Blacks and Latinos in America

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Blacks and Latinos in America

Through our readings of the Mexicans in the U.S. and the African-American experience modules, we begin to understand the formation of identity through the hardships minorities faced from discrimination. In this paper, I am going to compare and contrast the ideas of identity shown through the readings. These two modules exemplify the theme of identity. We see how Blacks and Latinos tried to find their identity both personally and as a culture through the forced lifestyles they had to live.

Identity is one of the main questions throughout all of our readings, because it is hard for people to accept who they are in society. Accepting their identity as a minority with little if any freedoms sparks many of the social problems which I will show happening in all communities and cultures. The main issue we will discuss is how social environments effect the search for identity. The Mexicans in the U.S. module gives us examples how Mexicans try to keep their customs while living in a discriminated environment by the Whites. This module also gives us examples how people are searching for personal identity while struggling with cultural traditions. Finally, the African-American module gives us more examples to compare with the Mexicans in the U.S. module, because these readings deal with Blacks finding personal identity also through discrimination from the Whites. To properly understand the theme of identity, we must first look the factors influencing it.

The first influence we see in both modules is discrimination. The Whites as a whole did not give any acceptance towards both cultures. There were several barriers keeping the Blacks and Mexicans from breaking the lines between them and the Whites. First, the Whites saw both groups of people as minorities. They felt both subcultures were unequal from the beginning, therefore holding discriminating beliefs about the cultures from which both groups came from. Also, the Whites were very angry with these groups, who were trying to share the same freedoms.

Next, both the Blacks and Mexicans lived through their cultures and traditions from ancestors. It was very hard for either group to compete with the Whites' economy and lifestyles while keeping their beliefs strong. Now that we have an understanding of the influences on both groups' identity struggles, we w...

... middle of paper ...

...d upon them as the Mexicans.

In The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm is told by his 8th grade teacher to think realistically about career goals. He is told to drop his ideas of becoming a lawyer, and look into the field of carpentry, which was a stereotypical Black job. Blacks were being discriminated against in all aspects of their lives. Even as maturing students, they were told what to do with their lives, simply because Whites did not believe Blacks should hold the same freedoms. In the movie, Eye on the Prize, we see how Blacks tried to keep their cultural values while living in the "White mans world." Like the Mexicans, Blacks had a societal identity, yet they faced many hardships in trying to find their personal identity.

As we have seen, the role of identity is a key issue in our history. The discrimination and stereotypes pressed upon the Blacks and Mexicans changed their ideas of personal and social identity. The factors that influence identity also made the understanding of this idea hard for both groups. The role that identity played in both groups was a key concept for them to understand in creating their new individuality in the "White America."

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