Heath Achatz was born in Michigan at a hospital in Port Huron. He was born the second child to his parents, James and Sarah Achatz. The year that followed would bring a completion to the numbers of the biological family. Heath’s family is composed of his afore mentioned parents, his older adopted sister, who is biologically a cousin, his older brother, himself, and his younger brother. All three biological brothers were born in the same hospital and delivered by the same doctor. How do I know these things? I am Heath Howard Achatz.
James Achatz, my father, is what one might call a self-made man. After his father died when he was only sixteen years old, it was his responsibility to care and provide for his other eight siblings, who resided in his home in St. Clair, Michigan. He would go on to finish high school, entrepreneur a drywall construction business and later entrepreneur a family restaurant. Sarah Achatz, my mother, grew up in an abusive alcoholic authoritarian household were she became the glue that held the family together emotionally. She would go on the go into both nursing school and beautician school, eventually opening her own beauty parlor. Later in life, after her and her husbands restaurant experience, she would open her own pie bake shop. My parents, were born into households which placed a great burden on each of them. Their circumstances were set about in the direction of loss and failure. However, I see in them that it is possible, for them at least, to accomplish out of very little, the so-called American dream.
Both of my parents grew up in house holds were prejudice was abound for any race other than those who seemed to be pure white. My father still holds to these beliefs to some extent. My mother does not hold to these prejudices anymore. They did, however, respect, almost revere, the Native American. Both of my parents have began to accept people of other cultures and/or ethnic backgrounds due to their children’s involvements with diverse people groups.
I believe that for the first fourteen years of my life I prescribed to many of these basic racial quotas that they had ascribed to; only those who are white are the true Americans. It was at this age I had my first encounters with African Americans as I played basketball in school. I had grown up in an extremely rural area, the population of my neighbors were white skinned, until I was in 9th grade everyone in my school had been white skinned. Through building relationships with these two dark skinned school members, as I played basketball I realized that my parent’s prejudices were not rooted in truth. As time progressed I only embraced those of other races the more.
The way in which I view race, class, and gender is mostly influenced by my belief in the Bible. This was a text that was written for all men. It was not written by whites. It was not written by any one race in particular. My view of race is somewhat limited. I do not see any feasible difference to judge race, therefore I deem everyone to be of different ethnicity. This ethnicity I define as the country they were legally born in. As an example, my friend, Jeremy Bolak, who is much lighter skin than I, but who was born in south Africa and speaks other languages better than English, and certainly holds different values than Americans, I deem to be African. I was born in America, I deem myself to be American. The distinction that I do see, but do not call race, is the one that the Bible designates, and that is of Jew and Gentile. This is a difference of beliefs, but ones beliefs do not bring inequality, only a difference.
My world view of class also stems much from the Bible’s teachings of class. While, in the Bible Jesus states that we will always have the poor among us, he also says that true religion is helping the widow and orphan, those most likely to be poor. Class ideally is summed up in the disciple’s relationships, where each gave to another as he had need. I do, however, live in America. I see America as a capitalistic society. In a capitalistic society it is necessary to have different economic classes. This is what makes capitalism work, an exchange of money, it seems reasonable some would exchange more money than others. It also seems to me that in America there is little distinction between economic class and social class. It is the economy, which drives the United States. It does go to reason that most status re based upon economics.
Gender is another world view which I derive from the teachings of the Bible. The Bible particularly sets up a relationship between man and women in the account of creation. They serve a single purpose, to serve each other or help each other. I do believe that God also has set a hierarchy in place where marriage is concerned. God’s relation to Israel and Christ’s relation to the Christian church evidences this hierarchy. Outside of marriage, though, this hierarchy does not seem to take effect. The Bible also seems to outline roles for men and women, some of which are culturally based, and can be adapted, and others that are biologically based, and should not be. God did create genders as equals.
Is racism of significance in America? I would definitely say it does affect American people in how they relate to each other. I have had very little experience racism, aside from those views of my father, which I perceive as mainly ungodly. The United States certainly is making progress with the general opinion of race/racism, but I fear there may be a shift, as one race is being accepted, namely the African Americans, anther group is endowed with the racism, namely the Arab Americans. I have little or no personal experience, but society seems to relate his view.
I do not think that I have been discriminated against on the basis of skin color or ethnicity. Two of my more memorable experiences deal with the embracing of myself into other races, one where I worked in an African American after school program, the other when I preached at a Hispanic church. I was accepted, almost celebrated on both occasions. Sometimes I feel discriminated against for being a white middle-class male, but I think that is because I never hear that term in the media, which may be a good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment