Race In My Community Final

Since the city started, Dallas has always consisted of a wide diverse population of numerous racial and ethnic groups contributing to the success of our community. Regrettably, until recently we did not publicly recognize the presence and involvement of all of these groups equally. The number of groups represented, and the size of those groups, have grown tremendously in the last decade, as has their public presence. With the increased rate, I feel that by the year 2050, Dallas will have come a long way in the help with fighting cultural differences. However; it is a known fact that diversity will never die away completely.

The people in my community come from a wide range of ethnic groups. I am a white Caucasian female, age 24. In Dallas, you can find someone from virtually all ethnic groups. I don't particularly fell that anyone looks the same. There are many white females in my community, but there are also African Americans, Asian, Japanese and even German women that live near me. Some of us might share the same facial features, but in general; I feel we all have our own looks that makes us unique to one another. I would say that in Dallas, the government officials treat most people equally. It is unfortunate, yet there is still racism and bias treatment in Dallas, as with any other part of the country. The racism can be influenced from numerous things including but not limited to ethnicity, religious background, educational background and even by the way a person dresses. I also strongly feel that people in my community also treat each other equally as well. There are some minuet groups that tend to show lack of respect towards others. I feel that the ethnic group that receives the most prejudice in Dallas are Arabs. With the terrorist attacks on 9-11, and other terrorist activities, the Arabs have stood out more, making them more known for violent acts. I believe that they are sometimes grouped by the way they dress and this has caused bias opinions against them.

The company that I work for is based out of Pleasanton, CA, and the regional office based in Dallas. The company is classified as equal opportunity employer (EOE), and is not biased at all. We treat all of our staff equally. Most of the work that I do is talking to the associates over the phone; I hardly ever actually meet anyone I talk to. Without physically seeing the person, it diminishes the chances for prejudice feelings. Granted, I have access to their employment information so I could see their ethnic background except it is never necessary to view. Being located in such a large metro-plex as Dallas/Fort Worth, there are many news stations and different types of media, like newspapers and radio stations. I also believe that for the most part these organizations treat people of different races and ethnic groups equally. Most of them are more concerned with the actual story, and the publicity that they will gain from airing it. I don't feel that they are bias as to who they talk about. Dallas also host an annual "Dallas is Diversity" contest where school students make pictures showing people from all ethnic groups joined in sports and other activities. The top 12 winners are then chosen, and their picture are put together to make a yearly calendar. "Dallas Is Diversity is committed to the promotion of ethnic and cultural diversity in the Greater Dallas community through educational and recreational activities, which focus on the youth and future of Dallas" (Dallas is Diversity). Another advantage to living in such a large community is there are many museums that help promote diversity awareness. One well known organization in Dallas is City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs (OCA), where the "commitment to the arts is evidenced by the many opportunities for citizens, visitors, artists and organizations to share in our city's cultural expression through the arts" .

When researching the economical cultural diversity in Dallas, I realized that there were several factors to take into consideration. The most important concepts of the economical status is income rates and employment rates for each ethnic group. The following information was found in the study Report on Achieving Racial and Ethnic Equality, 2003 conducted by the Ð''Dallas Together Forum' with support from the Ð''United Way of Metropolitan Dallas'. On average in 1990, the median household income for all persons 25 yrs of age or older was reported at $27,862. In 2000, the median household income for all persons 25 yrs of age or older was reported at $41,770 with an overall increase of 50.2%. In 1990, the median income for Whites (Non-Hispanics) was reported at $36,515, and in 2000 it was reported as $53,455 having an increase of 46.4%. The median income for African Americans in 1990, was reported at $20,833 and in 2000, it was reported at $31,951 having an increase of 53.4%. The median income for Hispanics in 1990, was reported at 24,357 and in 2000, it was reported at 34,111 having an overall increase of 40%. The median income for Asians in 1990 was reported at $31,992 and in 2000, it was reported at $49,382 having an increase of 54.4%. The median income for Native Americans in 1990, was reported at $25,617 and in 2000, it was reported at $39,949 having an increase of 55.9%. The Asians had the highest increase reported, while Hispanics had the smallest gain reported. The overall gap between the highest reporting group and the lowest, had no change