Racial Identity For The Zoo Lights

When I was five years old I spoke better English than my parents did. This brought its challenges. I was the bridge that connected my parents to the rest of the world. I did not mind till I got older. Around age ten I began to feel ashamed. I am the daughter of two Mexican immigrants. I remember waiters at a restaurant's getting annoyed at my parents because they claimed they couldn't understand them. Then I would have to interfere and order for my family. I felt the racist undertones behind stares. I felt different and I didn't like it. I didn't want to be like my parents for a long time. I didn't like getting stared at or being frowned at. Very bluntly- I wanted to be white.

Growing up in a predominantly white community, I had never thought of the issue of race as a child. My neighbor and I were best friends, and I never thought of myself as different. She had blonde hair; I had black. She had blue eyes; I had dark brown. We loved to play with the same things, thus we were

Prior to taking this course, I was taught, and therefore was under the impression, that prejudice is a preconceived notion about a group and that racism is essentially the same thing, except that racism also encompasses the idea that the group is lesser. Eduardo Bonilla-Silva states that “for most whites, racism is prejudice; for most people of color, racism is systemic or institutionalized” (Bonilla-Silva, 2010). Quotes like this force me to reflect, both on how I see myself and how others see me. Reading that quote, I felt like I related more to ‘most whites’ because I believed that racism was essentially prejudice for so long. I remember once while doing a cross the line activity, I hesitated before moving when the facilitator said “step forward if you are a person on color.” Technically, yes, my skin is pigmented in a way that would qualify me as a person of color but there is a connotation with that phrase that I felt didn’t relate to me. My first reaction to that phrase is the thought of someone who has struggled, someone who faces racism on a regular basis, someone who is treated differently because of the color of their skin. In my opinion, the more others acknowledge a part of your identity, the more apparent that part of your identity is to you, and I don’t often feel that people acknowledge my identity as an Asian American. I’ve been called a coconut more times than I can count. Brown on the outside but white on the inside. Sure I look brown, but I don’t ‘act

James McBride can tell you firsthand about man verse racial identity. Journalizing his experience in his New York Times Bestseller novel the Color of Water simply outlined his struggles of finding who he was. His upbringing included a black father and a Jewish white mother. His background made it hard for him to understand why his home was different than others on the street. Although McBride experience shows an older outtake of racial identity, some may say this still is a problem today. Offspring feels the need to pick a race in society to succeed in the generation and it may be the step to understands them more. Notice in the subtitle of the book "A black Men tribute to his white mother" he label himself as just black as if there was a barrier between his mother and himself because the so different. Today we need to not let racial identity become a big part of our lives.

Zoos present a certain blend of nature and culture. They have always provided a way to bring natural wildlife and urban Americans together as a means of entertainment. Yet, throughout the years the role of zoos have changed. Though once used for amusement, zoos are now being used for education on preservation and the welfare of endangered species. One may wonder where and how the idea of zoos started and just how they, and the environment around them, have changed throughout history.

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

Even though I believe to have a strong cultural diverse upbringing that differs from many of the lifestyles of my white friend, I never experienced any self-depreciation and oppression regarding my culture. I do believe I have undergone cultural development in terms of acculturation, but considering I have never experienced the need to abandon my cultural values, I feel it is appropriate to refer to the white racial identity development model rather than the racial/cultural identity developmental model. As a white female, I have certainly benefitted from white privilege, and it is my responsibility to acknowledge that aspect of my racial identity.

If I could describe my own racial identity, I would describe myself as a twenty-one year old girl who is causation. I was born and raised in Northeast Philadelphia, Pennsylvania my whole life with my two sisters. I come from a middle class working family. My cultural background is, I come from the Irish and German heritage. I have green eyes, brown hair and my skin color is light. When it comes to my extended families, racial history is most of my family members were from Ireland and came over the America to raise their families. My great grandmother was born in Ireland, but she lived Czechoslovakia for a few years, before she moved to America. So my most of my extended family that I know are Irish on my father’s side of the family, my mother’s family is German. My parents raised my sisters and I, in a house where religion was very important, my parents raised us as Catholics. My parents were really strict and old school when it came to certain things. How I feel about my racial identity is, I love the person I am and I would not want to change myself at all. I enjoyed the way I was raised; it helped me shape me into the person I am today.

Being African American, as well as growing up in a State where only 1.3 percent of the population resembles yourself is difficult. I was born in Chicago, Illinois, and adopted to my parents who took me to Utah days later. As the only African American in my grade I have had to go through personal struggles in my life that many of my friends will never experience. I always knew that there would be those who would not accept me on the simple basis of my looks, but I did not know how much internal agony these people can cause. Getting called a “nigger” on your first day of high of school causes immediate uneasiness, and self-consciousness. I was called that word as well as many others daily. Slowly, but noticeably; I developed an anxiety disorder.

Last weekend, I began researching the ethnography of Los Angeles Zoo and observed the humans and animals interacting. Los Angeles Zoo includes Botanical Garden which has many entertainment activities for visitors. It also offers many shows, such as Angela Collier World of Birds Theater and Elephant Training Demonstration. Los Angeles Zoo has decent selection of animals anyone can enjoy seeing them. The zoo lies on the north of Los Angeles. It is next to Western Heritage Way, and behind Autry National Center and Museum. There are several parks surround the Los Angeles Zoo like Griffith Park, Wilson Golf Course, and Mount Sinai Memorial Park. This area is completely covered by trees and grasses. This shape gives the visitor an imaginary picture of real rainforest. There some notes on the visitors parking that it is not enough, so the visitors tend to park their cars in another spot and walk about four minute to arrive. Always arrive early to not wait for a while to get tickets.

I totally agree with the assertion of A. Blemenfeld that those identification aspects that capture my attention are the targets of others people’s attention that is reflected back to me (Blumenfeld, 2010). Even though, I was always open-minded and had a friendly relationship with almost anybody, I felt that my racial identity was a part of a problem. As I was the only student of color, I felt alienated sometimes.

As a young child I knew that racism existed but not to the extent that I understand now. I would get made fun of for being “extremely black” in elementary school despite it being a majority black school. As I grew older the name calling didn 't stop, I would find people of different races, including my own commenting in shock and surprise about how dark I am. “Damn she 's dark” one black classmate would snicker as I walked down the hallway. It never bothered me, I embraced my skin and its shade because I knew I was more than a color. But in America something as minor as your skin tone is one of the most defining factors in who you are or how you 're expected to be, shade dominates how others view you.

The Bronx Zoo: Welcome To The Jungle Where in the world can you see grizzly bears wrestling in the water, giraffes walking through the grass, and penguins playing in the snow, all in a span of a few minutes? How can you experience incredible and exotic animals without traveling across the world? Lucky for us New Yorkers, we can experience the jungle without even leaving the area! Welcome to the Bronx Zoo. The Bronx Zoo was founded on November 8, 1899, by the Boone and Crockett Club which was later renamed the Wildlife Conservation Society.

My racial identity has grown in ways. I am more aware of the impact of Jewish history on my identity. My white racial identity has not been changed from being in this class. I have grown and I believe that it is not stagnant or a zero sum transition or I could be in overlapping stages.

Early in the morning, my mom, brother, sister, and I packed up our things from the hotel to leave. We put everything in our rental vehicle and then my mom went to the hotel office to check out. When she got back, she put the instructions to Keepers of the Wild (an animal sanctuary in Kingman Arizona) in her phone. Then we drove off from Las Vegas to the animal sanctuary. The ride took about four hours, but it felt somewhat longer.. When we arrived at the sanctuary, we were about forty minutes early, so we walked around for a little. We didn't want to walk around too much, because that would have defeated the purpose of the tour ride. When it was time, the tour guide came out and took us to a vehicle. No one was on the tour ride with