My viewpoint on inequality has changed a lot since I started taking sociology classes. As growing up in  rural areas and urban areas I got to meet all walks of life. I understood equality but didn’t really pay attention to it growing up. It wasn’t till I got to college where I actually understood what it meant and actually could put everything together. As I was going to a private school in high school I was privileged enough and didn’t face any inequalities growing up which is another reason I never really thought of it.

Race 

My view on the issues of race have grown the most of any of the different issues. This is due to the knowledge I have gained in class and the knowledge of my peers and a lot of help from the class that I took with Dr. Grether. Growing up alot of my friends who were of different races were a lot like me and from same backgrounds so I didn’t really see the inequalities at the time but that has grown whe I have gotten to college. The biggest part for me is to listen and learn from others and their experiences to help understand what they have been through. That has been the biggest help in understanding the problems and wanting to create change.

Class

I have always had a decent understanding of class inequalities but some of the biggest things that I have learned would come from the housing and rent market when it comes to class. How it is so hard to escape the lower class when you don’t own land passed on by generation and the importance of doing so by getting ahead in life.

Gender

From a gender point of view I had learned some from my mother on the topic but not as much. Where I learned the most would be the family class that I have taken here at longwood. How for most women when having a family they are really in charge of two different jobs and how much that affects the workplace with ability to be promoted and ideas people have when dealing with these issues.

Disabilities

With disabilities the most I learned actually came from a reaction class where I helped out with buddy ball, a local organization that helps kids with disabilities play sports. Volunteering for the organization taught me a lot and the importance of giving everyone a chance to play a sport and the jpy it brings them and how in most communities there are no opinions such as buddy ball. That every kid should be given this opportunity is bigger than sports. It is a way to build friendships and character through these events. I learned more from the kids than they learned from me.

Sexuality

Sexuality was a topic not talked about much growing up. I never could see a viewpoint other than my own until I started college. With the help of all the different classes and learning from the past I have learned the real struggles of the different communities. It was something new to me. I had never learned about the past when it came to sexuality but it really helped me understand the struggles and helped me see into a different viewpoint and make me change my viewpoints and become accepting of others.

My changing views will differently help in my career due to the climate of today’s workplace. Without this knowledge I would have been uniformed on these different topics. Overall It gives me the ability to make change in the world around me. From the position I have come from growing up and my status I can have the ability to make change in the community around and help organizations around me make change. Before I would have thought twice of volunteering for any organization or donating but now after taking these classes and my viewpoint has changed I want to get involved and help the communities around me.