In regards to the reading of Too Latina to be black , this actually resonates with me being i am of “the brown skinned Puerto Rican heritage” I get confused for everything but that. It used to offend me when I was young but as I got older I just laughed it off. I would hear things like you look Asian, or your too dark to be Hispanic all the hits. The part where the author states ” I don’t know who to side with” is a question most children ask themselves, especially when you do not resemble what people perceive as the norm when it comes to ones ethnic identity. This article reinforces the importance of having a political space for people such as the ones written about in the article. The ones that feel lost or without a voice.
The Power of Identity Politics, Gives you a better understanding of why we need to shine a light on the subject of identity politics. A quote that stands out to me is one on page 187 ” Those who have power rarely want to acknowledge that they have unearthed benefits at the expense of others”. This perfectly describes the pushback or the attempt to deny or suppress identity politics. The idea is to represent those who have no representation, no voice politically. Allot of issues politically concerning oppressed brown people have been swept under the wrong or pushed to the side. Identity politics forces America to look under that rug for once and who really wants to do that?
For the remaining classes I would like for the class to think of some fun and interesting ways to have a dialogue between people from different ethnic, religious, gender backgrounds . Usually when we bring up these sensitive topics its seems chaotic and never really civilized , its always people talking at each other and nothing is solved. Another topic I thought would be engrossing is some what of a hypothetical. Lets say hypothetically each one of us woke up as a different ethnicity. How would your approach to be life be different ?, how is the ethnicity you woke up as perceived in the media?, where does the ethnicity you woke up as fit in status wise?, Does this ethnicity need to be elevated? if so how would you help elevate them?.
Another topic id like to discuss would be how art makes it way through oppression , as was the case with “Paris is burning” , they celebrated in the face of persecution and tragedy. This is the case with many art forms, hip hop, graffiti and even fashion .
Hi! I completely agree with you, there are times that people who are mixed tend to be at a crossroads of not knowing where they really belong. But as we get older, I feel that this is changing and we tend to think more about what really matters is being able to perceive what you really feel you are. The truth would have been fun about putting ourselves in the shoes of another ethnic group, since many people tend to think or act in a way that can hurt another group, so it is important to think about what it would look like from their perspective.