My experiences...

With all this discussion about economic (dis)advantage, I thought I would share some experiences I have had with these issues.

I have volunteered and worked with children in an inner city Buffalo school for about 7 years and have come to know many children and families who are living in poverty. There aren’t only African American children in the school, but there are Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Caucasian children who have all had similar experiences with economic hardship. It seems to me that the kids with strong family structure and positive role models are more successful in school than those who do not. I believe when a child grows up in poverty, he has a very hard time because of the kinds of issues he has to deal with that many people in the middle class can’t even imagine. Personally, I don’t know that if nowadays it’s as much about race as it is about economic circumstances.

Last year I got to know a little girl whose brother was killed on the streets for no apparent reason except gang activity. This is an example of how kids in different situations can have totally different experiences than other children, or even adults. Most middle class adults have never had these kinds of experiences, and can’t relate to this young four year-old girl’s experience.

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I can’t image how she can overcome losing family members (in this kind of way), live in this kind of area, and deal with other terrible issues, at such a young age and still be able to be as successful as a child in the suburbs who doesn’t have to deal with these kinds of things. I wonder how she will manage to get good grades in school and even think about going to college in view of all that is going on in her very dangerous world, no matter how hard she works!

Overall, I think a black child in the city versus a black child in the suburbs has two very different situations even though they are of the same race. I think that racism is still an issue for many minority groups nowadays, but poverty, economic ability, and where you grow up can be a much tougher obstacle to overcome.

Laura Kalinowski Post #8