"By age 17, I became part of the norm. I was affiliated with gangs-drinking, getting " high," and having unprotected sex. As a result, I soon dropped out of high school and was facing parenthood." I picked this part of the article "Acquiring Pre-Hispanic Thought and Culture to Heal and Transform" because the first sentence states "part of the norm." To me this shows that in the early 80's-90's, for a hispanic to be in this situation was a stereo type. A stereotype that people just accepted rather than trying to break that.

"Of the Meso-American studies program, the arts are perhaps the most engaging to the community. The thundering of the Aztec drums and the enchanting Nahuatl songs seem to activate spectators' subconscious minds-allowing them to feel a natural calling and attraction." I picked this section from the article "Rushing waters rising dreams" because the drums represent music that brings people together.

"To excel is considered a positive difference, and so you'll be encouraged to think of yourselves as the elite. To be poor, or of color, or female, or homosexual or old is considered negative, and so these people are encouraged to think of themselves as surplus." I chose this section from the poem "Difference and survival" by: Audre Lorde because I think this text means that people often judge where you can from and if you want to prove for recogonition, you'll have to fight for it.

“From this experience I learned that it’s not until one analyzes history from a stance relevant to their own existence, that one can strategically forge a plan to surpass the obstacles before them.” This quote from “ Acquiring Pre-Hispanic Thought and Culture to Heal and Transform” by Huitzilzenteol stood out to me because it emphasizes that history becomes truly meaningful when we connect it to our own lives. When we see history through our own personal and cultural lens, we can better understand why certain obstacles exist and form strategies to overcome them.

“For the first time in my life, school was relevant and thus meaningful to me.” One thing that struck me while reading was the author's description of feeling lost in his youth and later finding his life's purpose through understanding his cultural history. This impressed me because it demonstrates the power of education, not only in its academic aspects but also in its connection to personal identity. This resonated with my own experience, as I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do before college, but gradually came to understand my inner desires and what I should pursue.

"They emphasized the importance of recovering our original roots and outlook to live a more dignified and meaningful life."

This quote caught my attention because of how deep people's background within their family's roots and ancestory were like, this can share an emphasis for what it means to be part of that bloodline. It really connects with my own experiences and culture as well, including accumulating and bonding for what each of us holds.

"It is within our differences that we are both most powerful and most vulnerable."

- Audre Lorde, Difference and Survival

I chose this quote because it explains how difference is not something negative, but something meaningful. It stood out to me because many people are taught to hide their differences instead of understanding them. This quote helped me realize that our differences can give us strength, but they can also make us feel vulnerable. It connects to identity because understanding our differences helps us understand who we are.

This quote stood out to me becuase it shows that cullture is not passive, but somehting that helps people come together to organize, learn, and heal. The author shows how culture can be used to rebuild community and restore dignity. This connects to my own expperience becuase my family uses culture to educate one another and celebrate our traditions, wich help us to stay connected.

-Ashley Rodriguez

"To not settle for the safety of pretended sameness and the false security that sameness seems to offer". - Audre Lorde, Difference and Survival

I chose this quote because pretending everyone is the same can provide some comfort, but it isn't honest nor helpful. This stood out to me because diversity is about learning from one another and what makes people different instead of pretending those differences don't exist.

This sentence from the text stands out to me as it summarizes what I believe Audre Lorde was trying to convey. The differences we find within ourselves should not be labeled in certainty by anyone other than our own. By knowing who you are there exists a much strong potential to overcome the hurdles that stand to limit folk. Igniting futures for those in a similar spot as your own and beginning a chain reaction of change.

The citation I chose

" If you allow your difference, whatever it might be, to be defined for you by imposed externals, then it will be defined to your detriment, always, for that definition must be dictated by the need of your society, rather than by merging between the needs of that society and the human needs of self."

What this means to me is if you let others define your differences for you, their definition of who you are will hurt you more because its what they think and not what YOU think and I think its very important to be your own person and not always force yourself to fit in somewhere you don't want to be just to "fit in".

The quote I chose came from the Audre Lorde passage Difference and Survival. To my knowledge, the quote above means if you know what makes you different and you don't let that different hinder you in whatever you do, you can use it for your future where you give it your all.

Gael Hernandez

"It is not our differences that divide us. it is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences."

- Audre Lorde, Difference and survival

I chose this quote because it really flips the way people usually think about conflict and diversity. Lorde isn't saying that difference causes problems; she's saying the problem comes from refusing to understand or value those differences. That stood out to me because in many spaces, especially in today's society, difference is treated like a threat instead of something meaningful. This meaning helped me see how recognizing differences can actually bring people closer rather than push them apart. Lorde emphasizes that survival depends on embracing diversity and learning from one another. Instead of ignoring what makes us different, she encourages us to see those differences as a source of strength, connection, and growth.

I chose this because it explains what happens when people ignore or deny differences. When people pretend differences do not exist it causes us to miss out on learning from each other. Instead, society creates unfair ranking where people get mistreated more than others.

I chose this quote because to me it reminds me that I am the first in the family to reach the highest education, and a lot of family who were immigrants did not have the confidence, motivation or just the support to finish school, so I have the pressure of being the first person to finish highschool and go onto college without getting pregant at a young age, married or a job by 15.

Author: Audre Lorde

Quote:

"And certainly there are very real differences between us, of race, sex, age sexuality, class vision.  But it is not the differences between us that tear us apart, destroying the commonalities we share."

I have chosen this quote because it shows the challenges of the idea that difference itself is the source of some type of conflict. Audre Lorde argues that the real harm comes from our refusal to examine and understand the differences, rather than the differences themselves. This stood out to me because it kind of reframes differences as something that can make a stronger connection instead of weakening it, if we are willing to at least acknowledge and engage with it honestly.

“Difference and Survival” by Audre Lorde

"To not settle for the safety of

pretended sameness and the false security that sameness seems to offer. To feel the

consequences of who you wish to be, lest you bring nothing of lasting worth because

you have withheld some piece of the essential, which is you."

I decided to choose this quote specifically as many people usually go the route where everyone goes in life, a lot of times there are many who just want to blend in, be the same, and some don’t want to be like that, they want to be different. To be different is risky but many who face it must have the courage to do so right?

This quote stood out to me because she states to "live intensely" which is something I struggle to do due to my fear of losing security. It is something I believe many people struggle with as we get too comfortable with our day to day lives. We should live our lives to the fullest and when we look back out our lives, we can be proud of what we achieved.

If we do not recognize and understand our history, we cannot accept the people that we become or the people that we are today. I chose this quote because I have came across many of my friends who do not have full pride in who they are because of the shame they carry for having that Hispanic background. I believe that it is beautiful to accept and appreciate where they are now and who they are because I know, in a historic lens about the struggles we used to face and the strength our people had to overcome them. -Citlalli Torres

• ”Difference and Survival” by Audre Lore

This quote really stood out to me because everything that makes us human and makes us want to survive and thrive in life has a meaning, whether it has to do with negative outcomes or positive, hardworking ones we’ve faced. This is personally relatable to me because I have faced many challenges to be where I am, and I know there are many different obstacles further on in life, but as long as I keep the hope and success, it will shape me to be a better person and perhaps more positively changed. The future is what we make it to be based on our own decisions. 

-Amy Gutierrez

This quote stood out to me because she stresses that you should be responsible for yourself. When she adds, "feel the consequences of who wish to be," she reminds us that identity is not something that happens to you; it's something you choose and have to live with. Not taking on that responsibility by hiding or limiting yourself leads to a life that lacks "lasting worth," not because you failed, but because you didn't tell the truth about who you really are. Also, In her view, living "intensely" involves being fully present politically, emotionally, and personally so that who you are becomes a source of meaning, resistance, and contribution instead of something you hide for comfort.-Matthew Barreras

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

I chose this quote because Audre Lorde emphasizes that difference itself is not the problem rather, it is how society responds to difference. This idea connects to survival because recognizing and valuing differences allows individuals and communities to grow stronger together. Lorde’s words highlight how acceptance and understanding are necessary for both personal growth and collective healing, especially within communities that face shared struggles.

This perspective connects deeply to the idea that “it takes a village to raise children.” While my mother was the driving force, our church and local community acted as the village that supported us. The author of this excerpt and I are similar and different at the same time. We had the same struggles, but did we put enough effort into bettering ourselves? and were different in ways that we werent in the same community this is why I resanate with this so much, Because it could've been my alternative life.