Race and Communications: Difference matters.

Communication is undoubtedly one of the most important skills to hone. Understanding diversity and race within America are a journey that begins at a self­-personal level with life experiences that is vibrant and complex in recognizing differences. Differences within it are influenced by where people live. The life of a typical Black young Liberian­-American man, like myself, is characterized by socioeconomic backgrounds and individual lives experiences with race and privileges. These factors influence how I view the world.

So far, in my life, I have learned that race and communicating social identity matters. It’s the platform in understanding one’s socioeconomic backgrounds. In America, some of us hold this belief that a socioeconomic background is often measured as a combination of privileged, race and occupation. Which is commonly conceptualized as the social standing or class of races or cultural group. When viewed through a social class lens, privilege, power, and control are emphasized.

As a Black young Liberian-American man in America, I am constantly aware that I am not as privileged as the dominant (European) “White” race. Given my experiences with a company that I…