Personal Narrative on Race, Class and Ethnicity

Running head: RACE, CLASS AND ETHNICITY PERSONAL NARRATIVE 1
Personal narrative on race, class and ethnicity
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RACE, CLASS AND ETHNICITY PERSONAL NARRATIVE 2
Personal narrative on race, class and ethnicity
Learning about people differences
Race, class and ethnicity are social factors that shape the way people live, socialize,
interact or do as they live in a given area (Kleinman, & Benson, 2010). Our knowledge of race,
ethnicity and class are subconsciously connected to our lives on a daily basis as we constantly
interact socially. Although race, class and ethnicity concepts have a social construct, they
become real based on the consequences they have on our lives. Their social world affects are
evident from my personal experiences obtained from peer groups, religious and educational
institutions, media representations and I have been able to perceive of my sense of identity. I am
a 30 year-old female black student from Nigeria and am undertaking my second in the USA. I
moved into the US some nine years ago when I was almost completing high school. I took my
final year in the US and then moved to college thereafter.
Privileges gained
Throughout my life, I have come to understand much about class, race and ethnicity as
far as human interaction is concerned. I have interacted with people of different races, ethnicities
and classes, and this fact has given me enough experience on how to interact with people from
different backgrounds based on these three social concepts (Alexander, 2012).
Overcoming oppression
Coming from an African country where live is characterized by culture, class, ethnic
groups and different beliefs, I was able to learn much about identity based on these concepts. Our
country has people who are predominantly black but the different tribes shape different ethnic
backgrounds based on culture and class (Lichtenstein, 2015). The fact that different languages
exist allowed me as a young growing person to be constantly aware of the fact that I am

RACE, CLASS AND ETHNICITY PERSONAL NARRATIVE 3
different. Through my daily interactions with peers from the lower elementary learning to the
college level, I have found myself struggling to fit in the different groups. Back in my country
the problem is based on the aspect of ethnicity and class. Class determines the social status one’s
family is, in terms of middle, lower of upper classes. I come from the lower class social status.
Considered prejudices and stereotypes
As I schooled with peers of different class and tribe I realized that there are groups that
are considered minority than others especially in a case where your tribe is not popular among
the social elites. I found it hard to interact with peers of middle and upper class or those who felt
that their tribes are superior to others. However, I was very comfortable when amongst the peers
whom we were in the same class or tribe as I was. We have to know that we are different from
the way one group of peers will treat us when we try to socialize (Resnick, & Wolff, 2013).
Those who feel themselves higher than others will try to show you that you do not fit in their
group through various ways of discriminations. They normally looked down upon people of my
race and color.
Discrimination based on race
When I came to the US, the situation was worse as I met people of completely different
skin color. Though as a young Nigerian, I had learnt about the whites, I had never got the chance
to interact with them as closely as in a classroom. I also came to realize that I was not the only
different but the country had different people coming from different areas of the world. I began
to understand more about race as I interacted with these people. Learning in a predominantly
white environment also makes one see the differences among people, especially based on race
(Wolff, & Resnick, 2012). I have so far noticed that blacks have hair that is completely different
from that of the whites. I have in many occasions tried to fit myself in the groups of people with