When filling out a questionnaire, it is only a matter of time before I come across the predictable: what is your race/ethnicity? I do not have to think long nor hard about my answer. In fact, I do not hesitate to pencil in African American. Why is that? It could very well be that at a glance my skin tone and accent is enough for people to quickly label me as such thus reaffirming my identity.
• My parents, brothers, sister , including my extended family belong to the same race and ethnic group. Where did your parents grow up? What exposure did they have to racial groups other than their own? (Have you ever talked with them about this?) •
I talk about my race and culture being independent of each other. My race is Chinese, but I associate myself
Throughout the semester, the course has taught me a lot about myself and those around me. I have learned that based on Cross’ racial identity model I am in stage 5. It was new to me to find out there was model based on racial identity. Stage 5 means that I able to talk to anyone in and outside of my racial group. Which would mean that I would not have to seek counseling to correct an issue because there isn't one.
The author goes on to say that, no matter what the arguments are, racial identity, just as it was in the early 1900s, has again become the topic of conversation, for example, what is “Black” in America, what is the “one-drop rule,” and what is the litmus test to be “Black” (Balkaran, 2016, p. 1)? In spite of these questions, the issue still remains, Ms. Dolezal’s dedication to promoting social justice, equality and respect for the African American culture, regardless of her color or racial identity. Balkaran further states that Ms. Dolezal’s racial identity should not be criticized by the media. Instead, the discussion “should go beyond race and ethnicity, and encompass a discussion on becoming an integrated racially tolerant society despite
I was already discluded from my white peers on multiple occasions for obvious reasons; however, I never expected to be neglected by this side. This sudden shift in acceptance brought much despair to my high school life because no matter how hard I tried to learn about my culture, someone somewhere would shut me down. For instance, it is a running gag especially in Caribbean culture to call somebody a “fake [insert whichever nation they identify with]”. However, I believe that statements such as those run deeper than they appear. For a long time, I truly believed I was a fake Haitian, leading me to believe that my entire racial identity was a lie.
When colonizers from England settled in Jamestown in 1607, they acted violently despite Native-Americans’ hospitality. Many refused to acknowledge the validity of existing cultures and languages, and forcefully instilled a common language amongst the inhabitants. This pattern of erasure has continued for centuries: although there is no legislation specifying a national language, people in the United States have pushed others to linguistically assimilate using cultural and societal pressures. This discrediting of linguistic integrity contradicts ideas about increased cultural diversity resulting from immigration. President John F. Kennedy, in his book A Nation of Immigrants, emphasizes that “each new wave…made its distinctive contribution to the American Character” (17).
I am an international student from Vietnam who came to the United States to pursue higher education. I was brought up in a very unique culture and family traditions, and this has had a strong influence on my beliefs and mindsets. Together with all the experiences that I have been through so far in my life, I have formed some social and personal identities that I might or might be aware of. Such identifies are an important tool that can stay with me and remind me every day of who I am and my origin.
When I was younger, I always used to wonder why I did not look like my mother. I had pale skin, blonde hair and blue eyes in contrast to her tanned skin, dark hair and dark eyes. Growing up, I realized it was because of all the ethnicities I have in my background. It’s always as if I am on an amusement park ride when someone asks me about my background. “Where do I start?”
Diversity means we are all equal but not the same. These differences are very important to understand but should not be used to predict a person’s value. I see myself as representing a form of diversity by being a black woman in a predominately white community. I feel I bring diversity pretty much everywhere I go.
The journey I took to inhabit the Queerness of my identities today happened relatively recently, but there are moments from my past that slowly edged me towards who I am today. It all started with thoughts here and there of kissing my male friends, for seemingly no reason, I didn’t feel sexually attracted to them at the time. These thoughts would never crop up with strangers or acquaintances, only with close friends. I ignored these thoughts for the most part, I had no intentions of acting upon them, despite how open my friends were to the ideas of exploring their own identities, I still felt some sort of shame around mine. People bullied me in high school already for being what they defined as less masculine by wearing tight clothes, having
Throughout my experiences in this course so far, I have had many opportunities to reflect on my own past and have begun to better understand my own cultural identity. It has been much more difficult to wrap my head around than I would have predicted it to be because so many things play into the construction of an identity that it can be hard to look at all of those separate pieces together. My cultural identity, like all others, is more complicated than it first appears. I identify as a white person, a woman, an American, a gay person, and a feminist, just to name a few. While all of these labels carry with them stereotypes and expectations, they also interplay with the cultural influences I was subject to throughout my childhood.
Being born in Puerto Rico, I was raised with different customs and celebrating different traditions. After moving to the United States at the age of 10, I began to further understand how ethnicity plays a pivotal part in an individuals life. How the individual thinks and acts are tied down to where he/she comes from. With that mindset, at an early age I began to develop a global mentality. Obtaining an undergraduate in business has sparked my interested in further learning about how business are conducted globally.
In the past, I found myself identifying myself to have commonalities with people surrounding me. When I was surrounded by a diverse group of people, I would find that I would gravitate towards those who appeared to have something in common with me. I believe I was drawn towards people of the same age range, race, and culture the same as my own because it is something familiar. Although I still think that I gravitate towards individuals like myself, I believe I try to branch out and meet others individuals that differ from me more than I did in that past. Now, I shape my own identity.
¨Let's find some beautiful place to get lost¨, My names is Allimarie, i'm a seventh grader at riverglen junior high, I live in Boise Idaho, I have moved a lot in my life and i'm 12. I think that adventures, family and age affects my identity. Hey you, do you like adventures? I do, my older sister used to take me up to the foot hills, down to the river, climb up a mountain or just go walk around outside and experience more of life. I believe this affects my identity in a big way because this is all i did growing up and now that's part of my life, it's something i want to do.
