For Post 6, I asked you to describe one identity you have that you are most proud of or one identity that you either are not proud of, or struggle with. Here I copied your replies/ the first few lines about your heritage.
Abdel-Hamid: One identity that I am most proud of is my religious practice and standard. If it weren’t my religion, Islam, I would not be the person I am today. The way that this 1400 year old practice holds me up not only makes me a better person, but encourages me to better anyone around me in the best way possible.
Adham: Queens, the most ethnically diverse place in America, is where I grew up. It gave me the opportunity to appreciate different cultures, traditions, and lifestyles that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. My thoughts and feelings have been broadened and I understand people from different backgrounds better. I became more Open-minded and tolerant of people around me. Having spent my younger years with a melting pot of diversity I’m confident in my ability to connect with others regardless of their background. This is a skill I take pride in as we live in an interconnected world.
Alyxandria: This subject of identity throughout this course has been tricky for me. I am quite clearly a Caucasian person who identifies as their female gender. I try to explain my identity more as who I try to be in my personality and how I treat others. I try to always be an opened minded and accepting person who is willing to learn about other cultures and traditions. I also did not grow up with any religious influence, so this is something I do not identify with. Although it can be intriguing to me, I don’t personally believe in organized religion. That being said, I try to always find common ground and understanding with those who have grown up with that as part of their identity and culture.
Andy: One facet of Asian identity that may cause difficulty is the predominance of misconceptions and biases linked with this ethnicity. People of Asian heritage are frequently subjected to unfavorable preconceptions such as being too academic, exoticized, or even facing racism. When people struggle with this component of their identity, it can lead to emotions of dissatisfaction, discrimination, or being wrongly categorized. Confronting these preconceptions and prejudices may also be challenging, especially when they contribute to microaggressions or discrimination in numerous facets of life.
Arta: One identity that I’m proud of is being Albanian. Throughout my childhood I was always told the experiences of what my parents went through when they were growing up in what was once Yugoslavia. My parents would have to hide that they were Albanian growing up so when they came to America, they became much more appreciative for their nationality. Because of this, I commend them for their hardships and knowing their experience made me much more proud to be Albanian
Ashley: One thing I’m really proud of is my background as a Hispanic person with Puerto Rican and Dominican roots. It’s like being part of a big, colorful, and diverse family with unique traditions, delicious food, and an interesting history. I feel a strong connection to my culture, and it makes me happy to be part of it.
Ferdousse: One identity I am proud of is being Moroccan. Growing up I never was not connected with my native tongue or where my parents are from regardless of being born in New York but it wasn’t until I got older then I realized how much of my identity was being Moroccan. From the cultural difference, different cuisines and even how multilanguage morocco is.
Jiayang: I am proud to be of Chinese descent, Chinese culture is incredibly rich, with thousands of years of history, traditions, art, and philosophy, and has developed into one of the world’s powerful countries that cannot be ignored.
Jie: Being an asian you will be facing a lot of racist either from school or at work.I faced many racist during highschool because i’m in a classroom that i’m the only asian kid in that room and the teacher are often calling my name and picking on my works.Little bit of stereotype happening that all asian kid are good at learning.
Murphy: The two identity I have is being an American but also coming from a Latino family background, which is what I am pound of since realizing the enjoyment I have gotten from it in my life. I found being Hispanic fun but not only any Spanish country but the one and only Dominican Republic. We have music that impacts all the different Latino countries mean while most have no sort of impact on us. If I were to compare it with being a full American, I would say we do have a beautiful island with all the possible fruit grown to perfection because of the climate while America has some disadvantages in that field.
Mya: I am a child of divorce. When I was about eight years old, my parents split, and my father was out of my life four years after that. While I am not ashamed of this part of myself, my father’s abandonment has been the cause of many struggles that I am only discovering ten years later. Being a child of divorce sticks with you, it is part of my identity. But this doesn’t mean that I understand this part of myself fully. I am still grappling with many of the scars left from then. I think this part of my identity occupies both the proudest and least proud parts. I am very proud to have persevered through my father’s abandonment of our family. Despite him skipping town, and only making time to see me on a handful of occasions since I graduated middle school, I grew extremely independent and learned to provide for myself.
Naydelyn: One identity I’m most proud of is being Mexican because the way we have so much celebrations and the way we reunite as a family. And the way we have so much family. The way my flag is red white and green with a eagle in the middle.
Nicolle: One identity I have and I’m proud of is being Dominican. This is because I do not know how I would be if I were not. The Dominican Republic is just a beautiful island, full of nice and happy people that always makes you feel like home and always takes a snail out from you. The food is incredibly tasty and delicious. Another part of our culture that makes me feel proud of is the music. The music in the Dominican Republic is just part of who we are. The merengue will make almost anyone move at least their heads if listening to it. I did not know how important it was for me to identify as a Dominican before moving to the United States. I guess because I was just used to all of it while living in my country. But when you leave where you come from to go live or visit somewhere different you realize how connected or maybe not you are to your roots
Pamela: One identity that I have that I am very proud of would have to be being Latina/Hispanic. Growing up, I would always take trips to Colombia during my summer breaks in school, which meant I really got to learn the culture behind the country my mom is from. I also knew the language very well so I was able to communicate with those from my culture and learn different expressions used in South America. I would always come back on the first day of school to tell my friends all about Colombia and the beautiful things that can be found there. Not only that, but I thankfully was never received with any backlash towards this, even though most of my friends were white/non-Latin, they were always willing to hear about my culture which in turn helped my pride and my security with my identity as a Latina female.
Sam: An identity I’m proud of is my first generation American status. I firmly believe one of the key foundations of this country is that it’s a “melting pot”, and I like that everybody has different roots. While the same can’t be said for a vast amount of the country, in a lot of our major cities we have a very diverse range of cultures, and it presents itself with pockets of cities replicating the cultures of other countries. Immigration is a politically controversial topic but in my opinion it’s important to remember what this country was founded on, and immigration is what founded the US as we know it in the first place.
Tak: I am proud to be Taishanese, which is part of Cantonese Chinese. This ethnicity has produced the most number of Chinese influential members such as singers, actors, and famous historical figures. I dislike being Asian American because of the racism that is coming out from the pandemic. Also, it is difficult for me to apply for jobs and work comfortably.
Prof. Barnes: I am originally from Poland and while I speak Polish to my children and celebrate some Polish holidays, I also feel very Americanized. I love American books, movies, NYC, the diversity of people and landscape. Another big part of my identity is being an immigrant, which to me means a mixed bag of challenges and accomplishments, and now, finally, a feeling of belonging here.
If you received a 75 for this post, you can guess why…
And thank you for digging deeper into the Hispanic and Latinx perspectives.
But what happened, or did not happen, with the essay check-in? 12 of you submitted this assignment so far, here on the OL, which is great. It’s an easy check in–what I really want to see is that you continue working on the research project.
Prof. Barnes
