Reflections

This project went well. If I did this again I think I would ask more than one survey question so that I could get more information. Because I am racially labeled a lot, it helped me understand why people do it so much. I still think its wrong, but I now know that it started a long time ago and is not something new.

Reccomendations

I want to investigate why certain people are labeled rather than others. I think socially people should stop racially labeling others. People should stop saying things like: you act white, or you act black or things like that. I would also like to know if you grow up in a racially diverse area, if you are less likely to racially stereotype.

Conclusion

The survey results show that majority of people are not more attracted to become friends with people of their same race. Although, the percentages were very close. Which shows that still, a lot of teenagers are. This means that a lot of people use race to help them determine their friends, which also probably means many people use race to determine who are not their friends. This is what the data shows is the root of of racial labeling.

survey results

This chart shows the results from our survey. I surveyed 96 freshman at Decatur High School. 33% of the participants were male, and 67% were female. 42% were black, 42% were white, 2% were asian, 2% were latino, 7% were mixed, and 5% were other.When asked the question"Are you more attracted to become friends with people of your same race?" 51% percent of teenagers answered no, and 49% answered yes.

Souce

The race article from the Encyclopedia Britannica says that racial stereotyping started in the 18th century. It says that political leaders began to publicly assert that Africans were naturally inferior and were indeed best suited for slavery. Physical differences became the main basis to determine their social status. Racial Stereotypes were magnified by events such as the Haitian Rebellion of 1791, and other events. These events helped racial stereotyping continue to become more and more popular.

Research Question

My research question is: How is the label black used in America and, what are its origins?

Investigation Topic and Goals

I chose to blog about racial labels and how I'm so tired of them, because I experience them everyday! I think people use racial labels without realizing the affects they have on the people they are put on. Some people think racial labels aren't anything to think about, but they are. I think they can be hurtful. During this unit I want to learn why people think racial labels are okay, and what makes people label certain people and not others.