Ethnic 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.

Amy Tan’s essay “Mother Tongue” connects to many of us whose English is their second language specially if one’s coming from a different country than the USA. Amy Tan connects to us in such a personal level in which one starts to relate to her. Coming from a background in where language plays an important role in my life, I indeed started to relate to her in every way. Like Amy Tan, language defines the type of person we are and how it affects our lifestyle on our everyday lives. Although we come to this country and learn an English that is not perfect or “Imperfect English”, doesn’t make one less intelligent nor different from others.

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:

In Mother Tongue, an essay written by Amy Tan, the fictional author explains how we all speak different languages and how we are all categorized and treated differently by the way we speak. She gives us examples and stories that have happened to her and how they made her become “fascinated by language in daily life.”

The purpose of Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue,” is to show how challenging it can be if an individual is raised by a parent who speaks “limited English” (36) as Tan’s mother does, partially because it can result in people being judged poorly by others. As Tan’s primary care giver, her mother was a significant part of her childhood, and she has a strong influence over Tan’s writing style. Being raised by her mother taught her that one’s perception of the world is heavily based upon the language spoken at home. Alternately, people’s perceptions of one another are based largely on the language used.

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.

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.

This week’s readings focus on the boundaries drawn among different racial and ethnic groups in the United States that have evolved over time. In her investigation, Mary Waters found that white middle-class Americans, who are descendants of early European immigrants, have achieved normative racial status and symbolic ethnicity through economic mobility and intermarriage. Contemporary multi-racial identity also emerged as a result of intermarriage across racial lines. However, unlike the “multi-ethnic” whites, contemporary multi-racial individuals do not claim symbolic ethnic or racial identity but are struggling to establish their racial identity as a tangible concept. The different experiences of multi-ethnic whites and multi-racial Americans

Jaime is an 18-year-old Mexican American who lives with his mother and sister and has a baby with his current fiancée. He also attends a large urban high school. Within high school, Jaime encounters the challenges of being an immigrant and having a bicultural identity, develops resilience, understands the influences of his mother’s parenting style, and further develops his identity. He is nearing the end of his adolescence and beginning to show traits of an emerging adult.

Daily, people in America are categorized by their physical characteristics, lumped together as one group, and labelled with a “race.” Most assume that race and ethnicity have virtually the same definition and use the two terms interchangeably; however, ethnicity and race are two extremely diverse concepts that are frequently misconstrued by the general public. Race is the idea that people who look similar share similar backgrounds; however, genetically, this is not always the case. More accurately, ethnicity acknowledges both where a person comes from and their beliefs, practices, and cultural aspects (INSERT book CITATION).

Cultural messages regarding ethnic and racial identity was more implicit then explicit. Racial and ethnic messages were more implicit because Americans, especially the white majority, are uncomfortable with race discussions (Irving, 2014; Picca, & Thompson-Miller, 2016). In Pembroke the majority of the residents are white so I had little interaction with people that were racially or ethnically different then myself. I also never had any interaction with an English Language Learner. Due to the majority of Pembroke residents being white, I did not talk a lot about race. More importantly, my white privilege allowed me to never have to talk about race (Irving, 2014; Picca, & Thompson-Miller, 2016). Instead it was through the actions of my

Amy Tan’s essay, “Mother Tongue” focuses primarily on her awareness and relationship with all of the different forms of English that she grew up with. She explains that while giving a speech to a large group of people, there was a specific factor that was distorting her focus. Although she has given this speech to a large audience before, she realizes that the offsetting factor was indeed the fact that her mother was present in the crowd. Tan becomes completely aware of how differently she speaks based on who she is speaking to and who is around to hear her. Despite the fact that Tan’s mother does not speak proper English, it is clear that she undoubtedly comprehends what she is reading or listening to. Because Tan grew up listening to her

Ethnicity is defined as the fact or state of belonging to a social group that has a common national or cultural tradition. While this definition suggests a black and white concept, ethnicity is often complex and misunderstood due to the breadth of the topic. Frequently in society, young people inherit their ethnic identity at birth based on the culture they are born into. However, during puberty they often begin to doubt/explore their identity and strive to discover what ethnic group they belong in and not just the one they were assigned. This complex process has spurred psychologists to delve into the phenomenon of how differing cultures undergo this process of “finding themselves”. This research has culminated into a theory based on stages of ethnic development by Phinney & Ong. This paper will investigate further into this topic, in concern to Scarlett O’Hara, a fictional character portrayed in the film classic “Gone with the Wind”.

“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.