African American Identity

America has a huge history of people passing themselves off as a different race or gender. People in America have been passing since the early 1800’s so this is nothing new to the United States. The ultimate question is “why do people feel the need to pass as another race/ethnicity?” Some may feel the need to be accepted by others is why they pass or that being a different race has its privileges to society. Brandon Skyhorse was a Mexican American whose mother had convinced or set in his head what she had wanted him to be which was a an American Indian. As a child he had no idea that he wasn’t an American Indian but, as growing up he started to see different things. For example, his grandmother would try to teach him Spanish any chance she …show more content…
Skyhorse growing up I was always around African American people which is my race I haven’t really experienced an circumstance where it made me really know who I was until I learned about slavery. Slavery really opened my eyes on where Blacks truly came from and made me want to explore more about where my ancestors are from. Now that I am older I wouldn’t want to be any other race besides black after I witness all the great blacks have contributed to this country. According to Erik Erickson stages of development from childhood to adulthood I feel as if Brandon Skyhorse is still stuck in the Identity vs. Role of confusion. During this stage, adolescents search for a sense of self and personal identity, through an intense exploration of personal values, beliefs, and goals. Even after he found out that he was a Mexican American he still wanted to go by as Native American now I understand that he has been conditioned to be that way and it may be easier for him but, that should make him want to learn and engage in more of his culture. He began to form his own identity within society to be accepted more. On the other hand, you are turning your back on your real identity. “Erikson says pressuring someone into an identity can result in rebellion in the form of establishing a negative identity, and in addition to this feeling of unhappiness.” In this story of Brandon Skyhorse his mother forcing him to an identity didn’t have a