that just by passing that message along, the youth that I'm working with will learn the necessary tools they need to organize, and will have an easier time being accepted and listened to in our community.
Surviving my Senior Thesis
Thanks to the opportunity of achieving higher education from Pine Manor, I have had the chance to see that inequality has always existed. Studying humanities had also put into perspective the potential that exists within humanity. Whether it was in my Anthropology courses, where we celebrated and appreciated the different norms and cultures that make our world richer and interesting, or in my Power and Privilege class, where through sociological theories I learned that even though forces like gentrification, globalization and inequality in general exist, human strength and cultural resiliency can always prosper.
My ability to see my role in society taught me that those in power in our society do not approve of outspoken, critical immigrant people. I know that I'm not the first and I will not be the last to face injustices and to live in inequality. It's a widespread issue that the general public encourages without any consideration to how it affects us all. My pain and frustration highlights the conflicts that surround me; having the privilege of seeing everything in life for what it really is and understanding how change won't happen unless I do my best to change things myself, inspired me to chose the topic for my thesis: Social Stratification in the Chicano movement. I explored the social factors that have created and may be slowly killing the fight for Chicano rights and developed a critical thesis arguing the importance of recognizing this history to avoid the destruction of our movement.
After learning how a proper academic research paper needed to be compiled and formatted, I realized this would not be easy. I felt very intimidated to think that I would have to achieve something of that magnitude. I spent days accumulating books and sources that would give my research validation, ensuring that this would be a sociological study and not just a reflection of my own passion without analysis or critical thinking. The result was surprising. Though I initially expected to be able to reaffirm the strength of my movement, the conclusion that my research led me to was that the influx of latino immigrants in the US has actually fragmented the Chicano identity and watered down the movement. This was a hard conclusion, but I learned more about how systemic oppression impacts movements, which will help me to organize strategically and analytically in order to regain the strength of ethnic resistance. The biggest lesson I learned from writing my senior thesis was for sure, to have faith in my own abilities and to know that Pine Manor has given me the tools to be the best academic student I can be.
My ability to see my role in society taught me that those in power in our society do not approve of outspoken, critical immigrant people. I know that I'm not the first and I will not be the last to face injustices and to live in inequality. It's a widespread issue that the general public encourages without any consideration to how it affects us all. My pain and frustration highlights the conflicts that surround me; having the privilege of seeing everything in life for what it really is and understanding how change won't happen unless I do my best to change things myself, inspired me to chose the topic for my thesis: Social Stratification in the Chicano movement. I explored the social factors that have created and may be slowly killing the fight for Chicano rights and developed a critical thesis arguing the importance of recognizing this history to avoid the destruction of our movement.
After learning how a proper academic research paper needed to be compiled and formatted, I realized this would not be easy. I felt very intimidated to think that I would have to achieve something of that magnitude. I spent days accumulating books and sources that would give my research validation, ensuring that this would be a sociological study and not just a reflection of my own passion without analysis or critical thinking. The result was surprising. Though I initially expected to be able to reaffirm the strength of my movement, the conclusion that my research led me to was that the influx of latino immigrants in the US has actually fragmented the Chicano identity and watered down the movement. This was a hard conclusion, but I learned more about how systemic oppression impacts movements, which will help me to organize strategically and analytically in order to regain the strength of ethnic resistance. The biggest lesson I learned from writing my senior thesis was for sure, to have faith in my own abilities and to know that Pine Manor has given me the tools to be the best academic student I can be.
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My Senior Thesis