My Social Identity

Individual Identity
According to Dernan-Sparks and Edwards (2010), my racially identify is “ based on the racial identities of [my] biological parents [, but is incorporated with] cultural aspects from a different racial or ethic group” (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, p. 78). I am person of color—Mexican with Naturalized Citizenship from the United States meaning that I am no longer considered a Resident Legal Alien from other country. Corresponding to, “My Social Identities Portrait” in our textbook (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010) I am gendered as a married woman who is over 45 years of age with my sexual orientation being heterosexual with a medium size body type, and medium height. My social classed that, “is often measured as a combination of

education, income, and occupation” (Socio-economic Statue: Education and Socioeconomic Status p. 2 Lecture Notes), is seen as having an education level of a high school degree with some college in the hard working class with middle economic status working for a school district. My religious beliefs are Christian practicing Catholic. The group that I now racially identify is middle class, Mexican American married woman with strong Christian Catholic beliefs. Difference characteristic of appearance such as clothing, physical features (skin color, eye color, hair, body type etc.), language, food, and communication style (Awareness.

Three Levels of Cultural Awareness. Lecture Notes), is a characteristic of “difference” that I am aware of is the differences in skin color. I view my social identities as being shaped many factors of changes throughout my life that contributed to my exposure to different communities, television, people, and the drive to better myself and show society that; though I am seen as being part of a minority ethnic group, I can have the qualities that they highly regard as middle class. However, I have always seen my ethnicity as Mexican, but have been influence by dominant culture to become a U.S. Citizen, which I am Mexican American, and my mother’s beliefs in the Catholic faith has shape to follow her faith and raise my children in this religion. My family structure has also changed through my life in childhood biological parent were married, and through young adulthood I was an unmarried single parent, now I am in a interracial marriage with 4 biological children. My internal oppression developed from dominant culture’s standards that reflected “physical characteristics, name, language, cultural traditions, or values” (Derman-Sparks &

Edwards, 2010, 26; Dr. Harper. Unit 3 Diversity. Slide 6. VoiceThread;). I did not like my body because of the images that seen throughout society mostly thin women; my name because people could not read it or pronounce it correctly, so I adapted a nickname (Mini), and my language because it was not of the dominant culture. I feel that I experienced discrimination when going to restaurants and not being waited on properly; and when trying to move up in job status, the Caucasians would get hired though I had more experience. My experience with privilege are middle class status and married status, working along with my husband to obtain that benefits of having more the ability to provide better recourses such as educational opportunities (schools, and sending my children to college); better living environment (house and community); than I had when I was a child, mild-adulthood, and when my husband and I were first married.