Analysis: Vignettes Exploring My Racial Identity

736 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Racial and social identity

Introduction I always seem to struggle when I encounter the word “race” as it is used to identify me. Since beginning the course, I have been challenged to think more about this term, “race,” and consider, specifically how I identify myself. Race, to me, immediately connotes skin color, and so, as a man of Middle Eastern background, I never am clear in terms of where I fit: Am I white? Black? Or am I something different altogether? I tried conducting the trusted Google search—looking for a succinct definition of “race.” Unsurprisingly, I could not locate a quick definition that could satisfy my understanding of the word. Each definition felt somehow missing, incomplete, misrepresented. Race is too tacit to define, inexplicable by the words we use to define more finite, concrete concepts. It has to be felt; it has to be experienced. …show more content…

I am connected to the history of people who look like me, a story cultivated across time, space, and contexts. In this way, “race” is both me and everyone else that reflected image represents. A week ago, I thought more closely about categorizing myself by race. After having a discussion with my students, one of them remarked, “Mr. Hakim, are you and Ms. Singleton the only teachers of color in this school?” Ms. Singleton is African-American, and somehow, I was struck that my students saw me as a teacher of “color”. I asked one student, “What do you think makes me a teacher of color?” He responded, “Well, you’re brown. You’re different. You’re certainly not white. And you get what it means to be brown. I don’t know; it’s just—different.” His response was confusing and yet all too clear—somehow pushes me closer to my personal experience with my racial identity. And much of that can be divulged through my

Show More
Related

  • Los Intersticios Summary

    174 Words  | 1 Pages

    After reading Alsultany’s “Los Intersticios: Recasting Moving Selves,” I realized that there are many misconceptions among those who have single or mixed racial background. For individuals who have more than one races, it may seem that they are at an advantage since they have luxury to take side with which ever race they choose. However, it actually results in a constant aggravation when one is constantly questioned about their race. Alsultany was asked by her classmate about her racial background. It was apparent that her classmate confirmed in her mind that Alsultany was different from her since she didn’t supposedly fit the description of a typical American, despite mentioning that she was born and raised in the U.S. This further strengthened

    Read More

  • Analysis of Why are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Beverly Daniel Tatum

    1313 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of Beverly Tatum's major topics of discussion is racial identity. Racial identity is the meaning each of us has constructed or is constructing about what it means to be a white person or a person of color in a race-conscious society. (Tatum, pp Xvii) She talks about how many parents hesitate to talk to their children about racism because of embarrassment and the awkwardness of the subject. I agree with her when she says that parents don't want to talk about racism when they don't see a problem. They don't want to create fear or racism where none may exist. It is touchy subject because if not gone about right, you can perhaps steer someone the wrong way. Another theory she has on racial identity is that other people are the mirror in which we see ourselves. (tatum pp18) 'The parts of our identity that do capture our attention are those that other people notice, and that reflects back to us.'; (Tatum pp21) What she means by this is that what other people tell us we are like is what we believe. If you are told you are stupid enough you might start to question your intelligence. When people are searching for their identity normally the questions 'who am I now?'; 'Who was I before?'; and 'who will I become'; are the first that come to mind. When a person starts to answer these questions their answers will influence their beliefs, type of work, where they may live, partners, as well as morals. She also mentions an experiment where she asked her students to describe themselves in sixty seconds. Most used descriptive words like friendly, shy, intelligent, but students of color usually state there racial or ethnic group, while white students rarely, if ever mention that they are white. Women usually mention that they are female while males usually don't think to say that they are males. The same situation appeared to take place when the topic of religious beliefs came up. The Jewish students mentioned being Je...

    Read More

  • Race And Ethnicity In Society: Michael Omi And Howard Winant

    755 Words  | 2 Pages

    The authors Michael Omi and Howard Winant go into detail about race, ethnicity, and the problems that associates with them. An example they used to define race and the problems that go along with it was the case of a woman named Susie Guillory, who was mixed race and wanted to change her racial identity from black to white. The result of the case was the court still defining her race as black. This case was an example of how defining race is still an issue, as stated by the authors. According to the Omi & Winant (2008), “Europeans wondered if the natives of the New World were indeed human beings with redeemable souls” (Omi & Winant, 2008, pg. 20). A biological definition of race has yet to be discovered. The belied is that race is an outside factor that determines how society view you as a human being. Society decides if you should be enslaved and limited to your rights or if you are worthy of being a free citizen.

    Read More

  • Ethnic Studies

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    Race has no biological meaning. There is only one human race; there are no subspecies, no single defining characteristic, traits, or even gene, separates one “race” from another. Instead of being a biological concept, race is a social construct, and a relatively modern one at that. It was created to give light-skinned Europeans an advantage by making the white race superior and all others inferior. Throughout its history, the concept of race has served this purpose well.

    Read More

  • Race: biological or cultural

    1148 Words  | 3 Pages

    Race, in the common understanding, draws upon differences not only of skin color and physical attributes but also of language, nationality, and religion. Race categories are often used as ethnic intensifiers, with the aim of justifying the exploitation of one group by another. Race is an idea that has become so fixed in American society that there is no room for open-mindedness when challenging the idea of racial categories. Over the years there has been a drastic change with the way the term "race" is used by scientists. Essentially, there is a major difference between the biological and sociological views of race.

    Read More

  • My Race, Ethnic And Cultural Identity

    812 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Being Biracial-Personal Narrative

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    I was late for school, and my father had to walk me in to class so that my teacher would know the reason for my tardiness. My dad opened the door to my classroom, and there was a hush of silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on my father and me. He told the teacher why I was late, gave me a kiss goodbye and left for work. As I sat down at my seat, all of my so-called friends called me names and teased me. The students teased me not because I was late, but because my father was black. They were too young to understand. All of this time, they thought that I was white, because I had fare skin like them, therefore I had to be white. Growing up having a white mother and a black father was tough. To some people, being black and white is a contradiction in itself. People thought that I had to be one or the other, but not both. I thought that I was fine the way I was. But like myself, Shelby Steele was stuck in between two opposite forces of his double bind. He was black and middle class, both having significant roles in his life. "Race, he insisted, blurred class distinctions among blacks. If you were black, you were just black and that was that" (Steele 211).

    Read More

  • Race As A Social Construct

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    The concept of race is an ancient construction through which a single society models all of mankind around the ideal man. This idealism evolved from prejudice and ignorance of another culture and the inability to view another human as equal. The establishment of race and racism can be seen from as early as the Middle Ages through the present. The social construction of racism and the feeling of superiority to people of other ethnicities, have been distinguishably present in European societies as well as America throughout the last several centuries.

    Read More

  • Multiracial Identity Essay

    1481 Words  | 3 Pages

    “When Race Becomes Even More Complex: Toward Understanding the Landscape of Multiracial Identity and Experiences”

    Read More

  • Race And Ethnicity In Anthropology Essay

    1799 Words  | 4 Pages

    The idea of ‘race’ is a problematic concept in various academic fields. In the discipline of Anthropology, the definition of this term carries much controversy. The concept of race that many people hold is in a sense, a social construct that changes amongst different cultures, one could look at different cultures to see racial definition as a cultural phenomenon in action (Kottak, 2000:139). King supports this idea that races are not established by a set of natural forces, rather they are products of human perception, “Both what constitutes a race and how one recognises a racial difference are culturally determined” (1981:156). Cashmore provides a brief definition of race as “a group of persons connected by common origin” (1988:235). However, Cashmore goes on to argue that the terminology of race has been used to reflect changes in the understanding of physical and cultural differences (1988:235). Cornell and Hartman argue the characteristics that constitute a definition for the concept of race are complex. The authors claim that race can be categorised in social and physical terms. Race is a “human group defined by itself or others as distinct by virtue of perceived common physical...

    Read More

  • Redefinition Stage In Haridiman's Racial Identity Model

    282 Words  | 1 Pages

    Now towards the end of the semester, I see myself within the redefinition stage within Haridiman’s racial identity model. During the redefinition stage there is a realization that whiteness has been defined in opposition to people of color, mainly, to standards of white supremacy (Sue, 2006). Throughout this class I have done some intense soul searching, and am now conscious of what it honestly means to identify as white. In the past, I have found my self denying certain privileges due to the color of my skin, but I now have found myself accepting the harsh reality. I no longer challenge being white, and am honest about many of the privileges I have received due to simply being white. During the redefinition stage the individual will no longer

    Read More

  • The Difference Between Race And Race

    1208 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the Race, Ethnicity, Class and Gender class, we discussed about race, ethnicity, class and gender and how they are involved in our lives today. I read different articles under each of the topics in the class, answered questions and discussed them in our follow-up class the week after. In each of our discussions, I’ve learned something new. Everywhere I go race, ethnicity, class and gender are all around me and there’s nothing I can do to change it, just accept it. Some people don’t know the difference between race and ethnicity, but I do. Race is biology and ethnicity is culture. Race is your physical appearance like what you look like such as skin color, your DNA, etc., and ethnicity is your language such as Spanish, Chinese, French, etc.

    Read More

  • Racial Formation Essay

    1303 Words  | 3 Pages

    Race, as a general understanding is classifying someone based on how they look rather than who they are. It is based on a number of things but more than anything else it’s based on skin's melanin content. A “race” is a social construction which alters over the course of time due to historical and social pressures. Racial formation is defined as how race shapes and is shaped by social structure, and how racial categories are represented and given meaning in media, language and everyday life. Racial formation is something that we see changing overtime because it is rooted in our history. Racial formation also comes with other factors below it like racial projects. Racial projects seek

    Read More

  • Race And Ethnicity Essay

    934 Words  | 2 Pages

    Race and ethnicity are two terms that are constantly used in today’s society. Understanding these terms can help people to recognize that color of skin or color of hair does not define a person. These terms connect with history, social interaction, and the overall make up of a person. However America is constantly obsessed with labeling people by the way that they look or the way that they act. America seems to encourage the terms race and ethnicity and continue to divide people into categories. It is interesting to comprehend these terms because they are not going to disappear any time soon. Race and ethnicity are apart of America’s history and will be a part of the future.

    Read More

  • My Ethnic Identity Essay: This Is Who I Am

    1348 Words  | 3 Pages

    Having a strong foundation is something that has been passed down from our ancestors post slavery, which was used to help my family form their ethnic identity as African Americans. Ethnicity refers to a social group’s distinct sense of belongingness as a result of common culture and descent (Organista, Marin, & Chun, 2010). This influenced my family to raise me with awareness of family structure, old fashion southern culture, and valuable beliefs that molded me into the woman that I am today. Along with my family’s ethnic identity, I also have my own self -identity, which is my identity as a mother and a student. However, my family’s ethnic identity along with my own self-identity was not always seen as socially excepted or

    Read More

More about Analysis: Vignettes Exploring My Racial Identity

Open Document