the effects of race and gender among African American children

In a sizable mid-western metropolis with a sizable African American population, the researcher is looking into the social problems caused by race and gender among African American children. The researcher wants to understand what it means to be an African American kid and adolescent and how it affects these concerns in the lives of the children. How African American youngsters identify manhood, womanhood, masculinity, femininity, and maleness are the main study questions being examined (Isom, 2012). The second question concerned how they perceived themselves and dealt with the confluence of gender and race, and the final concern was how their conceptions did reflect the effects of projected selves.Surveys and different actions among Americans have shown that African American people are treated unfairly across various areas in life, for instance, their encounters with the police, acquisition of loans and mortgages and many others. Such events have shaped how children in these societies face and interpret life resulting in the creation of their definition of what it means to be ’black’ from an African American perspective.

The researcher has utilized various research methods to acquire his data. He conducted two studies to explore his participants and come up with conclusive evidence for his case. The two studies were qualitative studies. The first research project involved one-on-one interview observed ethnography, and a structured questionnaire to understand a better meaning of being black for the African American children. In the follow-up study ethnography and interviews were used to understand the topic under research among African American children. All the methods employed were used to bring a better understanding of the subject under research and make informed conclusions on the topic.

The findings of the investigation were the definition of the word ’’black’ indicated that the children were aware of the complex context of race in which they lived in. As the children gave the answers, one could not fail to notice the hope they had that I future they will not be trapped nor defined by their race. They express struggle in being black they were optimistic that the conflict would end with time. The definition of maleness was marked by coolness, physicality, humor and showing off all of which are externally derived. Among the participants, maleness is seen as an act put on for other people to notice. Masculinity was viewed as a socially responsive and caring individual that was mindful of the others especially those in need and was not afraid to help when required to do so. Maleness on the hand was living beyond the constructs of societal definitions of boyhood, being a male in the society one is expected to go the extra mile in his endeavors. Femaleness was defined as a reflection of good behavior and appearance that was viewed as beautiful; the word was usually in comparison to maleness. Although by definition the word gave praise to girls it was used to compare the females to their male counterparts.

Homosexuality and sexual identity according to the research are viewed as a form of expression (Isom, 2012). Sexualized humor is used by boys with social power towards boys with the same status. Some of the participants said they admired homosexual Christians; they claimed to embrace sexual identity and expression.

Some of the recommended solutions to the social problem would include; conducting more research to identify the underlying causes of racism and gender discrimination among the different races present in the federal races. Upon making research recommendations made should be evaluated and those sound passed to legislative leaders for effective implementation. Perpetrators of racism should be prosecuted, and measures put in place to ensure they do not escape the law

Reference

Isom, D. (2012). Fluid and shifting: Racialized, gendered, and sexual identity in African American children. International Journal Of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6(11), 127-137.