Cultural Identity: A Short Story

According to the Hay’s addressing model, my cultural identities as a Latina woman of low socioeconomic status makes me part of non-dominant groups. My identities set me apart from the majority population which means that; I am perceived inferior than those of dominant groups. My lineage constitutes of indigenous ancestors that like me, share a darker skin tone that till this day is seen imperfect.

Am I Mexican,or am I American? One day, I was thinking about how I had to work twice as hard to embrace them both to please both cultures. I then realized that if I am working to please them both,then I am both. Speaking a language is not a due to pay to be who I am. There is no checklist to qualify for,and no test to pass,you are who you are. I am a bridge that has its beams planted in both sides of the Mexican-American border. When school began and I enrolled in honor level Spanish classes, I did it, not because people thought I had to,but because it will be beneficial to my life. People would sometimes tell me the stereotypical things they believed about hispanics,such as the beliefs that we are lazy. Instead of tearing me down, that only made my work ethic head into overdrive. Confining to others expectations was not what I wanted for myself. Like the bridge between the two cultures,I would stand tall and remain unaffected by the remarks people threw at me. Growing up as a Mexican-American has proven to have its challenges,but I am grateful. These trials have helped make me into the person that I am today,and has given me a different perspective on life than the average

My cultural ancestry comes from a Cuban and Mexican decent. I have chosen to write about my Cuban side because I can relate to them more than I could with my Mexican side. I was raised around my Cuban family and would occasionally see my Mexican side due to them living so far away. I have spent a lot more time associating with Cubans and have adapted to more of their habits.

Though it does not come up in everyday thought, cultural identity is an idea that all humans possess. Abridged, cultural identity can be simply explained as the sharing of a similar culture by people of various ethnicities. However, cultural identity is more complex than that, defined by an individual’s values, beliefs, and ideas of moral behavior influenced by their culture. Furthermore, cultural identity is ever changing from individual to individual. This means that although two individuals may be of the same ethnicity, differences in circumstances may cause variations between the individuals’ personal beliefs. As a result of interracial interactions, multiculturalism has grown during the twenty-first century.

As American labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez expressed, “Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” Respecting everyone’s culture is a necessity, no matter their ethnic background, or if they stand out in society. Language, customs, food, and religion are all parts of a culture everyone possesses. All individuals have a viewpoint, a perspective of what cultures the world around them is compromised of. The culture in every human influences how they view the world around them by hiding one’s own culture, giving people biased views of others’ ethnicities, and weighing down the minority groups.

There is a Mexican man that enters with the rest of his family. They eat beans, rice, flour tortillas and etc. The family does there every day routine, the dad wakes up at six- thirty to go to work in his truck. The children go to school and the mother stays at home. The things a person does in their all has a reason which goes all back to culture. Culture is what makes up everyone different from one another. Texts such as “What is Cultural Identity?”, “Where Worlds Collide” and “Two ways to Belong” supports that depending on one’s culture it effects one perspective on the world and others.

From a young age, I was told that I was Irish, Scottish and Welsh because that is where my ancestors came from. I did not think that much about it at the time and I just went with it, but now that I am learning more about what cultural identity is and what it means to me, I feel like describing me in three words is not describing me at all. Yes, my ancestors are from Ireland, Scotland and Wales, but there is so much more to me than that. People often assume that I am Irish based on my fair skin, freckles and the slight red tint to my hair. However, not everybody knows l that I am passionate about photography, baking and anything to do with sports. I have started to feel like I am losing my sense of cultural identity by living so far away from my Irish extended family.

I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. My family was catholic and so I was taught to pray and by the age of 13 I had all my sacraments. For most of my life I lived the downtown area of the main city where my mother and her family had also grown up. I considered myself very lucky because even though our economic security was not the best as I grew up, my mother always strived for me to receive the best education she could afford. As a result, I learned to speak English from a very young age and then French, I learned to play the guitar and also to paint. I also took embroidery and etiquette classes and so on. Because of the location where we lived, I also took advantage of many cultural interactions with people from other

Culture identity development is an important part of every life due the emergence of self through primary and sociocultural contexts (Ecklund, 2016). These stages of development are made up of either a dominant or a non-dominant group and intersectional adaptation. More specifically, cultural identity is a self-construct where individuals share the same culture, which causes them to attribute themselves to that group (Ecklund, 2016). Being a part of the dominant culture in the United States has opened my eyes to the privilege and disadvantages of being a Euro-American female. Through developmental status and coping strategies, diversity discomfort, intersectional dynamics, and vulnerabilities in discomfort I have developed have a greater

In growing up in the position of the ‘other’ in society, Smith provides an empowered stance of identity exclusively through the demonstration of cultural hybridity, as evidenced by Millat and his gangster crew, the Raggastani’s. As Millat becomes increasingly connected to a swaggering identity highlighted by Western popular culture, his sense of belonging becomes established with the multicultural mix of South Asian and Caribbean teens he hangs out with: “It was a new breed, just recently joining the ranks of the other street crews. Becks, B-boys, Nation Brothers, Raggas, and Pakis; manifesting itself as a kind of cultural mongrel of the last three categories. Their ethos, their manifesto, if it could be called that, was equally a hybrid thing” (193). Here, Smith uses the Raggastani’s as a symbol representing the emerging identity of a multicultural London transformed by the migration of formerly colonized populations from South Asia and the Caribbean. Their mission, to put the “invincible back in Indian, the Bad-aaaass back in Bengali, the P-Funk back in Pakistani” (193), is about taking their identities which have been devalued in Western society and linking them together through a collective sense of approval. As a productive example of cultural hybridity taking place, they are a direct contrast with the forms of difference and racial purity that the Chalfen`s represent, and the resistance of letting go of traditions that their parents uphold. The group tries on a series

My family and I have never been the family to take trips outside of the country therefore I haven’t seen different cultures outside of the United States; however I come from an Anglo father and Hispanic mother therefore I have been able to experience their cultures first hand. Both of my parents, especially my Hispanic mother showed us all very nurturing, caring and loving affection that has stuck with me; this is definitely what shapes my identity. Students with different backgrounds and disabilities come into our classrooms with a wide variety of talents and skills; some student’s skills are just very different from those of another student. If one student’s skills don’t meet the skills of the highest level student in the classroom they often are not noticed, because of my identity I will recognize and congratulate every student who improves in one way or another. From personal experiences that I have seen I believe that teachers need to be able to recognize the way students with disabilities act and perform in the classroom. Teachers must also be able to find ways to help these students stay engaged and continue learning; this will help the students and teachers within today’s school system.

My dad leans over my shoulder as I check off the bolded “YES” box on my physical form. As I approach the Race section, I feel him tense up next to me. Without hesitation, I check off the “Black and/or African-American” box. Baffled, he asks, “Why did you check that box off? We aren’t Black.” I stared at his alarmed face in amusement, studying the ebony skin that envelops his being. Releasing an all-too-familiar sigh, I raise my bronzed arm to his.

As for cultural identity, as a dark-skinned woman, I have had the chance to take a soul-searching look at the effect of racism on the self-image of black woman's personally and physically appearance. Skin complexion is where healing is needed, choosing to take this occasion to heal; to no longer merely demonstrate resilience to the assaults and lies about Black women. However, cultural identity appears to have decided to counter our realities of violence and discrimination by envisioning the label of a black female in a community as a collective of unique agents working toward a shared goal of liberation instead of media’s perception.

The purpose of this essay is to critically reflect on the new ideas I have learnt throughout this semester, ideas that has changed the way I understand the experiences of the Aboriginal and Torres strait islander people. The essay will also link my understanding of how cultural identity can influence health equity, using the CATSINaM’s definition of cultural safety.

Cultural identity is the basis in which identification is used to express different aspects pertaining to identity and heritage. A person's cultural identity may be created by social organization, as well as traditions and customs within their lives. The two aspects that construct my cultural identity are the frequent chores I must complete every day in order to fulfill my behavioral expectations, and the youth group I attend weekly. These aspects are important to my family and me. Therefore, my identity has an immeasurable effect on my upbringing into this multi-cultural world I live in.