Racial Divides & Immigration, Law & Order, Health & Education

  

Boatto, Ashley

Group 1

Presentations of groups 1-3

The recent presentations we have done in class shined a new light on different subjects and issues having to do with racism, immigration, and the law. These topics are heavily influenced by politics and the government; therefore, it was interesting to hear about the presented information and my peers' opinions regarding some of the issues.

Beginning with group 3, presenting “Racial Divides and Immigration.”

One of the things they did that piqued my interest was defining exactly what popular terms society tends to throw around, giving the word no context or meaning when used inappropriately. The defined terms like racial hierarchy, stereotypes, biased displacement, etc. They covered popular controversial issues having to do with language. Typically, many people will address foreigners that live in the US to speak English because they are ‘in America, and in America, you speak English.’ This type of condescending speech can be destructive especially if someone is struggling to learn the language; more compassion and understanding is needed in this situation.

            Continuing with the racial topic, the group also presented a brief historical overview of laws that were passed based on race; for example, the Jim Crow laws (negatively impacted society as a whole and disrupted the attempt to seek equality) and the 13^th and 14^th amendment (which gave freedom and more liberty to the African American community as a whole). Along those lines, the presentation also covered real-world issues occurring today, many having to do with the job industry and some laws that could be considered ‘racist’ or ‘discriminatory.’

            After covering the racial divides, immigration was next. Insightful data and statistics on the average of how many immigrants (or aliens) coming to America were provided and the numbers took me by surprise, considering that the numbers were high. 77% of immigrants come to America legally, and 23% come illegally, resulting in roughly about 46 million people. These facts also brought the viewpoint of how many people in America see the rise of immigrants; many see it as a positive impact, especially on the economy, however, others see it as the opposite. In my opinion, it is a 50/50 case scenario. I believe it is fair to those that have made efforts to become legal/citizens to have the opportunity to start a new life here in America. However, those that have no responsibility or care in taking part in being an ‘American,’ shouldn’t be able to come. I believe those that come to America should at least have pride in becoming an American because out of all the places to settle or seek refuge, they choose here, which speaks for the attitude and choice they made.

Group 2 “Law and Order”

The second group presented the checks and balance system and the judiciary side. It resembled much like something you’d learn in an American history class, and as someone who genuinely enjoys history, this was one of my favorite parts. The group covered the basic 101 civics aspect of law and order in America. However, they did present a worldview as well, which sometimes can be a little shocking to know that other places are not as privileged and given as many individual rights as we have. World associations like the UN (United Nation), were covered. I was able to learn and understand the importance that this association carries bringing peace and harmony, setting order worldwide.  

Other associations, local and national, were also given recognition in the presentation. Because of this, I reflected on how much some jobs aren’t recognized enough as essential in providing law and order. Many law firms, police departments, fire stations, etc. aren’t as recognized as I believe they should be. Those types of jobs become very difficult due to the sacrifice and dedication someone would need to put in to go through with those career choices. At times those workers must sacrifice their days off, mental health, and times even their time for their families.

Lastly, my group presented “Education and Healthcare.”

I thoroughly enjoyed making my specific slides because of my future career in the healthcare system. My passion for healthcare came into play when I had to present the historical overview of the healthcare system and its developments throughout the eras. It was truly fascinating being able to research such great inventors, ancient physicians, and pioneers in the healthcare world. In my humble opinion, I believe that the healthcare part of the presentation brought everything together. It was great having two topics that, in their way, are very similar. I will say that this, hands down, would have to be my favorite assignment yet. It’s refreshing having to do a project that peaks the things you are interested in. Continuing, the healthcare industry wouldn’t be the same without the help of education and its development as well.

Truly education and healthcare thrive off each other. Education was a very interesting topic; my group went to the more political side of it. Which was very informative concerning the topic of knowing what political party supported what and how they have helped and/or backtracked education. To be frank, there was a lot of information to unpack, which is normal considering that I was also learning these things for the first time.

The group was a little messy regarding getting the presentation ready and presentable. Just like any other project, last-minute touch-ups were also done. However, though I was stressed out, I was a lot more laid back when it came to having to reinforce others in finishing their part, mainly because I was not going to be doing the work of someone else who didn’t bother. I sincerely didn’t want to put up with the extra work, so I didn’t. And even despite that, the PowerPoint came out lovely, engaging and very informative in most to all the assigned areas.