Reflection Essay

Introduction I recall taking my children to the pediatrician for checkups and this doctor would ask them where they got their “pioneer bones”. This random comment about their sturdy, healthy bodies became an ideal opening for the first of many conversations with my children about where they came from and who were their ancestors, and helped both of my children to establish a strong self-identity beginning at a very young age. My parents and my husband’s parents also felt that it was important to instill a sense of family heritage by sharing knowledge of family background, ethnicity, culture, stories, and traditions. I feel that learning about the past has enabled each one of us to chart our own course in life, while also understanding that

This was the first teacher I had who spoke openly about similarities and differences between people through social studies lessons. She also talked about injustice and discrimination and encouraged us to read books about different cultures. I learned that it was okay to recognize differences between different races and ethnicities while being respectful and not offensive. When I took a cultural geography class in college I began making an effort to reach out and develop more culturally diverse personal and work-related relationships. When I meet people of various races and ethnicities, I think of how their ancestors also came to the United States in many cases making the same sacrifices and journey as my own family but with very different stories. Ultimately we often share many of the same goals in our lives that my ancestors were seeking by having a means to support ourselves and our families and caring for our communities. My parents were educators but had more of a color blind approach to race and ethnicity. I feel this was because they were not educated about race. I have followed the example of my 6th grade teacher and attempted to teach my children that it is okay to recognize and discuss how people are the similar or different. When they would ask questions about race, color, ethnicity, gender identity,

Although I have attempted to be nonjudgmental in my everyday interactions with others, I am aware of times when I may prejudge others on the basis of limited knowledge, especially if they are different from me. I understand that, despite living in a multicultural society, we are all prejudiced. In my case, I feel that my limitations in perceptions of race and ethnicity have been formed as a result of the lack of meaningful and positive interactions with people from different racial/ethnic groups. When I was a younger adult, this limitation perpetuated ignorance through my attitude of ‘Why do other population groups want to focus so much attention on race and make race an issue when we all have the same opportunities to work hard and be successful?’ I have also inadvertently maintained negative and positive stereotypes by internalizing the experiences of others. I have come to recognize that I am not able to simply place myself in someone’s shoes and presume to know what it feels like to be a different race or understand their reality and how I would respond when faced with prejudice or discrimination. Since I currently live in a more multicultural community, I have attempted to take responsibility for transforming myself through conscious reasoning and reflection