A person’s culture and family history is a very personal thing. In many ways it defines a person and helps them create their own identity. Understanding and being respectful of others cultural identity is also an important aspect of life. These two elements of life, my cultural identity and the identity of others will not only affect me in my personal life, but also in my future career as a counselor.
As culture and family history goes I am a great mix of many things. On my father’s side, my grandmother’s parents emigrated here from Ireland. My grandfather’s parents both came to the United States from Italy. When looking at my mother’s side, my grandfather’s family was also from Ireland and Scotland. I do not know much about how or why these different branches of my family came to the United States, but I can imagine it was for the same reason as so many others did, because it was thought of as the land of opportunity.
My mother however was first generation born in the United States on …show more content…
One day when I was older I got extremely upset by some of the remarks he was saying over dinner. To my families surprise and terror, I asked him how he would feel if I brought over a boyfriend to meet him who was black. I wanted to know if he would respect me enough to accept us into his home. Sadly he responded by saying something I will never repeat. After a huge argument, we left dinner early with me in tears.
Although I loved my grandfather, for much of my early life, he was the first and only one who exposed me to racism. What I can and did take from that was seeing just how hateful and negative it was. I learned that nothing positive could come out of being that way because it is only meant to hurt others. What I remember most about that however, was how it felt and the energy that came along with it. I knew that I never wanted to be that way, or ever make others feel that
As culture and family history goes I am a great mix of many things. On my father’s side, my grandmother’s parents emigrated here from Ireland. My grandfather’s parents both came to the United States from Italy. When looking at my mother’s side, my grandfather’s family was also from Ireland and Scotland. I do not know much about how or why these different branches of my family came to the United States, but I can imagine it was for the same reason as so many others did, because it was thought of as the land of opportunity.
My mother however was first generation born in the United States on …show more content…
One day when I was older I got extremely upset by some of the remarks he was saying over dinner. To my families surprise and terror, I asked him how he would feel if I brought over a boyfriend to meet him who was black. I wanted to know if he would respect me enough to accept us into his home. Sadly he responded by saying something I will never repeat. After a huge argument, we left dinner early with me in tears.
Although I loved my grandfather, for much of my early life, he was the first and only one who exposed me to racism. What I can and did take from that was seeing just how hateful and negative it was. I learned that nothing positive could come out of being that way because it is only meant to hurt others. What I remember most about that however, was how it felt and the energy that came along with it. I knew that I never wanted to be that way, or ever make others feel that