Kamaldeen Akorede
Pronouns: he/him/his
Research Mentor(s): Teresa Satterfield, Professor
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Romance Languages and Literatures, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
Presentation Date: Thursday, April 22, 2021
Session: Session 4 (2pm-2:50pm)
Breakout Room: Room 11
Presenter: 2
Abstract
Structural racism leads to discrimination, health inequities, unemployment and low socioeconomic status (World Health Organization (WHO), 2006). Studies show that the US Latinx community faces a disproportionate amount of structural racism when compared to their white counterparts (Ramirez & Peterson 2020).This disparity is due to ethnic discrimination which causes limitations in the cognitive development of children and into adulthood for the cycle to repeat in subsequent generations (Bickard, 2003). The WHO discusses the structural racism that prevents the Latinx community from attaining healthier environments for better cognitive and physical development. In the current study, we hypothesize that if an individual’s zip code is from a low- income neighborhood, then their children will also experience challenges from discrimination in their environment such as access to quality education for mind development. To test this hypothesis, a novel Spanish-language survey was created using Qualtrics. Data collected included zip code and age of Spanish-speaking participants in the US. The survey also collected socioeconomic (SES) data, parent status and asked about experiences with discrimination. The survey received over 300 responses. SPSS was used to analyze the data and to identify trends of discrimination through US zip codes. Responses were placed in a zip code databank created by the US Census to collect the average income and family orientation of survey respondents (https://www.unitedstateszipcodes.org/ , 2021). Given studies such as Bickard (2003), we predict that Spanish-speaking adults responding to our survey from low-income zip code areas and who are also parents, will have children whose cognitive development is affected by their environment and SES. This project contributes to social science research by investigating impoverished communities, and demonstrating that Spanish-speaking families frequently face discriminatory practices that can affect their children’s cognitive growth.
Authors: Kamaldeen Akorede, Teresa Satterfield , Luis Mendez, Heidi Cano
Research Method: Survey Research
