This week’s reading was very interesting and I have enjoyed them a lot. I felt that both of the readings were very powerful. The article “The Power of Identity” and “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina” by Aleichia Williams shows the difficulty of being accepted in different places throughout the USA. She lived in New York City where people from all over the world live in. New York City is the place for everyone doesn’t matter you’re Black, White, Latina, or Brown. Growing up In New York City was not a problem for her but when she moved to North Carolina. For her North Carolina was a lot different. Alicia Williams explains her experience where she is being forced to choose her identities because they clash. Her skin was dark so society already marked her as Black but her nationality was Hispanic and society doesn’t know because they first need to know her in order to find out where she’s from. Even though they were forcing her to choose a side between Black and Hispanic, she refuse and she accept herself as in and that’s what I loved about her. I believe as human beings we all have the right to chase who we are and we should know do what society wants us to do. It was very powerful to me how she refused everyone and accepted herself as is. 

Identity is the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and/or expressions that make a person or group. One can regard the awareness and the categorizing of identity as positive or as destructive. A psychological identity relates to self-image, self-esteem, and individuality. In the article “The Power of Identity Politics” by Alicia Garza she shares her experiences. She wrote about this defensiveness from white people when spoken to about “race issues” and said how they fall under the impression that “naming it somehow perpetuates the dynamic of underrepresentation”. Alicia was at a bar when she overhears a conversation between a white man and a white woman. They are discussing an actor when the white man says the actors’ race (Egyptian) and continues saying that its great actors are getting more representation. To which the white woman responds saying, “He’s a great actor, which is why he should be in more movies not because he’s a person of color.” I think it’s unacceptable and we should just focus on being human beings because that’s what we are in the end. I hate it when people keep talking about Black and White. We have to leave this racism behind us to do better in life because this is not taking us anywhere rather put us behind. Both of the readings were very powerful and I have people read them and understand that it’s okay to be different and to be Black or White. It’s okay to be Latina or Black, or Spanish. We all are created equally by God. Therefore society needs to stop making people choose between color and or things that he/she should do.