I am a first generation hispanic/Latina woman. I am a student, friend, daughter, and much more. I am shy and outgoing depending on the people and setting I am in. I pretend to be a confident person, who has their life together. People think I am the basic white girl that has everything figured out and has no "real" problems in life due to my fair skin and parents still being married. I wish I could be someone who was confident and sure of their decisions. I want to be the best version of myself physically, emotionally, and mentally. I want to be proud of what I do for myself and others.

Theme 2: First Experience with Race

When I was about 7 years old, I went on a trip with my family to a very dominated white community. My family is dark skinned which is a contrast to my very light skin. During this trip, we went to the grocery store and received dirty looks and rude mannerisms. I was confused and scared because I grew up in a hispanic dominated city and never had a problem with skin color. I have talked about this experience because it was something I was unfamiliar with given that where I live and surrounding cities are all Latinos/Hispanics. This opened my eyes to how different it is outside of the bubble I lived in. It also made me realize how scared people live every single day facing things like this daily.

Theme 3: Positive Sense of Self Brainstorming

The connections between having a positive sense of self and experiences with identity and race can be beneficial. If you are comfortable in your skin and know who you are, no matter what someone says, you know your truth. I think someone who has a negative view of one's self can still have a positive ethnic identity. I think this because you can be proud of where you come from and your culture but still be self conscious.

1. I think it is well and alive in today's African American culture. Some of the principles of Ubuntu is community and justice. African American families and communities are very serious and passionate when it comes to these things. There many parades and other things to celebrate this.

2. One of the similarities between African American cultures and African culture is hip hop. Hip Hop has been passed down by generations as a from of oral communication. This was due to laws that permitted slaves from learning how to read and write. A difference is African American culture lost traditions during the socialization process. They were more socialized in this country making traditions lost along the way.

   THEME 2: 7 Concepts of Afrocentric Psychology

   1. The concept I have chosen that i see most in the African American community is Maafa. This is the word used to describe the enslavement of Africans by Europeans. The maafa was designed to oppress,

      humiliate, and destroy African people. Critical to maafa is the denial of the humanity of Africans. I chose this concept because there has been multiple injustices done and parades fighting for the equality of African Americans.

   2. When reading the 7 principles of Nguzo Saba, I was able to relate it to an example. Once i reached Inclusive metaphysical epistemology, I was unable to provide an example. I think this principle is least present in African American culture. This principle means the use of both affective and cognitive syntheses of information as a way of knowing. Reality is not limited to what is understood by the five senses, and rational logic is not the only way of obtaining knowledge.

      THEME 3: 7 Principles of Nguzo Saba

      1. Kujichagulia (self-determination): To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves, and speak for ourselves. I think this is very important to help yourself and every one around you. I think this is very common in African American community because they are constantly trying to better themselves and make a name for themselves. They are trying new things and creating businesses to "make it out".

Behavioral Measures I chose language use patterns, food preferences, and friendship. In my house we speak spanish and english, my grandparents only speak spanish so this is very important to my culture. Food preferences is a big part of my culture. The food I eat on a daily basis is mostly mexican food and it is my favorite food. It brings my family together and it all holds history. I chose friends because all of my friends were more or less raised the same as me being first generation and spanish speaking.

I chose self identification of preferred ethnic group for Subjective Measures because i never had a problem identifying as hispanic/latina.

For Situational Contextual Measures I chose community. I chose this because in the city i live in as well as surrounding cities it is very hispanic/ latino heavy. This made me feel welcomed and comfortable having a community around me that all shared the same history.

3.2: My multigroup ethnic identity measure score is 40. To me this means that I have very in touch and proud of who I am and where I come from. I think this means I have a strong bond because I really only had 2 number 2's. Nothing really surprised me about this analysis.

3.3: My score for the self esteem scale was 16. It stated that My score was average, I think I can work on it because there is always room for improvement. I think it is that score because there was some parts that I could be better at. for example being satisfied with myself. I am trying to be better and not 100% where i want to be.

3.4: I believe that I am in the internalization stage. I believe this because I am comfortable and proud of who I am. I am less defensive, I always felt like i was having to defend who I am and my culture but now I am happy and accepting.

May 14, 2025

Psych 110

Racial Autobiography Outline

      I.         Introduction Paragraph: Definition of Race

1. Introduction Statement: Race is a social construct used to categorize people based off physical characteristics.

2. Is race biological or social? Race is formed by society making it a social construct rather than biological.
   
   

     II.         Body Paragraph 1: Self-Assessments/Scores/Analysis

2. Main point 1: Multidimensions of Ethnic Self Identification

   1. Supporting Detail: For Behavioral Measures one of the categories I chose was language. It is a big part of who I am and my culture.

3. Main point 2: Multi-Group Ethnic Identity Measure

   1. Supporting Detail: My score for this self-assessment was 40.
      
      

   III.         Body Paragraph 2: Summary of Stages of Racial Identity Development & Life Examples

3. Main point 1: Immersion/Emersion

   1. Supporting Detail: I was always trying to prove that I was Hispanic/Latino but have now learned that I do not need to prove anything.

4. Main point 2: Internalization Stage

   1. Supporting Detail: I am proud of who I am and comfortable in my skin.
      
      

   IV.         Body Paragraph 3: Post Racial Society Critical Analysis

4. Main point 1: We are not in a post racial society.

   1. Supporting Detail: There had to be a law implemented to keep discrimination happening at jobs.

5. Main point 2: Our President is attacking people based on race.

   1. Supporting Detail: He is challenging birth right citizenship as well as deporting citizens.
      
      

    V.         Conclusion Paragraph

5. Summary statement: Race can be a superpower if you are comfortable and confident with who you are. Do not let someone else use your superpower against you.  

6. Closing Statement: Race is still used to determines someone’s worth and value today.

Resource: https://www.embracerace.org/resources/recording-and-resources-understanding-racial-ethnic-identity-development

1. I think biases and stereotypes is a huge factor in why there are low numbers. Some people are unknowingly bias and this can lead to who you think can and can't succeed in STEM.

2. Teachers play an important role. They should make the students feel confident and supported in school to help them reach their goals. Like the speaker had said, her geometry teacher made her feel trusted and smart.

3. It affects the negatively. Young students are the most vulnerable, because during this time they are trying to find out who they are and how to be comfortable in their own skin. They need a lot of reassurance from adults such as, parents, teachers, coaches, and whoever plays a major role in their lives. Teachers see them for a large part of their day so they need to feel valued, supported, and that they really are smart.

4. This contributes to imposter syndrome because they start to self doubt. In the article, the girl was stereotyped and believed to be testing for the special education simply by looking at her. She was in fact there to test for the ACT.

5. People need to feel represented and supportive. Stereotypes really are harmful whether joking or not. They need to feel as though they are enough and they can do it.

6. One thing that I learned is how much representation does matter. The speaker was extremely smart and proved it, but still felt she like she wasn't enough because she was all alone in Harvard.

   
   

   Theme 2

   1. Imposter syndrome is a psychological experience which makes you self doubt and believe that your achievements are deserved.

   2. It affects them negatively. It makes them believe that will not do or say anything right. They start to question why they are even there and that they will not make it in life.

   3. It brings down their self esteem and adds on to stress they are already facing. You start to believe you are not as capable as other people at your workplace.

   4. Women are holding out on opportunities and reaching greater areas because of stereotypes.

   5. People need to be more welcoming and let go of the stereotypes. They have worked hard and are working alongside you because they are capable and qualified. There also needs to be more representation in all fields for a more diverse workplace.

   6. What stood out to me is that people will doubt and think they can not do the job when they were hired and promoted even because they do their job well. It baffles me how people just don't see the whole picture.

1. Code switching is changing the way someone expresses themselves. This affects their success in life because they have to fit a certain image and talk a certain way in order to get beyond.

2. It threatens diversity because people will try to "fit in" and lose their culture and who they are. They will change themselves to fit the picture of others.

3. The need to be someone else and constantly change can lead to psychological strain. It can cause stress and anxiety.

4. https://www.talkspace.com/blog/code-switching-what-is/

   This resource explains what it is and the types of code switching. It goes more into depth of how negative it can be.

5. There needs to be a deeper understanding of why it is done. People want to be accepted and feel as though they have to change themselves to achieve that.

Theme 2: The language of African American Vernacular English

1. The difference is AAVE is "broken english". It has grammatical and pronunciation features that make it different.

2. Traditionally it is seen as wrong. They believe it to be the wrong way to speak or write. The school in the video was welcoming it.

3. It was help them feel more comfortable and realize that they too can speak both. They will have the representation that they need.

4. https://www.hakimcrampton.com/post/a-fresh-look-at-ebonics-how-are-contemporary-educators-dealing-with-black-vernacular-english-in-tod

   This resource goes more into depth about AAVE.

5. I think people should start to appreciate the language and learn where it came from and started. It is part of history and apart of their culture.

1. African Americans are more likely than any other group to believe in God. They are more likely to go to services weekly as well. They state religion is very important and pray regularly.

2. They state that religion is very important to them and pray regularly. Millennials feel a deep spiritual peace. They are also more likely to read scriptures outside of the service.

3. It promotes overall good mental health. It helps deal with depression and things of that matter.

4. https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/02/16/faith-among-black-americans/

This shows the correlation of African Americans and religion.

1. African American men are live 7 years less than other racial groups. African American adults are 50% more likely to die prematurely from heart disease or a stroke.

2. Health care is either too expensive or just not as good. They eat what they know, even if it is unhealthy because they do not know anything better. They are uneducated on what is good for them and what isn't. This leads to families having diabetes or heart disease.

3. Everyone has to get involved to solve these problems. People need to share the knowledge to help each other out. Healthcare should be affordable to everyone. People should be able to know what foods are good and which cause a higher chance of disease or diabetes.

4. https://tcf.org/content/report/racism-inequality-health-care-african-americans/

5. One thing i found interesting is that some people have to choose between eating or buying their medicine. People should not have to starve in order to have the medicine needed to keep them alive.