Cynthia Bautista Identifies in our Social Sphere I have many friends of differen

Cynthia Bautista Identifies in our Social Sphere I have many friends of different races than myself. Some friends I have met friends through previous employment and also from school when I was younger and still friends. I have a good friend from Samoa, a good friend from Japan, and a good friend who is African American. My friends and I have discussed issues of racism, that we have all encountered in our lives and have talked about the impact it has made in each of our lives. I could say that I fully understand the impact that discrimination has made on my friends, but the reality is I do not know what they have been through and/or feel because I am not in them. It is different when they have spoken to me about it, but to experience it, only when it has happened to you do you fully understand. I can speak for myself, racism and discrimination are something that I do would like to see one day disappear, but that is far from the reality. Racism is not just an American problem. The concepts of race and ethnicity have been used to separate and distinguish groups of people from all over the globe. It is important to recognize that people\’s facial expressions influence how they view issues of race (Korgen & White, 2015). If we as a society, want to end discrimination and racism we first have to acknowledge and recognize that it in fact exists. Wherever you go in the world, you will find to some degree some racial and ethnic tension. Sociology recognizes that there are different types of discrimination based on various characteristics such as age, gender, weight, ethnicity, religion, and/or politics. Equal rights to me means being treated equally between men and women, being viewed and treated with respect, dignity, and morals no matter what color, creed, ethnicity, religion, gender, one is. There is still an equality between men and women till this day. It is proven fact that men make more money than women, and it is still proven and seen that women cannot do, work, or are equal to men in our society. I have to say it has been better, but more improvement needs to happen. Men should be promoting women\’s equal rights and opportunities for women because when women receive the same job opportunities as men, and education, they can improve any organization they join. Gender equality still seems like an unreachable goal. Studies show that diversity of all types, both sexes will benefit better decision making and resulting in the share of power, equality, and equal pay. Women of color are in fact doubly oppressed. As a minority woman, I know my ancestors were oppressed, just like many African American\’s as well. Lesbian women of color are triply oppressed in our society. My cousin, who I am very close to is of Puerto Rican descent and is married to her partner, who is American, and she has told me of different scenarios where she has been discriminated against because of her sexual orientation. I know it bothers her, although she is a very strong woman, I know some people can be racist and biased against her and her partner. I do hope that people would one day come together as one, but I know this is far from the reality of our society. Reference: Korgen, K.O., & White, J. M. (2015). The engaged sociologist: Connecting the classroom to the community (5th ed.). Sage.