Why must we do these two things? One puts people into boxes, labels them, and creates some sort of checklist onto them. There are too many people in this world that those boxes cannot capture one single race or ethnicity into one. Reading about Aleichia’s experience growing up makes you think and realize that so many people have had this very same experience as if it were a right of passage to self-awareness of your very own skin color. Something you never pointed your mind to because you are just a kid not self-aware of the world around you. A world that will judge you and treat you one way just for your skin color. 

While it may be normal to find so much diversity in New York as one of its nicknames is the “mixing pot”. But for Aleichia moving to North Carolina things were very different. Here people just didn’t “mix”. Everyone keeps to their own race. For Aleichia this not only causes confusion as to who she is but self-awareness of her skin color. Something she normally paid no mind to. Her skin color says she’s black, but her culture says she is Latina. In her case, she cannot be both. This is because people cannot comprehend that a black person can be more than the stereotype that society has created for them. 

I think for myself and many others being first-generation Mexican- American there is the issue of not being enough Mexican for my parents, because I don’t speak Spanish all the time, or because I don’t follow the traditions of my culture. But I am not “fully” American because I am not “white”. Honestly, I was somewhat embarrassed about being Mexican because of the stereotypes people made up of Mexicans. But I grew up to love and be proud to say I’m Mexican, that I speak two languages, come from a culture of amazing food, music, etc. I will also say I’m American, not just because I was born and raised in  America but because I am made American, I am made Mexican, it is who I am.

In the Power of Identity Politics, something that stood out to me was the conversation of representation in cinema. It correlates to how we view other ethnicities and cultures. Movies and tv are our glimpse into cultures we have not associated with. Just how people think Mexicans come from drug dealers, and all Mexican girls get pregnant as teenagers. Why do people think this because of what they see? But we all know you can’t believe everything you read and watch on tv or online. But for this very reason, we need more representation because right now there is this idea that a black person cannot be Latina because of her skin color, that she must choose one and place herself in a box.

Growing up in Brooklyn, my peers were extremely diverse. While there was diversity, everyone still gravitated to people who looked like them. I had a few friends who spoke Spanish, but never essentially had the “look” like they did. I never thought much about it, but Williams’ Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina article, really opened my eyes to what that experience may have been for them.
I think many of us who have dual nationalities, struggle with which identity to conform to. Especially when neither race is willingly open to accepting you. I think about my Spanish friends like Melinda and Sofia, who were easily mistaken for black girls. I recall many situations where they had to call out other classmates in their native language, addressing derogatory comments that none of them else would’ve understood. I never considered how hurtful it could be to have your identity called out on the line. Being black and simultaneously Spanish at the same time is a battle when you live in a country that considers both a minority.
Williams mentions “Even now as an adult I find people are constantly trying to restrict me into a specific mold and identity. My home language is Spanish so this must mean I eat tacos. I have kinky hair so this must mean I bang to Meek Mill.” People are constantly trying to push you into a box, and confirm an idea or identity that is easier for them to swallow. However, a person can be anything that is written in the DNA stars for them. Spanish and Black, German and French, the list goes on. A person’s identity is not bounded by the limitations of another individual’s idea.
Even Alicia Garaz touches on this notion in The Power of Identity Politics. “Controlling the story of who we are and what makes us who we are is an exercise of power…” Allowing people to control the narrative of who we are, is releasing the power to them. Forcing a person to identify with one race, when they are multiracial, is a crime. Forcing them based on the outside identity is even worst. As the old saying goes “You cant judge a book by it’s cover”, which also applies to identities. Moving forward, especially as society becomes more blended, we need to adjust our mindset to accepting people as they choose to identify themselves. Out appearance is only a fraction of what a person is, and there is so much to unwrap for person. We shouldn’t be forcing people to confirm to our ideas, but instead conform to theirs.

In the reading “The power of Identity politics”, it states how identity politics is used to describe the experiences lived out by “people who are not white, heterosexual, cisgender men.” The reading states that the white people and their culture and experience can be considered the control group of an experiment, while the rest of the cultures and individuals would be the group which gets experimented on. Therefore, the control group is a representation of how white individuals are at the center, the core of America. I found it interesting how the reading is able to point out the way society will center whiteness, and have it primarily represented in various brands, while people of color would not be as highly represented. Furthermore, the reading brings up how identity politics were developed by black feminists. These black feminists were committed to fight against simultaneous oppressions that they face, such as racism and sexism. The reading states “they coined the term ‘identity politics’ to mean that they would form a politic based on their own experiences and the desire for their own liberation, as opposed to a politic that focused on the liberation of someone else. The reading is stating how these women had to stand up for themselves because they had come to a point where they realized that no one else would fight for them.

The reading “Too Latina to be Black, Too Black to be Latina”, is a reading that really left an impression on me. I think that on a personal note, I grew up with a diverse community however there would still be issues regarding Latino’s who were Afro-Latinos and those who have a darker skin tone. They would be outcasted and often questioned for their skin and how it related with their culture. In the reading I can see how they faced these types of critics. The author states how “Even now as an adult I find people are constantly trying to restrict me into a specific mold and identity. My home language is Spanish so this must mean I eat tacos. I have kinky hair so this must mean I bang to Meek Mill. For many, I am too black to be Latin and too Latin to be black”. They are constantly being labeled, where society wants them to fit in a certain area. However, that is not the case they outgrow that, and they outgrow the stereotypes that are placed on them. The snapshot of Vanique, shows a picture of Amara, she is a woman who was able to be a voice for the Afro-Latina community, she is able to directly state how colorism and inclusiveness is a big issue. In an interview that I seen of her she talks about how when auditioning for a novella, (show) she was denied because they needed someone who appeared more Latina. Meaning a Latina women who wasn’t Afro-Latina, with a lighter complexion. Honestly speaking, it’s very rare to see an Afro-Latin person in Latino media especially with novellas which is a huge part of Latino media.

Reading the article from the Huffpost is a conversation I am familiar with as someone who is half Latina half White. I have always sat in this in between as a kid when at recess and playing house with the others I was assigned the role of the maid every day without fail. I never understood why I was seven. I do remember the day I decided I did not want to play that role anymore and walked away from that group. People have questioned my abilities in English despite being born here and learning English first and Spanish teachers seemed to always expect more from me, but then there was the Latin community. They would point out my accent, many surprised when they found out I was Latin. They would call me “the gringa” normally how it is referred to as an American female. It is hard to feel like you are too white for the Latinx groups but not White enough for the White groups. I feel like I am straddling a line that I can’t stop straddling. I really loved Marios post because it really summed up the stereotypes that so many people of color are saddled with. I like many others are most likely not a stranger to the question of if we are Mexican for some reason that is the assumption many people jump too. There then has to begin conversations of why do these stereotypes exist, what is the root and how can we change the narrative. 

Looking at the Chapter reading identify politics has demonized by American conservatives. A part of the reading that had really resonated with me was the paragraph that begins with all of the things these forces are denying. Health insurance to people with preexisting conditions, deny women the right to decide when and if they reproduce, deny protections to transgender people, and more listed. It is not to say that all conservatives are evil or because you choose to align yourself as one that you are less of a person, think less of people, or anything but it is simply proven through time and time these are some of the issues with which they are against. For example I believe that there should be universal healthcare no matter if you have a preexisting condition or not if you were to decide I want healthcare I believe that one should have the right to choose so. When I first got off my parents plan and moved here to New York at 18 I had trouble getting healthcare. The plans I was being offered were something that was not covering enough of what I needed in the price range that I needed. There are then to consider immigrants in this country. They are given this title of criminal given the name illegals and that they are stealing jobs and criminals. So many do not have access to health care. Furthermore so many do not even have the right to vote in their own cities. Imagine not having a voice in where you live. A conservatives argument is that one should simply go through the legal passages but do not realize how expensive and timely they are. There is this sense of control as the chapter says this controlling of the story of who we are and what makes us who we are as an exercise in power. We should be talking more about our differences without fear it is not something that will divide us. I really loved Osayanmo’s post I think it really spoke to the chapter of the week and the silencing that should be lifted. 

Alicia Garza made a lot of interesting points in The power of identity politics. However the one i found to be the most interesting was how much power plays a big part when it comes to identity. It’s sad that those who have power will do anything to keep it to themselves including mistreating others in the process. She stated how “If we dont acknowledge that power works to the benefit of white, Christian, heterosexual, cisgender men, we will continue to blame those who are subjugated by that power for being subjugated, rather than working together to uproot the legacy of unevenly distributed power.” (Garza, 191-192). I couldn’t agree more with this because a big part of the problem is that people with power do not realize or accept how much power they actually have. How can you fix a problem when people can’t even own up to the role they play in it? It’s no secret that white people are already at an advantage over everyone for simply being white but majority of the time they are also the ones with the power to call the shots. Part of bringing about change is seeing and admitting there is a problem to begin with. This need for power only ends up resulting in people of color being affected, especially Black women. Forcing them to continue to suffer in silence for the benefit of others  and to continue being defined by these standards set for them is wrong. Like Alicia mentioned you cannot expect Black women to forget all that they’ve been through, for example “Under slavery they were forced to nurse white children while neglecting their own? Should Black women forget the ire they faced from white women who’s husbands lusted after Black women in subjugated positions?” (Garza, 189). This list doesn’t even stop here because until this day Black women are still fighting to be heard and respected. 

In Mario’s snapshot someone is holding up a sign that says “I am not a color” and this statement holds a lot of power. The color of one’s skin does not define them as a person and neither should it affect their ability to do certain things. People are being treated and placed in these categories based on something they have no control over, race. By people who think they are better because they are more privileged and able do things without their race playing a part. Instead of using this power to help others who are not that fortunate it is used to tear them down instead. In Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina Aleichia Williams talks about how hard it was to be both Black and Latina especially in school. Her story was touching and showed me how stereotypes can affect how one starts to view themselves. Feeling like they have to abide by society’s expectations. After trying to sit with the Hispanic girls at her school and not being accepted Aleichia mentioned “That was the first time I could remember being aware of my skin color and the overwhelming implications it held. This was also my first ‘race crisis’.” (Williams). This idea that you’re supposed to look and act a certain way for someone who is Black or Latina is false. Expectations don’t have to be your reality. 

21st century identity politics joins in making our American society unite, however there are many levels of division to it. Using Identity politics allows recognition and attention shined on different groups surrounding the topics of race, gender, ethnicity and more. They use this method to exceed in prompting their interests, issues or concerns. More examples of topics in the past that have been discussed in the media when people are usually referring to identity politics are same sex marriage, gender fluid, transgender people and more. The importance of identity politics still stands and rises to this day because when groups feel belittled or threatened as opposed to others, they resort to this common topic to help bring attention to it. Although, many see identity politics in the 21st century can have both a good and bad effect across the world. 

The Power of Identity Politics speaks volume because of how impactful and evident the message is as I read throughout the article. As stated, identity politics has become so demonized by American conservatives but it still remains and holds significance and impacts the lives around us and our futures constantly, in ways we may not realize. Identity politics is a call for help “for people who aren’t white, heterosexual, cisgender men.” This describes the experiences of how it feels to live outside the normalized living standards in the United States and instead encourages struggle and how important it is to help these groups that are suffering. It has been proven time and time again that white people, white groups and white culture hold some type of superiority over everyone else and further hold more control in our society. It is most often that the upbringing in African Americans is ignored but they face one of the hardest problems and white people don’t realize how privileged they are. There are several different types of identity politics in this article but this one shines out the most to me because Black people have cried out for help for as long as America can remember, constantly being degraded and seen as less of a human solely due to the color of their skin. It is a shame some people in the world still live and think this way towards them and do nothing to change when in fact, we are all the same. Not just Black people but that goes for every struggling group as well. Everyone should acknowledge that we’re all human and everyone deserves the same amount of rights and respect.

This next article discusses the struggle of not fitting in the particular stereotypical standard of being Latina and being Black. The woman in the article recalls her first race crisis as a young girl, in school, being talked badly upon by the other students due to “not fitting in with the other students.” Her experiences further shows how it is a difficult task to face being Black but being Latina as well. She goes on to state “When the violence broke out in middle school between the African-american gangs and the Hispanic gangs and the students spoke among themselves on who was best I could remember screaming “I don’t know who to side with!” When I got into high school and a classmate told me “You’re the most Mexican black girl I’ve ever met!” I could remember thinking ‘Is that a compliment because my family is from Honduras?” She often feels restricted with her identity and people often attempt to classify her as one race but not the other and that is an extremely deteriorating environment to grow up around. She has taught herself that just because she doesn’t fit into one specific mold, does not mean she is any less of herself. Everyone should have the same mindset, despite what you identity as, no one can take that away from you. 

I’m proud to be a black woman but it did take me a long time to actually mean that when i say it. Many people don’t understand the hardship that it is to be black. Being treated a certain way or watching how you behave or say at a certain place because of your skin color and most of the time it doesn’t matter because you will still be treated horribly. What’s even worse it’s hard to have black role models to look up to. To be able to have someone that looks like you and understand the things you feel and go through to be doing something that you thought wasn’t possible for you to do. In chapter twelve “The Power of Identity Politics” it says “BLONDE: Oh, my favorite actor was in that movie. He’s Egyptian. WHITE GUY: He’s Egyptian? I didn’t know that. That’s great—we need more people of color in movies. BLONDE: He’s a great actor, which is why he should be in more movies—not because he’s a person of color. Also, I’m really sick of hearing all of that stuff. Black, white, blah blah blah. We need to stop doing that shit. It really gets on my nerves. When are we going to get around to being human!” This shows how others don’t understand how important it is to have representation for people of all kinds of race and gender in movies and entertainment for people to look up to. Yes we are all humans but we all have different cultures. What a white person experiences in their life would most likely not relate to me as  another black person would. 

 Also in the article “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina” talks about being black and Puerto rican and having to choose to be one of the other or not being enough for each one. In the article it says “When the violence broke out in middle school between the African-american gangs and the Hispanic gangs and the students spoke among themselves on who was best I could remember screaming “I don’t know who to side with!” When I got into high school a classmate told me “You’re the most Mexican black girl I’ve ever met!” I could remember thinking ‘Is that a compliment because my family is from Honduras?’”.  This part stood out to me because it probably is confusing especially at a young age trying to explain that you are mixed and should be identified as so. I have always thought if someone is black there are black and there is no in between but it’s a really ignorant mindset now that I think about. It’s a mistake I think that most of us have made but we need to be more aware of it from now on. In conclusion, Mario  snapshot really stood out to me because it made me aware of all the  stereotypical labels we put on people without knowing how it affects them and undermines who they are.

In The Power of Identity Politics Alicia Garza makes a great point, stating “Identity is the elephant in America’s room” (191). Identity is such a fragile subject to bring up in American society, it’s often met with eye rolls, attitude, and offense. White Americans like to remain colorblind to race issues and men of color like to remain sex blind to gender issues, this necessitated the emergence of identity politics. Identity politics refers to politics that addresses the lived experiences of those whose identities lie outside of the norms defined by American society or singular race and gender movements that ignore Black women’s intersecting identities, experience, and oppression. It is a way to combat power dynamics being replicated in movements that seek to end said dynamics.

Identity politics is about recognizing power, what it is, how it operates, how it manifests, how we contribute to it, and most importantly, how we remedy it. “A lack of understanding is central to how power operates. Power prefers to operate in obscurity; if how power operates was fully transparent, I suspect many of us would rebel against it.” (Garza, 186). People belonging to groups in power, namely white people, cisgender men, and heterosexual people, are blind to their privilege; they don’t and refuse to see that they are the default in society. White people fail to see how whiteness is centered in everything in this country, beauty is defined by Eurocentric features (straight hair, thin nose, fair skin), “flesh tone” and nude are synonymous with the color beige; white people are the default for human. It’s easy to say “I don’t see color” or “there’s only one race the human race” when you’ve lived in the safety of default humanness instead of a racialized body that defines your quality of life.

Allena McKenzie’s Snapshot 10 which shows an image saying “I don’t see race, I’m a good person” and translate it to its real meaning of “I’m going to use my place of privilege to refute and deny the sufferings of those who do not have white privilege while at the and time erasing their personal and cultural history”. I love that meme because it exposes the truth behind those sayings. Ignoring race doesn’t make you a good person, it makes you the opposite because that mindset serves only white people. When you don’t see race, you don’t see how whiteness has committed atrocities against of people of color, you don’t see the history, and culture of people of color, you don’t see our beauty, you don’t see how larger society ignores, abuses, dehumanizes and erases us. It is important to see us, to hear us and to operate from a point of recognizing our presence.

In “Too Latina to be Black, Too Black to be Latina” Aleichia Williams talks about her middling identity of being both Black and Latina and the alienation she experiences from both communities. Erasure of Black people in Latin America erases their contributions to dance, music, language, and culture there, it erases the history of enslaved Africans in Latin America, it erases their presence and current contributions and trials. Imagine being erased from the home and culture you were born and raised in. The sense of not belonging because of the false narrative that Latino is a race, rather than ethnicity. Because the image of a latinx person is the mestizos phenotype that resembles JLO, and Becky G. Deportation is a Black issue that’s not recognized as such because Afro-Latinx people aren’t seen. This is why Identity politics is important, we must identify those who fall outside of what’s defined as the default.