Several factors have contributed to the development of my cultural identity. First I am of a Caribbean back ground. My father is from Grenada, which is a Virgin Island in the West Indies. Typically in the African American and more specifically Caribbean culture, you do not talk about your problems or issues instead, you do whatever you need to do to cope and move on. Growing up I was told that whatever is going on in the house staying in the house. Therefore, I am more than willing to help break the stigma of counseling and help counsel students, but particularly African Americans students that need help and not getting it. My identity and biological make up has afforded me a lot of oppressions and privilege. At a very young age I was treated differently by my skin color. Being that I full identify as being African American, some African Americans and other races didn’t like that. Growing up I was too light skin to be accepted as black. I was too dark …show more content…
I was in 7th grade and my science teacher was overly critical of me. Borderline disrespectful and clearly she had prejudices to light skin African Americans. The entire class drew projects. I was so excited to do my project because I loved doing projects with my grandmother. My project was the solar system. So my grandma went all out! We went shopping for all the materials I would need. I must say that my model replica of the solar system was amazing. We worked on that for weeks. Finally it was my turn to present, I did an awesome job. But I received a low C. I was so upset. The comments were my replica was too nice, and it was clear it wasn’t work of a 7th grader. Some students turned in drawings stick figures on paper and got an A. That night I cried my eyes out. My grandmother told me that people wont like you because you are light skin. She told me some people will treat me like gold and some will spit on me like dirt. From that day I left my work speak for
Cultural identity is a person’s background and how it refers to that person or groups culture, what you eat, think, and the actions that you take are all parts of the cultural aspect of culture identity. If you was to ask someone what the culture identity of the African Americans were no matter the race of the person you asked they nine times out of ten would mention the importance of black history month, but while the races around us are able to recognize the importance of this historic month why is it that today’s generation of young African Americans don’t realize the importance of this month? The race of people it celebrates, has placed it on the back burner. Due to the rise of technology and social media in today’s age has taken the youth’s eyes off of what is culturally vital in the black community opposed to the generations that came before.
My cultural identity consists of being a 22-year-old white female who identifies as White, heterosexual, Christian-Lutheran, able-bodied and a member of the lower-middle class. Through these identities, there are certain roles that I distinguish with like being a student, daughter, sister, and friend. Socioeconomic
I classify my race, ethnicity, and culture as a white, Irish-Italian- American, woman. My mother was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and my paternal grandparents are from Sicily, Italy. I imagine being first generation Irish and second generation Italian helps me relate with my ethnicity.
I wanted to wear brand clothes/shoes they did, I wanted to do my hair like them, and make good grades like them. I wanted to fit in. My cultural identify took a back seat. But it was not long before I felt black and white did not mix. I must have heard too many comments asking to speak Haitian or I do not look Haitian, but more than that, I am black, so I always had to answer question about my hair or why my nose is big, and that I talked white. This feeling carried on to high school because the questions never went away and the distance between me and them grew larger. There was not much action my family could take for those moments in my life, but shared their encounters or conversations to show me I was not alone in dealing with people of other background. I surrounded myself with less white people and more people of color and today, not much has
Have you ever been discriminated against simply because your skin is darker than the next person? Have you ever been told by someone that “your pretty for a dark skin girl or boy?” Have you ever been racist toward your own race? Since long before we or our parents were born, the black community has faced this problem of racism within the same race. In the black community, it is said that if a person has a lighter skin complexion, then they are superior to those with a darker skin complexion.
Remember, self-reflection is vital to becoming a culturally-competent counselor. The counselor should consistently re-examine their worldview and personal beliefs about diverse individuals and other cultures. The idea is for the counselor to explore their own prejudices, emotions, and preconceived notions of those that differ from themselves. Remaining curious and willing to learn about culturally distinct groups is a practical way of working effectively with varied clients in counseling and understanding what barriers and prejudices are typical in their
I am an Asian with yellow skin very differ with Staples's skin color, but I still was discrimination by some people surrounding me. I remember the first year I lived in America, I was in Middle School, eighth grade; I never forget the day I get in a school bus, everybody: Black, White, Asian, they placed their backpacks on empty seats, because they did not want me to sit with them. I went through all seats and looked around; I was lucky, there was only one back seat left for me in a corner, but when I stepped close to having a sit, a white young girl said, “This seat is taken.” All of them laughed very l...
One’s should not have the feeling that others are “better than them” and that you can 't ever be equal to them just because they are a certain skin color. African-Americans had that sad feeling every day until around 1954 and even after that the blacks still had a rough time “fitting in” with the whites. The movie clips “Selma” , “42”, and “The Help”, the painting “Racism/incident at Little Rock” by Domingo Ulloa, the song Glory by John Legend, and a poem called “Still I Rise” By Maya Angelou all include information that a person’s skin color does not define who he or she is.
Understanding race, ethnicity, and culture is an extremely important aspect of being a counselor. If an individual does not have cultural identity of their own or understand his or herself as a cultural, ethnic, or racial individual, it may be difficult to help your clients. Understanding and being aware of your cultural identity will help the counselor be conscious of their own prejudice. Being aware of your own prejudice towards any culture, race, or ethnic group may help you redirect your negative thinking into a positive active role as a counselor. Having awareness will make an individual an improved counselor able to empathize and understand any individual who seeks therapy.
My personal cultural identity is a lot different compared to the society I am surrounded by. I am considered an outsider in my society. I am an outsider living in a constantly changing environment where there are many different kinds of people and many different cultural identities. In my culture we know how to respect people and their belongings, know how to work hard, use what we have while being thankful for it at the same time, and last we know how to stay true to ourselves in this very fast pace world of ours. I am a cowboy.
African American people have been oppressed for hundreds of years. Slavery was a significant time period when African/African American individuals endured massive oppression, which refers to the feeling of being deprived of their human rights and dignity (Reed, 2016). Knowing that my ancestors had to conceal their feelings along with their cultural values, makes me feel more entitled to express my ethnic identity as an African American woman. My ethnic identity has increase my sense of belongingness because it gives me the ability to share and live amongst individuals with the same physical appearance and in some cases, the same obstacles. Society has placed its’ social norms on modern day women, which allows men to make more for the same labor, or that stop successful women from achieving their goals by installing the glass ceiling. However, there is a higher increase of risk for African American women, such as decrease in the male head of household, along with urbanization. Which caused African American women to work long hours that resulted in a devastating shift in the family structure (Reed, 2016). Past, present and current experiences of African American women is why my ethnic identity is so important to me, because it is used as a constant reminder of the struggles that I have to overcome for my daughter and the generation after
My culture identity, as I know it as is African American. My culture can be seen in food, literature, religion, language, the community, family structure, the individual, music, dance, art, and could be summed up as the symbolic level. Symbolic, because faith plays a major role in our daily lives through song, prayer, praise and worship. When I’m happy I rely on my faith, same as when I’m sad, for I know things will get better as they have before.
Who am I; my beliefs, values, morals, and views on society have assisted in molding me into the person that I am considered to be today. I was raced with specifics values, traditions, and norms. Being raised in a small town made being socially aware very easy. I was raised under the southern Baptist Christian religion. Church was always the same and it had a majority of women in attendance although the men and elderly people ran the church overall. It was always the same, repetitive habits and events that occurred in my town but after a while I became accustomed to always being near or known by others.
Firstly, beliefs and attitudes infer the counselor’s ability to move beyond cultural unawareness for safeguarding that their personal biases, values or problems will not affect their ability to work with culturally diverse clients (Corey, 2013). In the same way, culturally skilled counselors are cognizant of the fact that “cultural self-awareness and sensitivity to one’s own cultural heritage” plays an integral role in the helping process (Corey, 2013, p.
I have witnessed prejudice when a kid in the same class as I was being bullied for being “weird” and not wearing “cool” clothes. I have also witnessed people make fun of another race behind a person’s back that was African American. These acts were prejudicial because they harmed a person just because they were “different”. It made me feel bad for the people it happened to because they can’t help their financial situation as a child or the pigment of their skin. An instance that I have experienced prejudice against me was being tormented for being short. Just because I am not above 5’9” and I cannot help what genetics I inherited from my parents does not necessarily imply that I am not as valued as anyone else. I strive to be taller and it aggravates me because I am not tall enough for other people’s liking. What also makes me feel bad is knowing that my children will go through the same types of prejudice that I do, and hopefully I’ll be able to assist them with the problems that come with