# data[].attributes.body
1.6 Who am I, First Experience With Race & Sense of Self Brainstorm

Theme 1: Who Am I?

1. Who am I? I am a black indigenous woman originally from Honduras and raised in the States.

2. Who do I pretend to be? My younger self often “pretended” to be anything but my true authentic self, however the older me has fully embraced all of the different facets of my being.

3. Who do people think I am? In terms of outward appearance? A black woman I guess? Which I am.

4. Who do I wish I could be? It was my hope in recent years to become more assertive, particularly in my professional life and become more of an advocate for myself.

5. How has race or ethnic identity played a role in any of these responses? Race or ethnicity will always be a part of my being whether I like it or not, and so I choose to honor that part of myself and not limit myself or purposely “dim my light” based on others’ pre-conceived notions.

Theme 2: First Experience With Race Activity

1. What was your first experience with race? Ever since I can remember I have always been aware of my race, however I was raised in such a way that my blackness was celebrated and as a result I felt empowered as I ventured out into the “real world”. There have been several instances where I have encountered bigots or just plain ignorant people. One time while working as a CNA, I was taking a walk with one of my elderly clients when I came upon the cutest dog on a walk with its owner. As a dog lover, I immediately asked the owner if I could pet his dog and he told me his dog did not like black people. I was taken aback and I responded, oh well I thought dogs were color-blind.

2. How old were you? I became more aware of my race at 7 years old. However the particular incident I am referring yo happened when I was a 20-year old adult.

3. What emotions do you associate with the experience?

4. Have you ever talked about the experience? Yes, afterwards I recounted the experience to my parents.

5. How have your early experiences with race shaped your worldview? Again, I was raised in an environment where our blackness was not seen as a bad thing. Myself and my 4 siblings were always made to feel empowered not in spite of, but because of our race.

Theme 3: Positive Sense of Self Brainstorm

What connections can be made between having a positive sense of self and our experiences with identity and race? For example, do you think someone who has a negative view of their sense of self can have a positive sense of ethnic identity? Would you assume that a person who identifies positively with African American Psychology might have a stronger or weaker sense of self or ethnic identity? Please explain why.

I wholeheartedly believe that having a positive sense of self provides the necessary armor to be able to better deal with, and navigate inevitable and unpleasant instances of bias, prejudice, and racism in both personal and professional settings. For the second part of the question, I suppose it is possible for someone who has a negative view of their sense of self to have a positive sense of ethnic identity; however in my opinion oftentimes the two are interrelated. A strong sense of self is the foundation upon which the positive sense of ethic identify rests.

# data[].attributes.headline
2.4 Ubuntu, Afrocentricity and Nguzo Saba

# data[].attributes.subject
2.4 Ubuntu, Afrocentricity and Nguzo Saba

# data[].attributes.body
Theme 1: Ubuntu

1. The concept of Ubuntu is uniquely African. After reading the assigned reading and analyzing the short video by Dr. Nelson Mandela, do you think that the spirit of Ubuntu is alive and well today in African American culture? Explain your answer and give an example as to why you have chosen your position.

After reviewing the readings and the Nelson Mandela video, I think that the spirit of Ubuntu is very much alive and well today in African American culture. The concept of Ubuntu is a multi-faceted one, however at its core is this idea of community and sharing which sort of evokes the concept of Southern hospitality as it relates to the well-known tropes surrounding the friendliness and welcoming nature of residents of the American south.

1. Compare and contrast in detail and provide examples of any parallels/similarities that you have been able to identify between African cultures and African American culture. Has this concept of Ubuntu changed your worldview at all? Explain.

Again as it relates to a sense of community and of welcoming of "outsiders" or visitors, both Africans and African Americans share those qualities. African Americans are known for being a welcoming people, even to those they consider to be outsiders. On the African continent, when visitors come from out of town, specifically the United States, it is customary in many African cultures to welcome the visitor(s) with open arms and hospitality.

Theme 2:  7 Concepts of Afrocentric Psychology

1. Choose and define the concept that you feel is most present in the African American community. Provide an example of how you have witnessed the concept you have chosen.

The concept that I feel is most present in the African American community is a combination of Sankofa and Spiritness, but mainly Sankofa in the sense that in order to move forward, one must also look back. As it relates to contemporary African American culture, this signifies that one must look back on, and reflect upon past historical events in order to learn from them and to plan accordingly for the future. Juneteenth comes to mind as well as a plethora of historical African American events. It is imperative to honor the trialblazers of the past by also honoring ourselves in the process.

1. Then, define and provide an example of the concept that you feel is least present in the African American community. Also, provide an example.

The concept that I feel is least present in the African American community is maafa, at least in a literal, present-day contemporary sense. However, the long-term effects of the enslavement of Africans by Europeans reverberates throughout the generations due to the trauma of the institution of slavery and other violations of the human rights of African peoples throughout the diaspora.

Theme 3: 7 Principles of Nguzo Saba

Choose one of the 7 Principles of Nguzo Saba and define it on your Padlet. Then explain why it resonates with you and how you feel you have seen this value in action in the African American community. Provide an example.

The Principle of Nguzo Saba that most resonates with me is Ujima which means Collective Work and Responsibility. According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Ujima is defined as building and maintaining our community together and make our community's problems our problems and to solve them together. The Kwanzaa Guide further clarifies Ujima as "We are all responsible for our successes and our shortcomings, the raising of our children, and the guidance and mentoring of our youth." The reason why this resonates with me is that there are parallels of the concept of accountability in the principle of Ujima; I believe that accountability and responsibility go hand in hand especially in strengthening communities and empowering future generations.

# data[].attributes.headline
3.4 Three Self-Assessments, Racial Identity Development and Identity Resource.

# data[].attributes.subject
3.4 Three Self-Assessments, Racial Identity Development and Identity Resource.

# data[].attributes.body
3.1

1. State your selections under the category of Natal Measures and also state why you chose them. Provide examples.

Within the category of Natal Measures, I chose Birthplace of self, Ethnic origins of extended family, and Ancestral lineages. I chose these because as an indigenous black woman born in a Latin American country, and having done an Ancestry.com ancestry lineage test, I want to further explore what, if any, effect these factors play in my overall sense of identity.

1. State your selections under the category of Behavioral Measures and also state why you chose them. Provide examples.

Within the category of Behavioral Measures, I chose Language use patterns, Print and electronic media use patterns, and Participation in cultural and religious activities. I chose these because as a speaker of a designated endangered language, I want to explore in further depth ways in which language contributes to shaping one's cultural and/or ethnic identity. Language and culture go hand in hand, and so I want to analyze how participation in cultural or religious activities contributes to a stronger sense of self due to the community participation aspect.

1. State your selections under the category of Subjective Measures and also state why you chose them. Provide examples.

Within the category of Subjective Measures , I chose Self-identification of a preferred ethnic group because even though I am from a Latin American country, I was raised to recognize, cherish, and celebrate my blackness as a way of showing reverance to the ancestors and honoring them in the process.

1. State your selections under the category of Situation-Contextual Measure and also state why you chose them. Provide examples.

Within the category of Situation-Contextual Measure, I chose Home-Family and Spirituality because much of what occurs in the home, in terms of family dynamics, as well as cultural dynamics shapes our overall identity and self-esteem. Spirituality also plays a role.

3.2 Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure

1) My Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure score is 46.

2) To me this score is an indication of a higher sense of Ethnic Identity compared to someone who may have a lower score.

3) I think that this means that I have a pretty strong bond with the Garifuna/black group due to my pride in being a member of an indigenous group who managed to maintain their own language in Central America.

3.3 Padlet post: ROSENBERG'S SELF-ESTEEM SCALE

1. State your score after taking the Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale. My score is 20.

2. State what your score means to you and your understanding of your self-esteem.

I actually anticipated scoring a bit higher, and so this tells me that even though I have made tremendous strides in my self-esteem journey, a deeper part of my being is still very hard on myself.

1. State why you believe your score is the number that it is. Provide examples.

Like I stated above, even though I have made tremendous strides in my self-esteem, there is still that insecure little girl inside that reveals herself every now and then, however I have came a long way in fostering a health sense of self and I believe that having strong cultural roots aids in that.

POST 3.4: RACIAL IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT PADLET POST

1. State your stage of Racial Identity Development: Based on the document, I am in the INTERNALIZATION-COMMITMENT stage.

2. State why you think that you are in the stage that you identified.

I believe I am in the INTERNALIZATION-COMMITMENT stage because according to the document those in the INTERNALIZATION-COMMITMENT stage "found ways to translate one’s personal sense of blackness into a plan of action or a general sense of commitment to concerns of blacks as a group".

1. Provide an example of how you know that you have passed through the previous stages.

How I know that I have passed the previous stages such as Pre-encounter and Encounter is because those in the ENCOUNTER stage generally are "forced by events or series of events to acknowledge the impact of racism in one’s life and the reality that one cannot truly be white; forced to focus on identity as a member of a group targeted by racism.". However, I myself was not "forced" to focus on my identity, rather it is my own during independent from the impact of racism.

1. State one thing that you learned from this process.

The categories were very interesting to me and I enjoyed reading the breakdown of the stages for different ethnic groups..

POST 3.5: FIND YOUR RACIAL IDENTITY RESOURCE

I found the following academic journal related to the indigenous Garifuna. I chose this particular article because I had never read it before in my quest for additional knowledge into my culture.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1177180120979000

# data[].attributes.body
1. Please post a response to the google slide above. What types of racism from slide 2 have you seen in the world? What examples from slide 3 have you seen in the world?

Based on the descriptions of types of racism in Slide #2, I have witnessed or encountered all of the forms, but in particular Institutional Racism, which probably is the harmful because it is so deeply ingrained in society. It consists of policies within institutions that contributes to discrimination for a group of people and/or systemic racism. Likewise, I have also witnessed or encountered the examples from slide #3 such as internalized racism and structural racism of course.

1. From the chapter reading, do you think that we live in a post-racial society? Please state why or why not.

No, I think it is impossible to live in a "post-racial" society due to the deeply-ingrained nature of the racial tensions that have existed in the United States and globally for generations. Because of how race has been defined throughout the generations, I do not believe it possible for the majority of folks to sort of push race or skin color aside and ignore it, no matter how they may try. The concept of race will unfortunately always be either at the forefront, or simmering underneath.

1. What is your personal definition of race and do you think that race is a social construct, a biological construct or something else? Please explain your reasoning.

I suppose I define race as a group of people of common ancestry, which is a very broad definition however that's how I categorize the concept. I think that race is a social construct due to race being broken down into social qualities of groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society.

1. Search and find one resource regarding race being a social or biological concept and post it to your Padlet. State its significance and if you agree or disagree with the resource based on your definition of race.

According to the article "Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue" in the journal Scientific American, biologists make their case that "Racial categories are weak proxies for genetic diversity and need to be phased out". According to author Megan Gannon, More than 100 years ago, American sociologist W.E.B. Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between different populations of people. He spoke out against the idea of "white" and "black" as discrete groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity.

2. State one thing that you learned or one thing that stood out to you from the unit required reading, optional reading or audio material in this unit. State its significance.

A couple quotes stood out to me in the required reading. The first: "Racism and discrimination have long-standing and pervasive effects on African Americans across almost every life domain (i.e., education, health, housing, politics, and physical and psychological well-

being)." This in addition to another quote: "However, African American and other racial minorities can learn how to cope with and to even thrive in the face

of racism as the opening covering story shows." The juxtaposition of these two concepts, specifically the use of the adjectives "pervasive" and "long-standing" to describe the effects of racism and discrimination on Blacks in America, and the idea that some even "thrive in the face of racism" is very poignant.

4.4 Race and Racism: Racial Microagressions

1. Please post a response to the audio clip above. What types of "isms" can you identify in the audio clip above? What types of racism did you notice in the audio clip? Give examples.

The -isms I can identify in the audio clip is covert racism veiled as a compliment as it relates to folks labeling Blacks as "so articulate". Interestingly this word "articulate" seems to be the go-to word choice for those wanting to highlight a black person's intellectual capacity. I rarely hear the word "articulate" being used to compliment whites who are perceived as intelligent.