Aleichia Williams, “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina”, resonated with me in similar and different ways. Growing up, I was honestly not aware of my own citizenship status, which was that I am not a citizen of the United States and only began to understand this when I became eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals at the age of fifteen. Due to that fact that I had no knowledge of what it meant to be undocumented, I felt devastated in finding out and I noticed that it suddenly became a part of my identity and something that others easily dismissed or highlighted. I remember feeling embarrassed when school counselors would suggest taking different paths when it came to my college process because I am undocumented and therefore do not qualify for federal aid or state aid. I remember feeling embarrassed when others would disclose my status without my consent. It felt wrong and at times scary, especially during Trump’s presidency as he has attempted many time to remove my only protection here as an undocumented woman. It feels like my life is controlled or limited at times because I know that due to my status, I legally cannot take part in certain activities or opportunities that others can. Sometimes, I think that ignorance can be bliss because I remember dreaming and speaking of traveling before knowing of this label, my label.

In Alicia Garza’s, “The Power of Identity Politics”, Garza states, “Identity is the elephant in America’s room.” (191) and with this Garza expresses that there is quite an obsession with identity in the United States but for all the wrong reasons. I appreciate that Garza included a scenario in which a white woman states, “when are we going to get around to being human!” (185) because this supports the idea that while this may innocently seem as a statement of support instead of division, it only contributes to the harm that is already there. It supports erasure of an individual’s personal identity which may seem to make us more “equal” but it only promotes ignorance and intolerance for the identity of others. I think Keona Malcolm’s snapshot summarizes the basic concept of identity politics in the sense that the ways in which the general public along with institutions categorize and create narratives of what an individual or groups of individuals may be like or may support simply because of how they identify or how others choose to identify them. When Garza mentions Trump’s presidency and his strong and negative narratives on anyone who was not a white American, hurt those who were mentioned. It reminded me of when he mentioned Hispanics and Latin Americans as r*pist and individuals who stole American’s jobs and it reminded me of myself, my family, my friends, my neighborhood, and I did not know anyone in relation to me that fell into those identities. Statements and generalizations like those create division, so does the erasure of identity and so instead individuals must learn of each other and learn how to listen and accept in order to celebrate diversity.