1. To answer your first question is a little tough, because I'm not sure who I am. If I'm just giving a simple answer, I'm just a girl trying to get by in life and provide for my family. I'm just someone who tries hard and goes even harder when I feel like I'm failing in life. That's who I am. But if we're talking about going in depth, I'm just a human being living her best life and smiling to hide the pain. Every day is a struggle for me and it gets harder and harder when the clock is ticking.

2. Oh man, I'm pretending to be this person who has her shit together (excuse my French). But I pretend that I'm living life to the fullest - that I'm taking it day by day, but honestly? I don't want to exist anymore. Turned pretty dark right? I apologize. It's just, if you've truly walked in my shoes, you'd probably feel the same. So I pretend to smile so no one asks what's wrong, I pretend to give thanks that I've woken up tot a brand new day and I pretend that I have it all.

3. People think I'm this strong, open-minded person. They believe that I'm the oldest of a strong family and that the reason I'm pushing myself so hard everyday is because of the.. People believe that I'm this mom who knows what the heck she is doing when half the time my inner voice is screaming at me. People will believe what I want them to. So for right now, I want you to believe that I'm a mother of an 8yr old boy and I'm fighting life to provide for him.

4. I wish I could be exactly that! I wish I could be this God fearing woman who takes life by the chains and says, "Freak it! I'm alive and I'm happy!" I wish I could be the goal-oriented, open-minded, kind hearted person everyone always portrays me to be. I wish I can be truly happy and say that I am actually living.

5. Race and ethnicity plays a HUGE role as to why my answers sound so depressing. Because of my race/ethnicity, I have to keep my head above water and my smile strong. It's who I am - I am Samoa! But deep down, I'm just Briahna.

So this question is a tad confusing. Are you asking first experience with race as in, when did I fully become Samoan or are you asking about a racist act that was made towards me? Because if it is both, I have experience for them. My first experience with race was when I was in 3rd grade. I was 8 (I think we all were), but being an 8 year old and not thinking about where I came from never crossed my mind until this day. I remember it vividly - I was on the playground playing tetherball and I heard someone say, "isn't her hair ugly?" "why is her nose and forehead so big?" "she's a lot bigger than us, she shouldn't be playing it's not fair."

At the time, I didn't think anything of it. But growing in a household full of "comedians" there was always a joke I overheard and that was "You know someone is Samoan when their nose is bigger than their face and their forehead is a fivehead instead." Hearing those comments from these kids brought up those moments and it made me feel discouraged and ashamed. It made me feel as if my friends hated how I looked because I was different.

I spoke to my dad at the time because well, he was my best friend. I told him that the kids at my school might also be my family because of the joke. And my dad told me that "people outside of your race shouldn't be making jokes like that and if they say mean things again, go snitch to the teacher.'

I never knew stereotypes were a thing - as a kid, I never paid attention to any of that. I mean what 8-year-old kid would?

But from that day, I remember hearing more and more jokes about my hair, my nose, and especially my forehead - it runs in my family, on my dad's side. LOL! But having that first experience did shape my worldview from there on out. It made me not pay attention to what was being said about me. It made me not hear the negative remarks about who I am. And since then, I never cared what anyone said about me, whether it was regarding my race or just my looks.

I believe the connection between having a positive sense of self and experiences with identity and race is kind of complex and has many different aspects to understand.

Like take my race for example - we Samoans take pride in being Samoan. As confusing as it may sound, our identity is literally who we are - We are SAMOA! Being Samoan makes me feel powerful and untouchable sometimes. And I'm sure some of you know the stories behind why. LOL. But if I'm being honest, it's not the reason why. I take pride in being Samoan because of how we are brought up.

In my culture, we are raised in the "fa'a Samoa" way. We are all about family and community. Blood does not make you family, loyalty does. But you NEVER turn your back on family no matter what. That goes for related and non-related. Being Samoan is like our shield and armour. I wish some races/ethnic groups carry this same mentality.

Don't be afraid to be different from the crowd. Feel comfortable in your own skin and show them that you are the shit because you choose to be and you aren't afraid of anything. My identity is SAMOA and I am proud.

I believe that the spirit of Ubuntu is definitely alive and well-portrayed in the AA community. Living in a predominately AA neighborhood, I see Ubuntu everywhere. My neighbor across the street literally helps our other 'across the street' neighbor with their yard every Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Mrs. Patty, the helper, is always sweeping Ms. Chen's driveway and sidewalk area. Ms. Chen and her family barely moved in the neighborhood about 2 years ago, and the welcomeness that she showed this family was very heart-warming to see.

But of course, being Ubuntu isn't just about being HELPFUL, it's a lot of things. Its also TRUST. The way the AA community has trust in everyone, and making sure everyone is well taken care of or even okay, it's amazing to not only witness but be apart of it.

MA'AT:

I believe out of the 7 concepts, the one that I would choose is Ma'at. I feel like this is deeply rooted in the AA community because take a look at the Civil Rights Movement - everyone came together to look for the truth and justice from system racism and discrimination. For example, when Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for the truth by realizing the realities of racial injustice, demanding societal change and living in a community where every race can be side to side with each other. Although a part of MLK's dream speech came true, there is still the struggle for civil rights and representation. The concept of Ma'at shows because of the AA's resilience and the fight for truth.

INCLUSIVE METAPHYSICAL EPISTEMOLOGY:

I believe this is the concept that's shown the least in the AA community. This is the one concept that is defined by recognizing both cognitive and affective ways of knowing, rational thinking, and intuitive understanding. I'm sure you're like, WHAAAT? English, please. Remember how I said earlier, there's still a fight for social justice and equality? Well this is the concept that AA lacks because although we are fighting for those rights for the AA community, there is a strain between what they FEEL is right to what they KNOW is right and how they, as a community, should approach the fight.

UJIMA:

I think it's pretty easy to choose this principle. Ujima is about working together and being responsible. It states that building and maintaining your community is important. Look back at my first padlet - my answer for the 3rd theme - WE ARE SAMOA! This principle is literally my community. We take pride in who we are and we ALWAYS look out for our community. But I've also seen it in the AA community. I go to visit my great-grandma in San Francisco every now and then, but when we go, let me just say it's a blast. Now you're probably wondering, what does this have to do with the AA community? Well my great-grandma goes to an AA church in SF and these folks have been the most amazing group of people I've ever come across in SF. Every weekend their church puts on a Food Drive for the local homeless and always provides shelter when they can. This is the best example of witnessing Ujima in the AA community.

To live in a post-racial society, we must come to terms with the fact that racism no longer exists. And I'm pretty sure we all know that is false. Take, for instance, the death of George Floyd - he was a simple black man getting cigarettes from a convenience store, who got the cops called on him due to counterfeit money, and then life resulted in death. The story of George Floyd hit everyone's heart from all over the world. Coming to terms with police brutality is where racism lives.

To define race is a very complex yet easy answer. Race is the category we put ourselves in. Say for example someone comes up to you and asks, "Oh what's your race?" I would answer them by saying I'm a Pacific Islander. This is my answer because although I talk highly about being Samoan, that's my ethnicity. Pacific Islander is every one that shares the same beliefs, traditions, and culture as me. Take a box of crayons and someone with OCD. That person will group all the reds, blues, yellows, etc into different groups. I believe that is what race is today. We're all grouped together not just based on the color of our skin but by the people we most affiliate ourselves with.

The source that helped me understand race as a whole is here ----> https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race-is-a-social-construct-scientists-argue/ - This article talks about how current science believes that race is a social construct rather than a biological construct. They say that categorizing people as "white" or "black" in genetics studies does not fully reflect the range of our genetic make-up. The article shows a contradiction in how scientists agree that applying race as a tool to understand our DNA is not a precise way. It contains examples, such as the discovery of more matches than differences when comparing the DNA of people of different ethnic backgrounds. Indeed, the article suggests that instead of referring to race in genetics research, we should use terms like "ancestry" or "population."

I still stand on my opinion of we don't live in a post-racial society. Inequality still exists, prejudice and discrimination. It is happening all around us and if you think we do live in a post-racial society, you're turning a blind eye to what's happening around you. And it is not just the AA community facing the racial microaggression, everyone is - Asians, Mexicans, Pacific Islanders, etc. I believe that people who aren't of the "white race" are still facing racism today.

i think racial socialization affects parents and children in Black Families immensely they have to prepare themselves for anything that comes their way due to their race. There have been a few skits that portray this kind of practice. Teaching kids of AA descent that when they are getting pulled over, make sure to have BOTH hands on the wheel and to always follow the law. having to go through this kind of teaching affects the mental health of those suffering from it. Why is it that we need to teach our kids this stuff just because we don't want people to get the wrong idea based on our skin color? We don't and we shouldn't have to live life this way.

The factors that have impacted Black Families the most since slavery would be being forced away from their families and the separation each generation had to endure. Trying to keep traditions alive and passed on made it difficult for Black Families because of this. Another factor is the systemic racism they face from education to employment. It's a challenge for Black Families to try and live an easy life when there are so many obstacles being thrown their way. But one thing people should learn about Black Families is their resilience and the strength they carry to keep moving forward. Despite being dealt a bad hand, Black Families find a way to preserve their culture and create new traditions.

One thing that stood out to me was the resilience and the power Black Families carry upon them. Despite having faced slavery, racism, and discrimination, Black families DO NOT let their guard down. Black families push and push until they can't push themselves any further. It's a lesson that every family needs to be taught. Don't let the bigger man take you away from who you truly are.

FAMILY MATTERS - With the AA community, family is a huge aspect in their life. So marriage, having kids, the whole nine that makes a family holds importance to AA. But trying to marry within the same race and culture, some find it difficult. Everyone has a preference and for Black women, some find it difficult because there are not enough Black men who are suited to their liking to go around.

KIDS AND GETTING HELP - Staying in the topic of having that 'perfect' family, I believe black kids are dealt questioning family than any other race. Sometimes its not the mom and dad who raise them, but the paternal parents or maternal parents. But I still find it cool that even though a child doesn't have their biological parents to raise them, the immediate family steps up and takes the responsibility.

JOBS - This is the one thing that I find hard is that Black families truly struggle with trying to find a job or even given the same opportunity as the person next to them. It's not just about being treated fairly but being seen as equal.

I.S.'s effect on AA women can be broken down into so many things. Their self-esteem can drop at a drastic rate due to them questioning their abilities and feeling like they aren't qualified for the job. Being a woman is already hard enough on us in this society, but being a Black woman today? I wouldn't know from experience but seeing some of my family members who are in the AA community have dealt with so much turmoil and racial slurs. I feel like AA women fight even harder at life because of the idea of not being fully satisfied due to the obstacles they had to go through.

I believe race and gender shape the experience of AA women in the workplace. Like I said above, having to be both Black and a woman is already a challenge in its own. AA women feel as if their opinion doesn't matter when it comes to decision-making at work. AA women feel as if they don't matter. They need to switch the way they speak because they're surrounded by folks who wouldn't understand their tone of tongue.

The one strategy that would help the issue with AA women in the workplace would be to teach and show people that we are all equal. I say we because as a person of color, Samoan, I too face some discrimination within the workplace. However, I feel it is important to showcase guidance and promote equality to show support of the situation and truly educate those who don't understand that AA women in the workplace are indeed as equal as anyone.

Some of the stereotypes that a person of color would face when racial microaggression is thrown at them is clutching one's purse when you see them because you think they're going to want your belongings. Trying to dehumanize a person of color because they don't fit the standard of "normality" according to society. Making one feel less beautiful because of the color of their skin, the color of their eyes, or their hair texture. Racial microaggression is the silent racism that exists in today's world.

Other issues that people of color are facing, considering intersectionality, is the idea that they have to be this supreme being when it comes to sports. Black men have the mindset that they HAVE to be good at basketball or football because it's a sport that they are known to achieve high scores in. It brings depression and doubt to someone who tries to fit into this stereotype. Having to go through these types of stereotypes will truly make someone feel out of place and feel as if being who they want to be isn't the right choice.

The concept of intersectionality, racial microaggressions, bias, or white privilege affects one's understanding of "sense of self" or ethnic identity and can leave someone questioning whether they want to be a part of the racial group they are in. Take, for example, a guy named Alex who is not only African American but also a part of the LGTBQ community. As Alex comes to terms with his racial identity and his self-identity of being LGTBQ, he now realizes the challenges he will face because of his combination of both. Another is very common and we see it everywhere - a girl named Sarah realizing that her "white skin" allows her freedom to do as she pleases and get treated a certain way without having to face any trouble. Being a witness to any of these theories can help strengthen one's self-reflection, empathy, and authenticity.

A strategy to help someone understand how racial microaggression can affect those around them is through education. Just educate people to know that if it doesn't sound right, don't say it. Think before you speak. Educate yourself and truly learn, "How does this affect my friend if what I said sounded like a compliment?" Just learn to control your tongue and truly understand what's being said.

There are 3 types of microaggressions - microassult, microinsult and microinvalidations. Microassult is the name-calling, the racial slurs and just avoiding people of the opposite race. Microinsult is the form most people of color encounter - the purse clutching or mistaking a person of color holds this type of job because of their skin. And last, microinvalidation is making someone feel less of because of their race.

Just like I spoke in one of the posts, the strategy in which we should promote is EDUCATION. Educate people that AA communities are just as equal as the next one. Without the proper resources and the tools to help, the AA community will continue to struggle.

I want to throw in my own experience with my mom. When I was in middle school, it was the first time I had the feeling of "I think I like girls" but I knew it was wrong because I grew up in a Christian home where whatever the Bible says we must obey. So I suppressed my wrong feelings and I kept quiet. Reaching high school is when it became more difficult to hide what gender I was into. Not to brag, but I had straight women who fell in love with me and told me they're not bisexual or gay but they feel deep emotions for me. It was during that time when I "experienced" those urges I had for the opposite sex and realized this wasn't just a phase - I was bisexual. I told my mom and the look of disgust and disappointment made me feel as if I was going to burn in Hell. It made me feel awful for having this feeling. But with time and patience and love, my mom has come to terms with being okay to have a daughter who likes both men and women.

Now back to the subject, I believe that's why the AA community is against the LGBTQ community. But it's not just faith. Cultural norms can play a factor; when someone or something doesn't fit the mold, it raises questions. All in all, it's a mix of culture, religion, and how society perceives the idea.

There is also another source that I came across and would love to fully read about - "Word from the Mother: Language and African Americans" by Geneva Smitherman. Author, Smitherman speaks about how important AAVE is, and she too, asks for respect for her language, AAVE. The author educates the importance, the roots, and the evolution that AAVE has had throughout society.

One factor that may lead to differences in pain treatment is a lack of education in cultural competence.