Identity is a complex process of constant adaptation. Every day individuals are forced to assimilate and modify their identities to avoid becoming victims of oppression and discrimination. In the United States, people of color and immigrants must overcome the historically ingrained prejudices that have been established within American society. They are categorized based on their physical characteristics, cultural background, and upheld values. These attributes are used to construct an identity based on social structures and institutional systems that ascribe privilege and power. Although an individual’s name is usually maintained over time, an identity in itself is flexible and constantly changing.
In the early 20th century, the identity of African Americans was masked with racial segregation and oppression. The lives of black individuals were dominated by white culture to the point that their own rights became unknown. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois was an African-American activist who challenged the ideology of white supremacy and advocated for the civil rights of black individuals. In his work, The Souls of the Black Folk, Du Bois presents a concept that addresses the African American experience in America -- double consciousness. Double consciousness highlights the identity crisis that inhibits black individuals from representing themselves in American culture. This concept reveals that people of color have an identity that is split into multiple pieces which prevent them from developing a sense of self. “An American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body” (Du Bois 3). In this quote, Du Bois displays African Americans' constant battle to unify their black subculture with their American identity. This quote further illustrates black individuals’ constant struggle to transition between two Americas; one that is white and one that is black. These communities must compromise their identity to assimilate into society. But even then, they are not fully acknowledged as black individuals or as “Americans”.
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The film “Crazy Rich Asians”, depicts the identity crisis experienced by children of immigrants in America. In this film, Rachel Chu, a first-generation Chinese American, is criticized for having an American background. When she meets her boyfriend’s family, she is told that although she appears Asian and speaks the Mandarin language, she is not a true Chinese. Rachel is also criticized for prioritizing her career before her family; a value that goes against Chinese traditions. In the eyes of ethnic Chinese individuals, Rachel is too “American”. But in the U.S., Rachel is more likely to experience social exclusion and discrimination due to her Chinese background. Like Rachel, several first-generation Americans feel disconnected from their cultural identity. These tensions alienate individuals from their non-immigrant American peers and pressure them to assimilate into the dominant culture. At the end of the film, Rachel attempts to bridge the gap between her Chinese and American identities. Rachel takes pride as an independent woman and embraces her socioeconomic status and cross-cultural background. Although balancing two cultures is not as simple as bringing two magnets with opposite ends together, Rachel’s story attempts to show the probability of uniting multiple conflicting identities.
I am a first-generation Latino American who straddles two identities: one as a Mexican and the other as an American. Throughout my childhood, my parents taught me to take pride in my Mexican heritage. But in school, I was scolded for speaking the Spanish language and was mocked for being unable to pronounce English words correctly. I felt pressured to assimilate into mainstream white culture and hid my Mexican identity to be perceived as “normal”. These events pruned my Mexican roots. Despite my efforts to mold my identity, I was constantly reminded that I was not an American. When I visited my family in Mexico last summer, my Mexican identity was questioned. Although I celebrated the same holidays and spoke the same language as them, I was perceived as a “white-washed Mexican”.
As a Mexican American, I can relate to Du Bois’ theory of double consciousness. Every day, the environment and people around me influence the identity that I present to the world. At the University of Washington, I subconsciously transition between multiple identities to be accepted by the community around me. In school events, lectures, and office hours I present an Americanized version of myself. I exhibit an educated student who can express himself in the English language. But when I find myself in a Latino community, I feel free to embrace my Mexican culture and speak broken English with “mis paisanos”.
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