Cultural Revolution

There are many different cultures in Southwest Florida that one becomes immediately aware of as they enter the area. They include Native-American, African-American, Protestant, European, "Cracker", Hispanic-Latino, and Cuban. Because there are so many variations of these cultures choosing just three was difficult, but for my project I will be focusing on our African-American, Hispanic-Latino, and "Cracker" populations. During this project I will address the many and varied differences between these cultures on many different levels including personal or family differences, social differences and educational differences. I expect to gain a greater understanding about these cultures during this process and by gaining this understanding I will be better equipped to combine students from these cultures into a classroom of learners that are able to succeed on all levels of History education. Because I do teach World History having a classroom full of diverse cultures lends itself to a variety of teaching activities and extra curricular learning.

Miami-Dade Community College President Eduardo J. Padron. Said it best when he said "Our classrooms are laboratories for cultural diversity and the disciplines are enriched when students contribute various cultural perspectives," It has become increasingly clear that we must get creative in culturally diverse ways in order to pull all of our students into the learning culture in equal ways.

I spent several days researching the material that you are about to read. My biggest source of information was the internet, but I also spoke with several other instructors and listened to their thoughts and concerns on the matter of cultural diversity in the classroom. Everyone seemed to have a unique thought or opinion but there where certainly central themes in the opinions I received. Over all each instructor hoped to provide the best non-biased education for his or her students. From this group of instructors I did my best to choose a culturally diverse section. The group was comprised of three males and three females; one African-American, one Hispanic-Latino, two native Floridians or "Crackers", one Native American and one European. We met for lunch and discussed cultures in great depth. It was certainly a fascinating experience. I also took time to read sections of several books which I have highlighted in the source area of my paper.

The first of my three cultures is the African-American Culture. When we began our discussion on this culture my first question was what does it mean to be African-American? The overwhelming answer was this: Just because the color of your skin is black this does not make you are African- American. The consensus was that while most people with black skin are of African descent most of our young people today have no idea what it means to be from Africa or be "African-American. Just as most white people can only trace their ancestry, but know little about the culture and situations from their heritage.

Those of African-American ancestry have perhaps suffered the greatest tragedies in American History, but they have also overcome the most. As I am writing this paper we have a well respected and very intelligent African-American Secretary of State, Mr. Collin Powell and are set to have an equally intelligent African American in the wings ready to replace him. Assuming the Dr. Condoleezza Rice is confirmed by the senate she will become the first female African American to serve in this position.

I am sure that Dr. Martin Luther King would be pleased to see that his dream really is coming true. In his famous speech, he communicated not only his dream, but the dream of millions in our nation. "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today!"

African American culture in the south has always seemed to dictate inferiority. I am not sure exactly when this feeling began to be perpetuated, but I see it all the time in and out of my classroom. There is almost a feeling of lowliness in everything that is accomplished even though as an educator I often find that quite the opposite is actually true.

In DeSoto County we still have a very distinct cultural barrier. If you are not a white Anglo-Saxon southern person it seems it is automatically assumed that you are not as good. We still have Klu Klux Klan organizations and very distinct sections of town. This is the type of town where there is still a great deal of segregation even though at this point it seems more self imposed than put upon. Another thing that bothers me about the African-American population in Southwest Florida is the abject poverty that all African Americans in this area seem to face. There is a high crime and drug rate associated with the culture. The one thing that I have noticed that is of a positive nature is the sense of family that African Americans have. They tend to look at after their own and when one does become a leader there is a true sense of pride and accomplishment among the whole community. I have discovered in my own classroom that African American students tend to work harder and placed stronger expectations on themselves than their White or Hispanic counterparts. Success does not seem to come easy for them, but when it does come it is celebrated and cherished above all else.

Presently our assistant football coach is African American. He served as a basis for some of this information because he served on the panel I mentioned earlier. He was raised in Poverty by a Crack addicted mother and not much hope was given for him to live any other kind of life. However, he had a skill and someone who believed in him. He and I went to High School together and at that time 16 years ago we called him flip. We did because he knew how to handle and "flip" a football.