/she is meant to live with others and interact with them. Every man/woman wants to be a part of a community and have social interaction with that community. This is what makes man/woman feel like he/she belongs, has a niche, or is accepted. With that acceptance does the feeling to contribute and participate come in hand. If there is a feeling of alienation, exclusion, or hostility one will do nothing but try to survive; they will not contribute to the betterment of all the people feeling the same alienation. The person will not educate themselves in a society in which it does not accept them; thereby escalating the situation in which they are already in. With a community in which he/she feels a part of he/she will feel like they have an equal voice and equal vote and security in their position as a citizen. Strip that way and he/she will no longer feel like a productive citizen nor will he/she then contribute to the community. Developing a sense of belonging to society is a key attribute of active citizenship. Those who feel excluded are less likely to participate in the political arena (Flores 261). He/She will be seen as unequal to the rest of society. Such is the case of minorities among the nation. In the case of Camden or East St. Louis, this level of participation and range of different citizens is not plausible. To be able to participate, one must have sufficient time, knowledge, and energy; to the residents of Camden or even East St. Louis, it is close to impossible. With the daily struggle of earning a living, putting food on the table, a roof over the head, clothes on the back, and caring for children leaves no time or energy to participate in the learning action or push children to gain much knowledge to leave that way of life. The situation in which most minorities find themselves in is bleak. Segregation is not even a vocabulary word; it is a fact of life. Jonathan Kozal speaks of that in his research of the ...
