A White Irish Italian American Woman

James grew up in a home of twelve brothers and sisters and a single mom to hold the roof down, but nobody wrestled with their identity as much as James did growing up. Because James didn’t really have an abiding father figure in his life, he brought his questions to his mother. James stated, “I asked if I was black or white. She replied, “You are a human being. Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody” (91).

As they began to immigrate to the United States, the Irish population suffered from various racism. They were categorizes as dangerous, aggressive, temperamental, along other derogatory words. However, with the introduction of new ethnicities, as well as the conformity Irish Americans dealt with, the stereotypes and discriminations regarding this immigrant group often diminished. As many other ethnicities have done, the Irish Americans found themselves conforming to American cultures and beliefs. This process of conformity has been adapted by many immigrating ethnicities, giving up most of their culture and identity to fit the image of what an ideal American is. In the case of Irish immigrants, many of them encountered hostility because of

Have you ever wondered how your family compares to someone else’s family? Well, in the novel, The Moves Make The Man by Bruce Brooks this situation is highlighted. The two main characters in this novel are young boys named Bix and Jerome.

Although I did not know why, I understood that I was different from my peers; for most of my childhood the black experience for me was denying the ‘black’ part of my identity. That weird obsession for elementary school kids to differentiate between being black and African was very prevalent in my black peers, which led to the suppression of not only a pride in my culture, but of the desire to learn more about it. All throughout elementary school, I was not only aware that I was different from those I did not look like, but also from those that I did. This was the trend for most of my adolescence, but it was not until I arrived at the University of Texas at Austin, that I was able to stand unashamed of all parts of my identity. As I became more

I judge that race can impact us quite dramatically. For some, race can play an unquestionably influential role in life. You or an acquaintance can be treated differently. Perhaps called slurs, racist terms, and etc. In other cases, you probably don’t even envisage concerning your own race except when presented a question about it. You might be even neutral about how a few bigots treat you by your race. While society has made any progress in dealing with racism and racial discrimination, injustice and inequality still persist. Whatever it would be, at a point of life you would experience how race would impact your life, regardless if the experience be terrible or

My heritage affects me because of the food I eat. Have you ever heard of Irish soda bread? My family makes it every St.Patrick’s day! Go to this web site to make the tasty Irish soda bread---> “Irish Soda Bread Recipe.” As a tradition my family also goes to restaurants on St. Patrick’s day to eat Irish soda bread. Places to eat in Omaha Nebraska--->”O’Connor’s Irish Pub, Barry O’s, Brazen Head Irish Pub.

Jonathans work and romantic experiences are examples of light skinned privilege because he may “blend in”. Chameleoning himself as he calls it, only boast that someone with European features get a pass regardless of which culture they decide to mesh with. Through the eyes of many light skin is perceived as less threatening and more beautiful or attractive. However, Jonathan was not able to choose the color of his skin. The systemic of preference for individuals of color who have lighter skin is as old as slavery. Lighter skin aids in helping Jonathan overcome the stigma and stereotypes that come with being dark skinned and African American.

Me and my family migrated from Southern Europe which Ireland is in and that’s what I am mostly.

For me, I would define myself as Chinese-Canadian because despite me being from Canada, I would still want to embrace my heritage because I want that side to remain a part of who I am. Our heritage is always changing as new ones are building on old ones. If we do not educate ourselves about our heritage, then a large portion of identity is lost and there would be no bridge to the new heritage.

Race and gender are enormously important to an individual and to society. Individuales use both of these to create their identity. Society uses both to put people into categories and give them statuses. These statuses dictate people's roles. Both of these factors can impact a person from the day they are born. Although they are separate factors, they are often treated similarly in terms of discrimination. No matter what, people find ways to discriminate against categories of both of these factors. That discrimination can have huge effects on an individual and their life.

During the British invasion and colonization, the Irish endured decades of violence and oppression. During this time, the Irish were stereotyped and made out to be inferior to their British counterparts in an attempt to justify their right to rule. The Irish people were depicted as violent drunks who were more animal than human. They were often likened to pigs, portrayed as poor, dirty, and stupid. Obviously, this contributed to the animosity between the native Irish and their Anglo-Irish neighbors. The country lacked any sort of unified national identity. Even after Ireland received full independence, the effects of this long term injustice definitely left its mark. Once they received full autonomy, Irish society

My gender has impacted my life in many ways. From a young age just figuring out what gender was, all the way up until the present day. Know about gender goes from knowing, to learning, to understanding, and every step of these gender process has impacted my life in some way. The first being gender expectations growing up shaping my life, the next being learning that you don’t have to stick to all gender norms, and lastly the inequality that sometimes comes with the gender I was assigned to.

I consider myself an American. I have an ethnic background that originates from Poland, Germany, Ireland, and France. Therefore, I am an American with influences (ancestry) from four different countries. If you were to see me I am certain that you would not be able to nail down one specific ethnic background. I have an olive skin tone, hazel eyes, oblong shaped head, and am 5’9” tall. My last name; Kohler, is German. My mother’s last name is McLoughlin and is obviously, Irish. My paternal grandmothers name was Poblocki and is Polish and my maternal name was Lange and is French. None of my grandparents came over “on the boat”. I am an American crossbred that identifies mostly with the Polish ethnicity.

Pope John Paul II, the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978-2005, once said “Love is never defeated, and I could add, the history of Ireland proves it,” by this he means the Irish people are driven by love and it shows through the history of the land. The people of Ireland are a strong people who are not afraid to be themselves. However they are often misunderstood. Many people believe that all Irish people have red hair, are drunks, and are Catholics, but these misconceptions are not always true.

As mentioned in the Introduction, many groups have settled in Ireland. Most native Irish now claim Celtic ancestry. The Celts spoke Gaelic, which is still spoken today. English is also a commonly spoken language.