My Cultural Heritage

At this point in time reflecting on my past experiences I think the first thing I would do differently with my life is believe in myself and not doubt my decisions or my looks. Growing up I have always been made to feel ashamed of my dark skin, my bigger body and my hispanic heritage because it was different from what society had taught me and my family. If I knew no one would judge me I would embrace the darker pigmentation of my skin, accept my body for how it is and wear my heritage with pride. During the summer might go out swim Instead of staying inside and worrying about getting a little bit darker; I would stop wearing long sleeve shirts on the hottest day to avoid having people see the darkness of my skin. I would wear red lipstick

I really did not think there was anything extraordinary about my culture and heritage because I have lived in a Crystal City, Texas my whole life. Being Mexican American was really the usually thing so I did not consider anything special of it, but my history has shown me otherwise. Living in a small town has shown me that I can leave a legacy, keep the heritage of my family alive, and still strive to have an education.

A culture is a set of characteristics of a particular group of people. It emcopasses language, social aspect, such as relegion, cuisine, social habits,, music, and arts. I considered my culture to be Cape Verdean. I was born and raised in Cape Verde until I was fourteen. My country was colonized by the Portuguese, so there are a lot common culture aspects between Cape Verde and Portugal . One of the results of colonization was implementation of catholicism as a primary religion in my country. It was not until recent years that other forms of religious started to emerge in Cape Verde. However, for some people who strong practice catholicism there is a strong push back against those who aren’t from the same religion. This has raised a lot religion conflict not only with foreign people who come to Cape verde from different countries in Africa, but it has also originated conflicts amongst Cape Verdeans who have a different belief.

As an American born and raised, I have surprisingly, never given much thought on how my race impacts my life and the people around me. It seems as if society today is obsessed with knowing what we are racially and where we come from, rather than our character and how we think or how we carry ourselves culturally.

The Service Users i deliver care to are all different in many ways.This can be along the dimensions of gender, age, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, physical abilities, political beliefs, religious beliefs or other ideologies. This means that i have to be aware of a person’s individuality and respect their choices. To be understanding and not show prejudice. Valuing the benefits of someone being different from ourselves, not making assumptions.

This artifact was a written final exam analyzing issues relating to leadership and diversity in the course Leadership in Multicultural Organizations. This artifact demonstrates knowledge, comprehension, and analysis of the concepts and theories of leadership, issues of diversity in organizations, and strategies for managing differences among today’s multicultural workforce. I selected this artifact because it discusses and describes the link between leadership approaches and diversity and it compares and contrasts current leadership practices in the United States (US).

When someone asks me what is my cultural identity, there are a lot of things that come to my mind. For example, one of the first things that come to my mind is the how people see me which is by being hispanic. In the same way, I also think about the fact that in addition to being hispanic I am also Salvadorean which sets me apart from the idea that every hispanic is mexican and they are all the same. In the first few seconds after I am asked about my cultural identity, I think about who I am and what makes me me. I think about how I was raised and how different I might be compared to everyone around me. I am a straight male who does not have any disabilities. I do not have a high socioeconomic status, but I have sufficient. Being catholic, I have no problem exercising my religion as I please and that really sets me apart from many because not everyone identifies with the same cultural identity as I do. Some people encounter many obstacles due to their cultural identity, obstacles that I might not face which is why I feel like my cultural identity has affected different aspects of my life such as my social development, family, education among others.

Unfortunately, the concept of identifying with a heritage group one is not born of can be looked upon with disdain by others. Two more points the author makes is that Americans appreciate their individuality, yet our unique backgrounds help to continually form our blended culture (Rodriguez 730).

What is heritage? Heritage, according to the dictionary, can be described as something that is handed down as a tradition or something that belongs to one by inheritance. Heritage is important when it comes to representing where a person comes from whether it is the place itself, traditions or values. The short story “Everyday Use,” by Alice Walker, depicts the difference between what heritage truly means and what heritage is often portrayed as.

Being black in America involves a process of moving through and adopting from many different cultures. As an African American, I am a descendant of one of the most unique diverse groups of people in America. Nearly all my ancestors carry some European and Native American DNA. Although slavery greatly restricted the ability of Africans in America to practice their cultural traditions; somehow, many of their practices, values, and beliefs survived, but over time have incorporated elements of European American culture. Black culture on another hand exists on multiple planes due to racism, economic and social condition, and location trends that draws from a variety of influences born both in and outside black communities.

What is my legacy? Could I be an amazing wrestler and win awards, Graduate with the best GPA or could it be an early drop out to where I will thrive in business, at the local Mcdonalds? I want to be remembered at my high school, not all four years but most of them. Wants the point of high school if you don't leave something behind to be remembered by. Most seniors do senior pranks, that way they get remembered as the kid who rode a dirt bike through the school or sticky noted all the classrooms. My friends and I always laugh and thought what could our senior pranks be, burnouts in the parking lot, having a truck pull in front of the school, or even use a train horn to scare people. No matter what as long as it's with friends, I'm okay with it, and I'm sure they will be too.

Back long ago in the 18th century, my distant relatives were very hard working people; most were farmers. And as they migrated to central Kentucky from West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, some became land owners, farmers, and breeding horses. Some families settled in Lexington, Louisville, Danville, and as far as West as Bowling Green Kentucky.

First, the religious culture that impacts me is being Lutheran. A value we have is going to church to pray, we are expected to participate and be kind and respectful to everyone joining us. I do this by going to church on Sundays and Wednesdays, (confirmation), along with going to church choir too. I attend the services quietly, and always try to respect people´s space. Another value is our spiritual beliefs, we pray to

Unfortunately, innumerable Americans are unrealistic in their beliefs towards another person's culture, due to pure ignorance. Yet, I have found stereotypical labels that I heard in the past, do not line up with what I have visually observed for the past six years. Daily, I observe people who are joyful, hardworking, and building a stable life for their families.

It’s crazy to think that the way you were raised is what has made you become the person you are today. Everyone has their own story about how they were raised, where they were raised, and who they were raised with. Each person has their own type of heritage with how they are raised based upon their family, where they were raised, religion, family traditions, values, and beliefs. The way you were raised in life has influenced your personality. The way you act and the way you are viewed as are both influenced by your family’s heritage.