Cleveland

Cleveland

  • Submitted By: ska7
  • Date Submitted: 10/26/2008 9:54 AM
  • Category: Social Issues
  • Words: 708
  • Page: 3
  • Views: 510

I and my family are African American. While African Americans may be considered minorities elsewhere in the United States, in Cleveland, as the percentages above indicate, are a majority. I have never had the experience of arriving at a city event, school, agency, bureau, or at a private group and not met members of not only my own race but members of different ethnic and racial groups. I have been comfortable speaking out and participating in all aspects of my life, from education, to entertainment, to career and I have not heard members of other racial or ethnic groups say anything different. The history of Cleveland does has not always indicated such a unified city. African American in Cleveland, just as elsewhere in America, had to fight for their rights and to end discrimination in the city, but their efforts have been successful and allowed African Americans to take part in all areas of Cleveland life.
Cleveland has, and has had, a long history of African American participation in government, business, and industry. African Americans have taken on roles as community, government, and business leaders and have strongly participated in the development and improvement of the city. Because the city itself has gone through some difficult times, because of unemployment, the loss of manufacturing plants and other businesses, and right now because of an astronomical rise in foreclosures in neighborhoods that were just recovering, this has helped us, as residents, feel that we are all in it together. This means that instead of feeling threatened by those of different races or ethnicities the city tends to include them and make them part of the solution to whatever may currently be challenging the city. This attitude has tended to make all members of the Cleveland community feel that the community, as a whole, will have resources available to help them whether or not they share any ethnic or racial traits with community leaders.
While diversity does not always work...

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