Cedric Kanyinda

Social Inequality

Interview project

Struggle of the second class citizens in America

My interviewees for this paper are all fascinating individuals with amazing life stories.

Believe me when I say amazing stories. Although they all came from different places, different

cultures, and different origins, they all rose to the occasion when opportunity presented itself.

Freddy came from Congo, and Jose came from Arlington Texas. In order to have a better

Understanding of the notion mobility of social class and how two person of different social class

cope with downward and upward mobility.

My interview was with Jose. He tells me that growing up without parents was

difficult. His mother died when he only 15, and from there on he has been on his own. Unlike

other kid, he did not have the opportunity to finish school, so he was forced to do whatever he

could to survive. He became a drug dealer. Jose said that it was in a dire a situation, do or die of

starvation. Although now he is not proud of what he did, but he had to do it. Two years later after

his mother passed, and dealing drugs the social service placed him in foster home. He excelled in

school, but he did not have family foundation to help stabilize his life situation. So after high

school, he found a job in the customer service industry. A friend of his gave him his car to help
for transportation to work. He has never been taught that you need insurance in order to drive nor

did he know a registration was required. We can imagine the kind of danger he was in. One day

he was pulled over by officer, and he was given a hefty traffic fine which he paid in full. It

happens twice again, and he paid it all, and fixed the insurance issues and registration. Few

months later the suspended his driving privilege, although he paid all that was required. And you

know one thing he told me gave me the chills about how the state of Texas threats its citizens.

The Texas legislation allows the Department of Public transportation to collect up to $1000 for

years for every traffic violation involving financial responsibility to pay for trauma center. Isn’t

this preposterous, I find this law immoral, and geared to destroy the lower class.

Such law only affects the lower class, in which they are force to pay nearly $1500 to the

state of Texas every year. But if he had a family, and he even counselors or advisors to support

and tell him of what is required in order to drive he would be in this mess in the first place. So

for Jose there was no upward mobility in class status. His life condition was worsening by laws

the state put in place. He then lost his job; he lost his source of income, therefore reverting to

previous life style of drug dealing. The poor get poorer, and the rich get richer.

The Challenge Jose have to face to move up on social ladder are too great to allow mobility.

Jose has drug conviction felony on his record; he cannot find a job now, he cannot even be

accepted into an institution of higher education. Society have shut him down, so he figured that

he will sell drugs for a few moment until he has enough capital to invest in a legitimate business.

But for now he is trying to remain alive, and hoping for a brighter future
 My next interviewee fought in Afghanistan. He served his country proudly for 12

years; he gave up his freedom to fight for his country but his country did not fight for him.

Freddy enlisted in military right after high school at age 18. All he wanted to do was to fight for

his country. He was the valedictorian of his school, an awesome basketball player, and soccer

was his favorite game. I knew him since I was a kid. I choose Freddy for this interview because

he endured much more than most of us have endured in our entire life. He was in Iraq in

Afghanistan twice. He has seen the atrocities of mankind live. But his service in the marines

became his downfall. The ex Gunman Sergeant was unable to find employment because civilian

employer find unfit. Who is to blame he asks? He did not let society dictate his life. And now he

is a proud owner of one the best club in Dallas Fort Worth metroplex.

Just like me Freddy immigrated to the United with his family in 1980s, he worked while

in high school. Upon graduation he enlisted in United States Marine Corps. As gunman, his

primary skill was artillery. He led his troop in combat. After 12 years of service, he finally got

enough of the military life. He always says “once a Marine always a marine.” His

disappointment and struggle started a year later when he discharged. For two years he wasn’t

able to find employment. So I ask him a couple of questions to find out why he was

disappointed by how he was treated by the government and employers throughout the first two

years after his release, and persevered all that time and becoming a business owner? He tells that

the first 6 months after his discharge, the military paid for his healthcare benefits, he underwent

courses on reintegration in civilian society but after that time was passed he left on his. He

recalls applying of more than 200 jobs all around nation. No call was made from any of the

prospective employer. Determine to succeed in life, he went to study medicine in the Caribbean
island, then he came back to states but no one would hire him. Unable to find a job in the state he

went to practice medicine in Canada. But even in Canada he wasn’t easy for him, because his

Caribbean medical diplomat was contested in Canada.

His path to success was difficult he said. He tells me that while in Canada, he was working

as Phlebotomist for a while, until one day an event change his life for the better. It happens that

one day on his way to work he saw two cars collide as he was passing by, and in that area there

weren’t a lot of doctors. He rushed to rescue of people in the car. The person on the passenger

side was having a seizure. So with a small knife he punctured the passenger airways to allow air

intake into the lung to facilitate blood flows into the heart while waiting for emergency rescue.

He did not know that the woman he just saved sat in the board of directors of that same hospital

where he worked. Later on he was offer a fellowship in Cardiology in that same hospital. Freddy

lived in Canada for nearly 10 years, and then he decided to come back to the state to care of his

mother who was sick. Few weeks later his mother passed away, he was left with four sisters and

three brothers. Unfortunately for him, he was obliged to care of sibling, which means that he

could no longer return to Canada to continue his practice. So he then applied for a license to

practice medicine in the great state of Texas, but his medical diplomat was contested in Texas as

well. He was told to apply first in hospital or clinics in the states for sponsorship but no hospital

were able to sponsor him. No one wanted an African with Caribbean Medical diplomat although

he proved his marks in Canada. He then decided to open a couple of restaurants, and other

entertainment venues in the Dallas Metroplex. Since he couldn’t find a medical facility to

sponsor his application to the Texas Board of Medicine, it also means that he couldn’t open his

own practice; therefore he did what he could to survive. He shared with me one of his favorite
lessons from Nicolas Tesla. Tesla was Physicist from Austria. When he immigrated to United

States no one gave a chance as well to prove himself, he couldn’t even find a job as an assistant,

he worked in the railroad, and clean dishes to make a living. But years later he discovered of

invented alternating current which was more sustainable and cost effective compared to the

direct current of Edison. Tesla gave away his patent right on alternating current for the good of

the people, saying there is no grater gratification than to be able to help his fellow human.

Although most of the big Universities, and employer did not give him a chance, he gave the

entire world the gift of a better way of living. Tesla was discriminated because of his origin.

These injustice and inequalities did not just stop in refusing Tesla job employment, the Supreme

Court went as far as to award his patent for radio and signal transport to Enriquo Fermi of Italy

even if that ruling was reversed in 2004. This just goes to tell us that discrimination and

inequalities in this society will always exist, but the irony n all this is that the discriminated

person did become one of the most celebrated physicists in this universe. On that note Freddy

tells me that he will not give up on his dedication to research and medicine, even if it means

creating his laboratory.

The restaurants, clubs, and other business Freddy owns are just a way to remain

afloat and live a life that is not dictated by the power elite. A life in which origin, creed, color, or

nationality are a factor in predicting their ability to strive for success. Frankly, Freddy raise

social standing is not much of luck but perseverance and persistence to his belief in his capacity

to accomplish to great things in life. He moved from the lower class, the truly poor and

disadvantaged people of society to the upper-upper class in a interval of twenty years. As I

illustrated above, he encountered multiples stepping stones and stumbling blocks on his path, but
he did let them determine his path. In the face of adversity, he stood still, and tackled them truly

with amazing courage.

In conclusion, both Freddy and Jose are fighters in nature. Because the face adversity.

Freddy was a bit lucky compared to Jose, thus explaining their current situation at the moment.

Freddy is successful business man and proud of several entertainments venues in the metroplex,

while Jose is now drug dealers with nothing to show for. But all of them still have dream and

ambition to pursue their interest. And as William Domhoff puts it, “we are all in pursuit of the

American dream”, some of us are fortunate enough to stumble upon a situation that will turn are

life for the better, as also some of us who are born in the lower class will remain in that class and

sink deeper just because of the social policies and laws in place in our country. Struggle,

injustice, discrimination, and inequality will always exist in society but it is up to us make the of

what life present to us, and plan for brighter future.

 How did you get your first part time job?

Jose: let say my first source of income was standing on the corner, and selling dope

Freddy: cleaning dishes

 How did you get your first full time job?

Jose: right after high school, I sent couple of applications for employment and one day I

received a call to start working as a customer service agent.

Freddy: My first full time job was when I enlisted in the military

 Where there any barriers or challenges along the way? How did they deal with them?

Jose: there were, and there are still many challenges. Well after being arrested a couple of

time, and paying a lot of hefty fine, then being unable to land a job I started selling drugs.

Freddy: I do have still challenges. My medical degree being contested even when I

completed a fellowship in cardiology, The Texas board still wouldn’t allow me practice
 medicine in Texas, and there were no employing sponsors, support, or hire me to support

my application for licensing. I remain calm and focused, and did all I could do to

survive, to maintain, and support my family by opening a couple of businesses on my

own.

 What lessons have you learned? What can you advise?

Jose: my advice to you is to keep your head up, and do not let anybody tells you what

you can’t, and cannot do. And if that is not enough do everything you can to survive.

Freddy: when life get tough just suck it up and move on. When your talent and credential

are not accepted move to where they will be, and do not give up because it is too hard.