Ethnic Identity And Cultural Identity

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.

Multicultural education is the key to incorporating ethnic and racial identities in the classroom. I believe implementing a culturally responsive curriculum would work best for the students. I would like to be a future educator who acknowledges and welcome my students’ diversity in the classroom. It is important to bring cultural awareness to the classroom and school environment. I want my students to know that I respect, acknowledge and care about their differences. I would model this behavior because I want the students to do the same for each other. The steps I would take incorporate a positive, trusting and healthy learning environment are:

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.

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.

Cultural Identity is “The definition of groups or individuals (by themselves or others) in terms of cultural or subcultural categories (including ethnicity, nationality, language, religion, and gender)” (Oxford Reference). Everyone has cultural identity even though some are unaware of theirs because their habits and traditions might be seen as normal to the person and they might not make the connection that it is a cultural tradition or connected to their cultural identity. Some people are very aware of their cultural identity and have conflict within their identity because the cultures may not coincide. Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait: On the Borderline Between Mexico and the United States and Pat Mora’s “Legal Alien” both show cultural conflict through symbolism, conflict, and purpose.

The beauty of society is not two persons are identical, we are all diverse and we need to celebrate differences. Race and ethnicity shape the way we see ourselves and are integral to creating outlooks on society. Ethnicity has a considerable effect on our identity and makes us who we are, and we need to learn to embrace it. The topic of embracing ethnic identity is very well defined by Jaswinder Bolina in, “Writing Like a White Guy” and by Gloria Anzaldua in “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Even though many immigrate to America one should not forget where they come from, being true to oneself and acknowledging that ethnicity plays an important role for many people in defining their cultural background and race.

This paper will identify the ethnic identifications within individuals. Ethnicity is part of everyone’s identity development. Individuals may have one ethnicity or multiple, depending on their current location, homelands, generations, religion, environment, language/dialect, physical appearance, and more. A cultural individual is considered ethnic either by being first, second, or third generation. According to Phinney (1989), there are four stages of ethnic identity development: diffuse, foreclosed, moratorium, and achieved. They describe when an individual explores or does not explore their own ethnicity, and accepting clarification and understanding of ethnicity. An individual can be placed within these stages throughout their developing lives. It is important to recognize these stages within an individual to better apprehend their identity and where they perceive their own identity in their position.

My racial identity and ethnic identity are tied to my everyday experiences as an African American. I identify as African American or black because it’s my culture. I born by two black parents and grew up in a black household. Although I was often told by my parents that I’m black, I would say that the term “Black” was given to me before I even entered the world. The term “Black” was given to Africans by Europeans when they took us as slaves to the Americas. Ever since then, the one drop rule applied to anyone with African heritage in the United States. In “What White Supremacist taught a Jewish Scholar About Identity” by Abby L. Ferber, she proves that race is a social construct. While researching the readings of white

Tajfel (1981) described ethnic identity as part of an individual’s self-concept developed from knowledge of membership in a cultural group and the value or emotional significance attached to that membership. Ethnic identity content has been defined as “the actual ethnic behaviors that individuals practice, along with their attitudes toward their ethnic group” (Phinney, 1993, p. 64). Charlesworth (2000) maintained ethnic identity development to be an essential human need that provided a sense of belonging and historical continuity and created a foundation on which to build a concept of self.

Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor once said that “we define our identity always in dialogue with, sometimes in struggle against, the things our significant others want to see in us. Even after we outgrow some of these others—our parents, for instance—and they disappear from our lives, the conversation with them continues within us as long as we live.” As a teenage boy making the transition from home to college, I can relate to Taylor’s argument. Growing up an American citizen made me want to participate and identify with the dominant American culture. However, as a son of two Indian immigrants, my parents expected me to uphold ethnic cultural values whether I agreed with them or not. As I transitioned into my first quarter at UCLA, I noticed that my identity was still in tune with what my parents preached to me at home. However, in school I faced pressure from peers and teachers to align with the “American” cultural identity. This was difficult for me as a first-generation Americans because I had to carefully balance the pressures of my ethnic cultural identity with that of my American identity in fear of being shunned by any one group. For this reason, has been difficult for me to establish a unique identity. The cultural question that I wish to explore, through my own life experiences and those of others, is how the fear of being socially exiled as a result of the clash of ethnic and American cultural expectations impact the development of my identity/persona as

Race and ethnicity in sociology is comprised of various subfields such as the aspects of social, political, and economic. Researchers and theorists aims to find the interactions with race and ethnicity in a given society, region, or community. Today, racial and ethnic disparities in the United States do exist and many racial and ethnic minority are faced with inequality in resource, power, status, and income. Such majority-minority relations are under the association of power; therefore, probable tensions or conflicts always exist. When examining schools, neighborhoods, politics, and media; such factors is thought to shape who we are – our identities. Identity or as you may call it ‘social identity’, essentially define who we are and where we belong in the social world. Who we are in the sense of our gender, race ethnicity, and religion is a deciding factor of the hierarchy of social stratifications. It is often heard in the United States that one may say, “I don’t see color”; proving that race and ethnicity are irrelevant to their behavior and strive to not admit the subjective issue behind it. Yet if race and ethnicity are the dimensions of organization in society, workplace, neighborhood, and even classroom; they are important for the identities of everyone who partakes in these settings. Race and ethnicity influence identity and behavior in so many ways. The influential factors depend on the majority or minority status of the group with which one is

Race can first be classified by the geographic place of origin of a people group, but can also be visually identified by shared physical characteristics such as skin color, hair color and texture, and facial features. When defining culture, I think of my own which encompasses: traditions and customs; general values and ethics; political influences; religious influences; technological influences; historical influences; gender roles/expectations; social class; social status; economic status; education; language, including its proper and improper use; and something I may have overlooked prior to my required readings for this paper- race.

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.

“If we don’t fully understand our individual and collective roles in maintaining a system of white superiority, our relationships with people of color remains superficial, our ability to work in diverse workplaces is greatly diminished, and we fail to create a just world in which everyone has an equitable opportunity to contribute and thrive” (Kendall, 2013, p. 1). This paper discusses who I am as a cultural person and how I have come to be this way. The first section of this paper discusses my cultural background and my cultural identity. I address the factors that make up my cultural identity and the challenges that I have faced because of my cultural identity. The next section discusses my White racial identity development and the events in my life that have led me to become the person I am today in relation to my racial identity. The final section of this paper outlines the implications my own racial and cultural identity will have on my career as a clinical mental health counselor.

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.