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Liz Jones

EDU 215
Pratt
15 November 2016

Personal Multicultural Autobiography

How did I get to where I am today? Who am I when I look in the mirror? And most

importantly, how did I get to be this way? All of these questions of identity can be traced back to

the many personal factors that have made up my life so far: my parents, my childhood, my

experiences, and my educational upbringing. Everyday is a new opportunity to learn, and as Ive

grown and matured throughout the days and years of my life, I have learned a lot.

As far as who I am, there are many ways to describe myself. I am a female, a biracial

individual, a daughter, a sister, a student, a teammate, and a friend. As far as these factors

affecting how I view the world I definitely think my race and gender has been a huge influence

on my viewpoint on society. As a biracial female I have always found myself the neutral stance

to many arguments regarding black and white relations, considering I am black and white.

Throughout my life my parents never emphasized the fact that I was biracial, or the fact that I

was different than other people, and when controversies arise about race relations and problems

in the media, I was never taught to fight for one side or the other. However, as Ive grown up and

found my own voice I have become more of an advocate for equal rights, not only for African

Americans, but other minority groups including the LGBTQ+ community. Ive come to realize

over my years of schooling and exposure to others that are passionate about the rights of others

that you dont have to look like someone to fight for their equal treatment. Just because I am a

straight female, doesnt mean I shouldnt stand up for the rights of lesbian/gay individuals. Just

because Im only half black doesnt mean I shouldnt fight for the elimination of discrimination

and stereotypes in our society so that minorities can live the same lives as white Americans.
Although I have this more empowered viewpoint now, I definitely havent felt this way

my whole life. Ive encountered many situations and experiences that have made me who I am

today. Whether it be being stared at in the mall as a kid for holding my white moms hand, or

being looked over in class by my teacher because I was the only one who looked different, Ive

come to realize how being different can be both a blessing and a curse. Black people in America

are still fighting everyday to get the same treatment that white Americans take advantage of, and

although I am half-black, I still find myself struggling to understand why people are treated so

differently solely based on skin color. Yes, there are some differences that come along with

having darker skin, (thick curly hair being the best/worst thing in my life), there are even more

similarities that Ive come to accept. I definitely have a group of black friends and a group of

white friends but I also know that thats not the only thing I see when I hang out with them.

Instead I see their personalities and their senses of humor, and I find myself not judging them

based on the color of their skin but by the contents of their character.

Another aspect of my identity that I have come to terms with over the years is my

position in society and the privileges that I have been given without doing anything to deserve

them. My family is the only partially black family in an upper middle class, predominately white

neighborhood. I attended a great school system in the suburbs and was given many opportunities

that other people wont see in their lifetime. All of these privileges that I was born with are

privileges and opportunities that other people work all of their life to achieve, and without

acknowledging my privilege I would be ignorant to all the good fortune I have in my life while

others struggle.

When looking at society there are many theoretical perspectives that can be applied to the

relations between races in the United States. The theory of Functionalism by Emile Durkheim for
example claims that there are patterns in social behavior that change throughout the years, and

that social institutions work alongside each other well until there are temporary conflicts that

arise. According to a Functionalist perspective, when new groups of people are incorporated into

the major society, there are bound to be problems that arise at the beginning but smooth out as

the dominant culture become more familiar with the new culture. This is evident in classrooms

when children who come from different cultural or ethnic backgrounds are put in classrooms that

are mostly homogenous. At first the students may be intimidated and confused about why that

other student may look or act differently, however, as the year goes on the children learn to

coexist and learn from one another. Another perspective introduced by Karl Marx is Conflict

theory. This theory states that society is based off of conflict between groups, usually the

oppressed and the oppressors. The oppressors in the case of social issues, would be the dominant

culture in society which in America would be white males while the oppressed are any minorities

or even women in some cases. This perspective follows the thought that social change comes

about when there is issue between the dominant culture and those that are less represented, which

can be applied when students that belong to a minority group are competing with white students

to get the same representation and rights in the classroom. Lastly the Symbolic Interaction

perspective is another theory that social relations are based on in society. This perspective is

different in the sense that it deals with individuals and how they view themselves in society

rather than social structures at large. Mead, the father of this perspective believed that children

learn their position in society and who they are by learning from others. I think through my

experience in school this perspective is the most powerful, because it has a large impact on an

individuals identity, and once a student learns where they feel they fall in society and their social

ranking they start to play into that role in many aspects of their life.

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