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Josue Dominguez

English 242A

November 1, 2016

Navigating through our society

The education system, which has been changed, and keeps changing, was built on the

idea of segregation and division. Though it promotes equal for all, racism is still influencing the

system. Even in our society, we are still having to reevaluate what we stand for, trying to create a

society where everyone feels accepted and not like an outcast. In an article, Whose culture has

capital: A Critical Race Theory Discussion of Community Cultural Wealth written by Tara J.

Yosso an associate professor of the Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies addresses the

problems that our education system faces and the challenges that people of color have to face

every day. Yosso shows us how people of color have a lot of skills which our society does not

value, putting them in disadvantage. Yosso explains how it can be difficult for people of color to

succeed in a society which they are look down upon. It makes everything harder because of the

different obstacles and challenges people of color have to face. Seeing different theories she

shows us six different capitals; Aspirational, Linguistic, Familial, Social Navigational and

Resistant capital which she believes our education system should value. Yosso demonstrates how

our cultural wealth and the differences that we all have, is something we should embrace. I

believe that the three most important capitals we should value are; Aspirational, Social, and

Resistant, which we use them in our daily lives as college students, because they will guide us to

reach our goals, while having a sense of community which will unite us and help us navigate

through society.
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Aspirational capital is important to have because it keeps us motivated and inspired to

reach our goal in our lives and keeps us on track. Aspirational capital focuses on life time dreams

and hopes that each person has in their lives. Yosso explains how this is important, how if we

have a goal in life, we are less likely to give up because that goal aspires us to finish. Yosso sees

the work of Patricia Gndara and how Chicanas/os experience the lowest educational outcomes

compared to every other group in the US, but maintain consistently high aspirations for their

childrens future (pg78). Yosso understands that Chicanos in the education system arent

expected to succeed or get a high education. Acknowledging this she says these stories nurture

the creation of a history that would break the links between parents current occupational

status and their childrens future academic attainment (pg. 78). The new generations hear the

struggles that their parents had, and it gives us inspiration to try to set a goal and break

stereotypes. As a child I would help my dad at work and I would see the struggles he

encountered and how hard his job was. I remember that my mom would constantly tell me to

work harder on my education so I could achieve higher positions and not have a back breaking

job. Seeing the exhaustion in my dad every time he came home from work, gave me motivation

to try harder at school to help my parents out in the future. It made me have goals that I would

have for myself, whether they were long term goals or short term goals, each helped me stay on

track. I like to think of it as a track race. If you concentrate on your opponent in this case, all of

the negativity and racism that we encounter every day, it will be hard for us to finish. If we keep

our eyes on the finish line, our goal, and ignore everything else, we will be able to achieve it

faster and accomplish more. For this reason, aspiration capital is important, to keep us motivated,

to break stereotypes that our society has for us, and our communities.
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Having a sense of community is important so that we can rely on one another and be

resourceful which is why social capital is important to have. Throughout our lives we are faced

with different situations that we go through. We like to rely on others for support to help us get

through events in life which can be difficult. Yosso uses social capital to explain how we have a

sense of community, having this can make all of the problems we face easier to handle. Yosso

says how being both instrumental and emotional support [helps us] navigate through societys

institutions reassuring the student emotionally that she/he is not alone (pg. 79). In our society,

there are people that we will encounter that dont accept our culture. Yosso shows us that we can

be a community and support each other in difficult situation. As a freshman in college, using my

resources and the people I know, I am able to get the necessary help that I need in order to

overcome a problem. Being new to college I have seen that being more independent will make it

harder if you ever encounter a problem or have a question. College challenges you to solve

problems by using your resources instead of having everything handed to you. Having a sense of

community in a college helps if you need any emotional support. Being in a Puente has made

college seem less intimidating because I know that if I need anything I can rely on people to help

me. Puente shows me that Im not by myself, you have other people that are also new and I also

feel more involved and not as scared to be in college. In my option that is what Yosso is trying to

show us. Not to be so independent but to be resourceful as well as supportive with one another

and to use the resources to further us as college students.

Finally, unity it key in order for change to happen which is why resistant capital is

important for us to be able to stand up for our culture in our society. This year we have seen how

the presidential race has shown a side of people which we thought was in the past. Having

Donald Trump run for president has brought out people who still have that mindset of
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segregation and racism. This is what can make a country divide and we should unite and fight for

equality and for what is right. Yosso shows us how This form of cultural wealth is grounded in

the legacy of resistance to subordination exhibited by Communities of Color if we are to unite

as one to fight racism we can make a difference. We can be able to change what society thinks of

us, not just by fighting but by uniting and showing everyone that we are one as a culture. As a

young child I remember seeing the protests on T.V late at night, people fighting for issues that

they believed needed to change. I would watch as crowds of people would walk the street with

signs yelling for change to happen. This made me always want to be proud of my culture and

fight against stereotypes, and all of the racism that we encounter every day. I remember a phrase

people would use that stuck with me which was un pueblo unido jamas ser vencido. That in

itself shows what Yosso is saying, how if we all unite, we cant be stopped. As college students

we should have that spark, and be proud of where we come from. We are going to be placed in

different situation that we might feel as the minority but united we can make a stand.

Aspirational, social and resistant capitals are the most important to value because they

inspire us to keep going, teach us to be resourceful, and show us how to unite and fight for what

is right. Yosso shows us through these capitals, how each can help us become more than just

stereotypes, and prove everyone wrong. Even though we may encounter obstacles along the way,

it is important to set your mind on something, so you can have something to push for. And also to

all be united and have a sense of community so we can rely on each other and overcome

problems as a group rather than trying to do it alone. Yosso shows us how each culture has its

own values which society can benefit from and capitals which help individuals overcome

obstacles through life.

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Word count :1413