A Mexican American Cultural Experience

A Mexican American Cultural Experience America is the melting pot of the world. One can encounter many different cultures within a community. As a result, there are several options for cultural experiences available. One particular event that occurred within my community was a Mexican American Festival.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Mexican American Cultural Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was a festival acknowledging the Day of Dead which was celebrated throughout Mexico on November 1. At first, I thought it was another Halloween party, but it turned out to be something completely different. In Mexico, the Day of Dead (Dà ­a de Muertos) is a traditional holiday to remember all of ones family members and friends who have passed away. As tradition goes, families will visit the cemetery and decorate the graves with colorful flowers, candles, and other little adornments. At home, the memorial continues as the families create an alter wi th a picture of the person who has passed away and they decorate this alter with things that were of interest to the deceased when they were alive. This is followed by a huge family gathering including music, food, and fun for everyone. The belief is that during the Day of the Dead, the deceased love will return and visit their alter. There were several people from the Mexican culture at the Mexican American Festival. There were several families with many children, seniors, and groups of friends. Many of the Hispanic people were dressed in authentic Mexican clothes including sombreros and boots for the men and large colorful, flowing dresses for the women. Others were dressed like the current fad. There was a mixture of different clothing, but one could tell it was a Mexican celebration because many had authentic wear or things one would not normally see in the American culture. The entire hall was decorated with skeletons and skulls which is a traditional Day of the Dead decoration in Mexico. There were also pià ±atas hanging from the ceiling and the lights were lowered with some disco lights. Each table was nicely decorated with small skulls of many different colors.Advertising Looking for essay on cultural studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More There was a huge dance floor in the middle of the hall and a food buffet in the back of the hall. All of the deco rations were symbolistic of the Mexican culture and were very colorful and festive. It was hard to believe that this was a celebration of death. On the largest wall in the hall was a huge piece of while bulletin board paper with some pens where many of the Mexican people wrote the names of the their deceased family members and friends. This paper was full of name. A form of Mariachi music or salsa music was playing and many people were dancing and having a good time. For awhile, they had a live Mexican band and other times, they had a D J who played discs. The form of dance was very different from the American way of dancing. It seemed that all of the couples were dancing in a similar 1-2 step fashion. At times it was a salsa dance and other times it was a cumbia or a bachata dance. Some were dancing as a couple and others were dancing in a circle of friends. The music upbeat and lively throughout the entire party. There was also a lot of traditional Mexican food that would be eaten during the Day of the Dead in Mexico. One thing that stood out were the sugar skulls. There were little skulls made out of marzipan. In addition, there were also several skulls shaped cookies and cakes. All of the pastries were in the form of skeleton and skulls just as it is done in Mexico. Dinner was also available for those who were hungry. The menu consisted of tamales, tacos, beans, rice, chicken mole, pozole, and corn on the cob. All meals were served with warm corn tortillas. The food was free with paid admission and there was mo re than plenty to go around. Plenty of hot sauce was also available. As for drinks, there were Coca Colas, fruit juices, tea, and of course, Corona, the most famous beer of Mexico. Even though people were drinking alcohol, it was a family event and all was very well-controlled. The Day of the Day is a very festive day that is celebrated in all parts of Mexico. The Mexican people who live here in the United States continue to celebrate their tradition. I enjoyed the festival and I learned a lot about the Mexican culture. The food, the dance, the decorations and the symbolism behind the reason for the festival was very culturally oriented, educational, and entertaining.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on A Mexican American Cultural Experience specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More It gave me an entire new respect in the Mexican culture. By attending festivals such as this one, I feel that I better understand a small part of th e Mexican culture and it was an honor to be apart of such a sentimental memorial. It was a very important event for each and every participant and their Mexican pride was very evident. I believe that if more people could attend festivals such as this one; not only from the Mexican culture, but also from other cultures, much of the worlds racism might be eliminated. Racism stems from a lack of understand, and when one is offered opportunities such as this one, an opportunity for understanding the culture is available. Although I did not understand the language, I still had fun and for the most part, understood everything that was going on. Viva Mexico!

Alternatives to Affirmative Action

Alternatives to Affirmative Action Free Online Research Papers Affirmative Action is one of the most controversial policies ever enacted by the United States government. Under Affirmative Action, women, African Americans, and other minorities are given preferential treatment when they apply for jobs and/or admission to college. In some cases, this has meant that qualified applicants who are white males have been passed over in favor of less qualified minority or female applicants. Those who support Affirmative Action claim that the policy is necessary to overcome centuries of previous discrimination and other disadvantages that minorities and women have faced. Those who oppose the policy point out that that Affirmative Action is just another form of discrimination, except in this case it is discrimination that is deliberately directed against white males. Opponents of Affirmative Action also claim that the policy lowers academic standards and takes away from the accomplishments of truly qualified women and minorities. Affirmative Action programs have significantly improved diversity on America’s college campuses. However, there have been many legal and legislative challenges to preferential treatment based on race (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2002, Executive Summary). Various alternatives to the quotas and preferential treatment of minorities under Affirmative Action have been proposed, including the alternative of ending Affirmative Action altogether. An acceptable alternative would need to provide opportunities for minority students without discriminating against white males. Californias approach to admissions Schools in California are prohibited by state law from using race, religion, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin as criteria for college admission (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2002, Chapter Two Percentage Plans). California has tried several different admission policies for its University system. Under one plan, no less than 50 percent to 75 percent of students would be admitted based solely on their academic achievements. This plan was phased out and replaced with a plan that provided automatic admission for students who graduated in the top 4 percent of their high school class. This plan was replaced in November 2001 with a plan in which students were considered not just for grades and test scores, but also for evidence of such qualities as motivation, leadership, intellectual curiosity, and initiative (U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Chapter Two Percentage Plans). Each of these plans shows promise. Percentage plans provide some guarantee that non-minority students will not be discriminated against on the basis of their race. At the same time, these plans also provide a way for minority students who might not otherwise qualify for admission to be considered. The 4 percent plan rewards the best students for their accomplishments without penalizing other students. Although the percentage plans are not perfect, they are more fair than systems that place more emphasis on race than they do on academic achievement. Texas Top Ten Texas guarantees college admission to the top ten percent of students from every graduating class (Watson Levin, 2004). Like the California plan, the Texas Top Ten plan guarantees that no highly qualified students will be passed over on the basis of race. The plan does not, however, guarantee that lower achieving students will have equal access. Unfortunately, the Texas plan has resulted in some problems. The plan makes no distinction between students from higher achieving schools and students from schools that are less rigorous. Some top ten students are arriving at college to find that they are not prepared. Universal Admissions Another possible alternative to Affirmative Action would be to allow all students who want to attend college to do so. Under the current system, a college education is a privilege, not a right. A universal admission policy would change that and would provide all students with the right to a college education, just as all children in the United States are now entitled to a free education in grades Kindergarten through High School. One of the arguments made for Affirmative Action is that minority students can succeed when they are given the chance. Lower admission standards for minorities are designed to compensate for any lack of educational opportunities these students may have had while they were growing up. The theory is that once these students are provided with the same opportunity, they will be able to catch up. A universal admission policy would eliminate all academic and other criteria for college admissions and allow all students, regardless of their past academic performance, to attend college. Under a universal admission policy, the only criteria that would be applied would be whether the student could afford to pay for classes. This may seem unfair to some. However, students who could not afford tuition could qualify for scholarships, grants, and loans just as they do now. One potential problem with a universal admission plan is the lack of space at colleges. If everyone is allowed to attend for at least one year, then it is possible that there would not be enough teachers and other resources to go around. However, this problem could be solved through the use of Community Colleges, distance learning, and other alternatives. Universal admission is the only truly fair way to provide equal opportunity to all students. It eliminates the bias of Affirmative Action and allows students who may have performed poorly in high school to have at least a chance to prove that they can succeed in college. References U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (2002). Chapter Two-Percentage Plans Beyond Percentage Plans: The Challenge of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. Retrieved on October 12, 2004, from usccr.gov/pubs/percent2/ch2.htm U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (2002). Executive Summary. Beyond Percentage Plans: The Challenge of Equal Opportunity in Higher Education. Retrieved on October 12, 2004, from usccr.gov/pubs/percent2/summ.htm Watson, B. and Levin, M. (2004) The Texas Top Ten Percent Rule: Bad Policy, Good Politics. Austin Review. July 9, 2004. 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