Personal Narrative: Exploring My Ethnic Roots

For a long while, mom never had the chance to check my gender, Mexico wasn’t the kindest to its people when it comes to medical care; and so she assumed I would be a guy. She bought boy toys, clothes, picked out the name Ricardo, meaning powerful ruler, and had the room ready once she came over here. At my birth mom realized just what gender I was, and so named me after a family member who was just as headstrong as she was.

He met his future wife named Margarita de la Garza at his merchant stand, and immediately fell in love. Jose and Margarita has a daughter named Maria Casimira del Carmen in the spring of 1817. He was happy about there being a new trade port on the coast of Texas at La Bahia, because he thought he could open a new trade post to help raise money for his family, which did not work because the other merchants would not let him sell near them, because, they thought he would out-sell them, which he did.

I learned on page one hundred and four of Imprints that Shyamma raised Maya on her own after Maya’s mother and father passed away in a plane crash. The narrator explained that Shyamma once said “Understand, I had a fellowship, and I was finally free. And I was afraid if I sent you to your father’s people, we’d never see you.” Shyamma got to leave India and be free in America. She could have let Maya stay in India but she didn’t.

She is a successful mother of two, (Eric and Katrina). Having two children before the age 30 made her grow up faster. She had to put two others before herself so she had a big responsibility on both of her hands. Love found its way to my mom when she met a wonderful man named Darren, they got married in August 2003. “If I knew then what I know now I would have went to college and furthered my education” mom says.

This is her story(she doesn't list her name) she lived in Guadalajara, Mexico as the oldest of 3 siblings living in a poor family with a single mother. Her father died from crime, the week her father died her and her mother decided to try and immigrate to the United States, because they knew it would be safer, they would have better education and better job opportunities (pull factor). The immigration process didn't take as long because they made it quick enough to get before the big crowd and got into the United States. She grew up to be a police officer, wanting to be able to prevent crimes in New York City, so people don't have to go through the same thing she did with her

Both parents coming from Mexico. I was born in Oaxaca Mexico but my parents moved to Vegas and brought me when I was just two years old . So yes , I was raised in Vegas. Both of my parents are 100% mexican , we?ve been living in different apartments all my life but settled in a house recently the fact that we moved to a house was amazing truly it was because it was a big accomplishment for my parents but I don't go to the same school anymore

Following the social mobility idea explained in the textbook, Kenny was able to change his position in the social hierarchy from being poor to becoming part of the upper middle-class. Susan Yamada obtained a bachelor’s degree in family consumer sciences from Iowa State University and Derrick Yamada holds a high school degree and is a certified police officer. Passing it on from their parents, my parents have strongly advocated that my sister and I obtain college degrees and stressed the importance of an education. “No one can take your degree away from you,” as my mother always says. Education is a major factor in why my family has stayed in the middle

Adventures in Werowocomoco In 1608, King Powhatan’s tribe captured John Smith. Smith was brought to the tribe’s establishment and met the friendly King who was very kind and promised Smith’s freedom in four days (Smith, A True Relation). However, in his later writings the king was described as hostile and violent, causing Pocahontas, the King’s daughter, to run out in front of her father to stop him from beating John to death (Smith, General History). Did Pocahontas save John Smith’s live? The answer is no, Pocahontas did not save John Smith’s life because it was never in danger; the “attack” was a ritual to welcome Smith into the tribe.

Sanchez now a Gardner, meets his wife to be Maria, a domestic care taker; soon after marries; starts a family, then while she's pregnant with two of her children during the depression period, the United States government rounds up Mexican families regardless to whether they were citizens or not including Mrs. Sanchez and her two children. However, Mrs. Sanchez a legal citizen refused to be stopped from returning to the United States and eventually, makes her way back to her family. The Great Depression period was a very hostile moment towards immigrants in American history, a time when jobs were scarce and the economy was weak. Trickledown economics and a work shortage is what I believed triggered the hostile xenophobic response.

Hall sought a career with the State Department and worked for an American embassy in Turkey, however due to an accident she had with a hunting weapon her leg was amputated. She thought the State Department would not hire her again because of her disability so she enlisted in the French Army as an ambulance driver. As an ambulance driver however she was inspired to help the Jewish escape from the monstrous actions of the Nazis’, there fore she joined the British Resistance as a spy. The Gestapo's quickly learned about the “Limping Lady” providing agents with supplies but that did not prevent her from continuing in the espionage organization. I chose Virginia Hall as my hero of choice mainly due to the fact that she put herself out there despite her disability and she did not want to be publicly credited with an award because of her loyalty to the workforce.

The equality act holds the evidence of allowing everyone to be considered and given permission to be equal and have rights. But because of the rules against marriage between two different people not in the same race, the act is not being followed and being held back from these people and their natural born rights. Mildred Loving and her white husband Richard Loving got married in Washington since miscegenation laws didn’t allow them to marry in Virginia, they came back to their home and arrested later in the middle of the night because they were living together and because they were together and married they got jailed for a year and banished from Virginia for twenty five years. These laws made them guilty for just loving each other and living together. Miscegenation laws take away their rights to do all of those things and they make the white man unequal to the colored person.

My mom had just bought a new car after she had purchased a new one six months earlier that was in great condition; it was as if she was trying to send thousands of dollars down the drain. My sister was angry that she would waste so much money, yet she would not give her money to her husband when he needed it most. When I first found out, I was stunned. Being the emotional, teenage girl who is always at opposite ends with her mom, I felt betrayed in a bizarre sense.

Therefore he beat him up until his mom jumped in his place and got beat up instead, she would do anything for her children. This quote is relevant to the novel because in the beginning of the book O-lan was working for The Great House of Hwang, however, she never talked about it unless it was for her children’s sake. Wang Lung was surprised to hear that then reason that his son was misbehaving was because of women. O-lan suggested getting him a slave, however, his father would not allow that. He decided he was proud his son was a young lord.

Being from a Latin and Hispanic background, it’s hard for me to pick what race I am. If you look at my mom, you would think she’s a white European, even though she is from Argentina. On the other hand, my dad has darker skin, he looks more Mexican, but these are not races. When people ask me what race I am, I usually say I’m White Hispanic. I grew up being told I was white, and have experienced white privilege, so I do not consider myself a person of color.

Although my family dealt—and still deals— with it every day, the racial identity never was pointed out. As a little kid, I never understood why my dad sometimes was treated differently for me he always was just my dad. Later on I would understand why, but my idea “you are whoever you are” still was my life credo that I never doubted. I have never questioned myself on what I identify as before the conversation with the person that I met once and thought I would forget the next day, but it became the turning point of my life.