This week’s readings were unique and informative about identity politics. I never really understood the meaning of identity politics. “The Power of Identity Politics” and “Too Latina To Be Black, Too Black To Be Latina”,gave me a better perspective of what identity politics is. In the reading “The Power of Identity Politics” by Garza, she explains how in order to understand  identity politics we have to understand the meaning of power. Identity politics and power are linked in some ways. The term identity politics was developed by Black feminists.  When they realized that the women’s movement was not for all women, but for the emancipation of white women, they coined the phrase. Another experience that led to the phrase identity politics was the Black freedom movement, which was created largely to free Black men rather than all Black people. “The Power of Identity Politics” by Garza, she mentions that the current state of affairs is due to America’s reliance on white identity. As we know, this world has always been a man’s world, whether we like it or not. Not just any man, but the man had to be rich and he also had to be white. Can you tell me who created and wrote our Constitution? That’s right, the white man had a hand in drafting the principles. When those principles were established, they did not think of black people, they thought black people were inferior. “Too Latina To Be Black , Too Black To Be Latina” Williams’ writings explain the identity issue she faced and continues to experience as she grows up.This text demonstrated to me that some people expect you to conform to assumptions of the community with which you identify, such as many people believing that because she speaks Spanish, she must be Mexican or eat tacos. I was frequently asked as a child why I had curly hair. Because I’m Mexican, they were perplexed when they saw my hair. To them, I didn’t have what you’d call Mexican hair. That’s straight hair. They would tell me that all I ate must be tacos as they did to the author. As a child I always felt that I wasn’t “normal.” People frequently fail to see the powerful influence their words can have on others, and this occurs far too frequently.

We covered a wide range of topics in this class, which helped us better comprehend the world and its challenges. Women in combat is a topic I’d like to study as a class in the remaining weeks of the semester. Previously, only men were permitted to fight. What changed? Do women have power in combat?