My racial identity is Polish-American. I have not really ever went through any struggles throughout my life with my racial identity. In fact i cant remember when i have ever been approched with any questions or comments about racial identity or even my family background. The most i have ever been through when it comes to racial discrimination is my friends joking around with me by calling me a polock or making racial jokes about me being a polock. They never did it in such a way i would feel embarassed or ashamed because i knew they were just playing around. I would get teased more in school and with my friends about me being so short more often than i would about my racial identity.
Although i have found out first hand how racial discrimination effects someone, one of my bestfriends is Mexican-American and has lived in the united states his whole life. I have seen and heard people talk down to him because of that. The things that people would say and the things that people would do to him were terrible but he never really let it get to him for the most part, or if it did he would not show it in front of me. I believe it takes a very strong person to put up with some of the racial discrimination that goes on these days, i know it is nowhere near as bad as it was back in the civil rights ear, but nontheless there isn't anyone that deserves to be treated in such a way where they do not feel welcome or appriciated.
Hi Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI like that you have included your friend's experience. Now tell me how is this similar or different to Rodriguez's experience. What did the author go through? How did he view himself?
Did you friend feel like an outsider to his community? What about the white community? How was he labeled?