Racial Identity

SOCL 120-03 | Acceptance Is Only Half the Battle | | | | 1/24/2012 |

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The story of Corey Laeblein’s experiences throughout life is a harsh reality of what people face in society. I do partially agree with his argument, “everyone’s been discriminated one way or another”, however, the magnitude in which people have been discriminated against varies so significantly it becomes incomparable on an equivalent basis. His overall argument becomes a humbling reminder the extent in which race plays a considerable role in how we are perceived and/or who we are accepted as. As discussed in lecture, the Thomas Theorem validates this with an understanding that situations perceived to be real, are real, and have real consequences. In Corey’s instance, being bi-racial didn’t allow him to identify with any existing groups within his surroundings, furthering the subdivision of the minority group as a whole. To join the “clique” of black students or to join the “clique” of white students would have neglected half of his own accepted identity in it of itself. As Corey states, “Me and my brother face different problems because his skin is darker than mine. I’m pretty light so people don’t assume that I’m mixed.” This is a great example directly correlating race with being based on the group as defined by outsiders. Perception overwhelmingly outweighed Corey’s self-identity as a bi-racial person because Corey’s light skin was perceived as white.
My own racial/ethnic identity is mixed. I consider myself half Puerto Rican and half White. My mother is Puerto Rican and was born in Puerto Rico. She moved to the states when she was 11. My father was White and was born in California but died shortly after my birth. As a result, I never was exposed to that side of my family and lack the knowledge of my father’s and his family’s racial/ethnic identity. I was raised solely by my mom and almost all of my ethnicity stems from her ethnic background and upbringing. My brother and I grew up “Spanish”. My brother is lighter skin than me and is often taken as White while I am more often noticed to be of a mixed race. The most often misperceived though is our mom. She is dark skinned and is often taken as a black woman, more so than a Spanish one. Ironically, that didn’t occur as often where we grew up versus when she lived here in Upstate New York. We grew up in New York City, more specifically, the Bronx. We didn’t grow up in the projects but we definitely didn’t live in the middle class section either. Our neighborhood was very diverse with many different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. Someone could walk down any one street and see more cultural diversity than in some existing cities and towns in the United States. I believe growing up in an urban environment exposed me to the understanding and the realities that many cultures exist and live serendipitously.
As a last point, I found myself nodding in agreement with Corey in his experience in that pizza shop. Society has a way of generating paradoxes so simplistic they become overbearingly complex. He’s absolutely correct in stating it’s not a matter of shame, it’s the actualization that you are perceived differently and reinforces the ideas behind race as socially constructed, built on the very foundation of what America was created from. Racism and prejudice are just what they are, no matter how it’s justified; wrong is wrong. Ignorance coupled with avoidance compounds the situation when what should be important are education, accountability, and acceptance.

References:

Being bi-racial and finding identity. New York Amsterdam News. 2/23/2006, Vol. 97 Issue 9, pg. 18-18, 1/5 p; (AN 20043865)

References: Being bi-racial and finding identity. New York Amsterdam News. 2/23/2006, Vol. 97 Issue 9, pg. 18-18, 1/5 p; (AN 20043865)