How Social Construction Of Race Has Impacted My Life

How the Social Construction of Race has Impacted My Life Throughout this course, I have read many articles that have left distinct imprints on how I view things. I used to think of gender, race and class as something natural and meaningful. However, after this course I am inclined to feel differently. It is truly upsetting that each social construct results in some type of disadvantage for some and empowerment for others. In retrospect, I had always thought of race as the color and culture of a person. If some had brick colored skin and loved tacos or spoke Spanish, he or she was Mexican. Dark skin instinctively made someone black. As a child, I had these ideas of what race was and it all seemed innocuous. Today, I am stricken with the true meaning of race and its affects. Omi and Winant describes race as â€Å"a concept which signifies and symbolizes social conflicts and interests by referring to different types of human bodies† (55). This definition describes race as a social construct that uses the relation of physical appearances and color to group individuals. â€Å"There is a continuous temptation to think of race as an essence, as something fixed, concrete and objective† (Omi and Winant 54). This specific sentence caught my attention because it was how I defined race. Growing up as child, I spent my life in several different homes. Realizing how race had a huge influence in those homes, ultimately made me think of race as an essence. I was told that my mother’s family wouldShow MoreRelatedEvery Individual Has His Or Her Own Identity. People’S1328 Words   |  6 PagesEvery individual has his or her own identity. People’s beliefs are shaped by the environment they grew up in, the way they were raised, and the way they were treated. In this paper I am going to discuss about my belief in regards to gender, gender roles, race, sexuality, and social class. 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