This week’s reading was very interesting and I enjoyed the connection between the two. I felt that both of the readings were very impactful and packed with new knowledge. The articles “The Power of Identity Politics” by Alicia Garza and “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina” by Aleichia Williams demonstrates the difficulty for someone of color to be accepted by society. Williams lived in New York City, an environment wherein people across all communities and cultures lived alongside one another. Compared to the diverse Big Apple, Williams’ move to North Carolina proved to be an entirely different story. In the articles, she explains that she was faced with the dilemma of choosing between her two identities. Because her skin was so dark, society had already categorized Williams as Black, disregarding her Hispanic nationality entirely. She was being viewed superficially, and thus brought about inner turmoil in regards to her identity. However, though Williams’ was suffering, she refused to give in to these harmful assumptions and instead came to accept herself for who she is. I genuinely admire her determination, the fact that she did not change herself to appease the prevailing narrative. As human beings, we have an innate right to stand by our personal identities, we the right to fight against society’s normative stereotypes. This is the powerful message within Alicia Williams’ writing that resonated with me, a member of the POC community.

Identity is an intangible idea encompassing the qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and/or expressions that make a person or group. Acknowledging one’s identity is inevitably associated with categorizing oneself, for example the use of the phrase ‘I identity with/as…’, and is ultimately seen as a negative or positive depending on said category. Alicia Garza’s piece “The Power of Identity Politics” reflects upon Garza’s personal experiences with psychological identity. Psychological identity, branching off of identity, refers to a person’s self-image, self-esteem, and individuality. Garza speaks about this certain quality of defensiveness that comes from White people when discussing “race issues”, expressing how they fail to see that “naming it somehow perpetuates the dynamic of underrepresentation”. One of the instances that demonstrates this takes place during a conversation that Garza happens to overhear at a bar. A White man and a White woman are discussing an actor when the man specifically mentions that the actor is Egyptian. He then continues to say that it is great that actors, of Egyptian race, are getting more representation. The woman counters this thought and tells the man, “He’s a great actor, which is why he should be in more movies not because he’s a person of color.” I believe that first and foremost, cultural differences and skin tone aside, we all belong to the Human race. We must encourage society to see beyond color because an individual’s race should not determine the impact of their accomplishments. The United States touts itself as a home for all, a country with a global population and diversity like no other. Referring back to the conversation Garza overheard, the man could have ended his admiration without mentioning the actor’s race. I ask, what difference would it make if the actor’s race had not been revealed? Would it lessen his significance within the acting community? What I took from Alicia Williams and Alicia Garza’s readings is that we have the knowledge to better society’s understanding of identity and race. Race can play into one’s identity, but one’s identity is not simply determined by race.