Developing into the individual I am today. I was not attentive of my heritage, which seemed to play a relevant role in anything pertaining to my life. From the instant I was an adolescent the public defined you by your race. When I was a child, I knew that my mother was fair skinned and my father had a dark complexion. As a result, I made the assumption I was bi-racial. From the pigmentation of my skin to everyone around me, I was considered African American. They were not concerned with the make-up of my pigmentation. Being a multi-racial adolescent was not significant to anyone except my family. As I became an adult, I began to become more concerned about my race and heritage. I asked my mother. She told me my great grandfather is a Caucasian man with …show more content…
From birth I was constantly in church. I was baptized as a baby. Going to church on Sunday was a mandatory family event that everyone in the family had to participate in. As I became older it was mandatory that for the summer I was a participant in the summer church programs. Being attentive was pertinent, this became a constant routine it has affected the way I was shaped as a religious Christian. My religion had an effect on how I carried myself and the choices I make throughout my life. One of the beliefs of Christianity is that there is only one god. In addition to the belief of having one god, we also believe that if you live by following the way of God referring to the Ten Commandments, than you will rest in heaven. “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my
We all know how it is to go on church on sunday but what about those who don’t go and maybe don’t believe? In a part of their heart or soul they still keep jesus with them because they know he listens and that even though they might have changed as well they have a purpose. Being a believer or a non-believer doesn’t mean that their is secrets everyone wishes to overcome about where even jesus came from and how this all
Thesis Statement: Society often forces biracial and multicultural people to identify themselves with one ethnic group by denying other part of their ethnic background. An analysis of the many scientific studies, literature, and art reveals the complexities of growing up with parents of different races. The American tendency to prefer lighter skin effects how biracial children form their identities and often causes them to deny their black heritage.
The Christian faith has been a major legacy left by my great-grandfather. My great-grandfather started a Spanish church in Blue Island, Illinois, and raised his family in the ways of the Lord. He taught his children the importance of having a strong foundation in the Word and the importance of coming to church. His legacy is evident in the lives of his children and grandchildren. Even when at times different family members have walked away from the Lord, their strong foundation as children has often times brought them back to God. My grandma and my mom both had similar experiences, and if it had not been for the strong foundation in the Word of God, God only knows where they would be today and if I would even exist. I grew up in church, and have a personal relationship with God, that will enable me to be apart of the Christian culture at Southeastern
I’m a twenty-three year old African American male from Chicago. My great great grandparents were slaves in Mississippi. Sometime during the slavery days a slave owner had sex with one of my grandmothers, which I have lighter skin than most African Americans. Since I have slave ancestry, I have no idea which part of Africa my forefathers came from. Another reason I know that I am African American is because my phenotype matches that of people from African descent.
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
All of us have encountered someone in our lifetime – a family member, a co-worker, a neighbor, or an acquaintance – who asked us WHY? Why do we pour all of our talents, all of our gifts, and all of our service into church?
Growing up in a traditional catholic family I attended catholic school and church just like everyone else in my family. Every Sunday and Tuesday growing up I spent time at church. Going to church taught all about religion and forgiveness. I learned from the bible that god knows we are all sinners and that if we ask for forgiveness he forgives us. I was told that to church is a safe place for someone to go if they need help and that everyone has their arms open to people in need. The catholic religion says that god loves all his children even when they sin.
Growing up my family taught me what my cultural beliefs should be. We did things together and I lived in an area where the majority was of African American descent.
When I scheduled the class Persuasive Communications, I had no particular interest in the subject matter; I just needed to finish the general education requirement for a second writing course. It fit my schedule and sounded reasonably interesting, but I did not think I would gain much from it. It was a general education class after all, and would not be very high on my priority list. Now that the semester is almost over and the class work is complete (albeit after this paper), I feel as if I gained a lot from this class. The class’s main objective was to expand our skills as writers, but it served in teaching us many other things that hold value in our education and future careers.
I never would have considered myself a typical minority when it came to my racial identity. I know what it takes to be successful, I play the oboe, and even though I come from a not so typical family background, that has never stopped me from continuing to strive in everything I put myself into. My mother and father came from a poor background but were able to overcome this poverty to make a better life for their children and themselves. They both lived in the projects and were not expected to graduate high school let alone attend college. Because of this, my parents have always talked to me how important an education is and I want to continue learning every single day. They have always encouraged me to do the things that I love to do, in
Expressing and making known my construction of a racial and ethnic identity is important because I want people to know where I come from and where my family has come from. I do not want to be condensed down into one identity that is based off of my appearance or my name. I am more than these two signifiers. There is much more to my identity than can be collected from these two alone. When people use either of these, they are more likely to conjure up stereotypes to guess at how I am going to act, how I am going to speak, what my capabilities are, or what I am going to look like. I do not want to be labelled as something that is going to flatten my experience into a simple story that is not mine. I understand that there are intersections in mine and other people’s lives that are impactful. Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of the matrix of domination is helpful when trying to understand how our identities are constructed and how they impact our lives. She uses the concept to describe how different identities combine to form a more complete understanding of the ways in which identity impact a person’s life. People are not just raced. Gender, sexuality, and class also play a part in how individuals are treated. Race is an important piece in the puzzle of identity, but it is still just one aspect. In order to accurately understand a person, the multiple identities and positions that a position holds must be taken into
My heritage culture is what has shaped me into who I am today. I am a Caucasian female who is twenty-three years old. I am a granddaughter, daughter, sister, and friend. I am a Christian, and more specifically a Baptist. I attend Musella Baptist Church in Musella, Georgia. My ethnicity is a blend of Cherokee and English. Along with my family and who I am particular experiences have opened my eyes to the other cultures’ practices. Additionally, witnessing the diverse cultures has allowed me to become a more accepting of others’ differences. Through my own family’s culture, beliefs, and experiences I have become more aware of the diversity that surrounds me.
As a young child, I spent Sundays in the pews of various churches. My extended family had a wide variety of different denominations of Christianity. Some churches had loud music with singing and dancing, others lots of sitting and standing. But the
The church is a place in which many come to find a sense of belonging, comfort, and purpose. It's through these three qualities which have drawn and maintained many church goers throughout the years.
My parents arrived in the United States hoping for a better future not for themselves, but for the baby they carried in their arms. We would often move from relatives ' houses since my parents couldn’t afford renting an apartment themselves. We were fortunate enough to have caring relatives who didn 't mind us living with them since they knew the hardships we were going through. I grew up in a household where only Spanish was spoken given that both my parents didn’t speak any English at all. When I was in kindergarten, my teacher was afraid that I would be behind the rest of my classmates, given that I only spoke Spanish fluently. I was fortunate to receive free tutoring from my kindergarten teacher. We would often read books together until