The Women’s News article, Photos Probe Spectrum of Female Muslim Identity, describes the diversity among 15 New York women’s social identities. These women were part of a photography class that put together an exhibit depicting their lives as Muslim American women. The purpose of the project was to celebrate their multicultural identity and to diminish the stereotypes they faced. Some of the photos depicted the women representing normal-everyday American life. These included photos of their children playing in a yard and other family moments. In contrast some photos displayed aspects of their strict religious and ethnic values. Other images portrayed the pervasive discrimination the women face. The compilation of the various photos could suggest
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I am a second generation Mexican American. Although, as a youth, I rarely inserted Mexican before American when describing myself. I was a late in life child. My parents grew up in a time prior to the Civil Rights Movement, when cultural assimilation was forced strongly upon them. Consequently, I was raised not being taught to speak Spanish, and my cultural identity lacked Mexican heritage influence. Moreover, my peers who identified as Mexican excluded me from that social circle. This shaped my values, which were centered on “White American” ideals. The conservative nature of the area I grew up, also cultivated my early formation of values. Though I now believe my earlier views were somewhat narrow minded, I am thankful for having the experience of contrast when compared to my present life. Having served in the military, I was fortunate to be exposed to a rich variety of cultures. During this time, I was also exposed to beliefs of intolerance and bigotry, some subtle and others blatant. These contrasting experiences shaped my attitude of how I should strive to treat others with equality. I began to realize how my preconceived ideas formed stereotypes, as described by Crawford (2012, Ch. 3), which effected the way I treated others. I eventually grew to learn how the inequities that I faced were similar to other groups. Groups expanding beyond ethnicity, such as gender, religion and orientation. This helped me to understand how I could better my future judgement and
I am a second generation Mexican American. Although, as a youth, I rarely inserted Mexican before American when describing myself. I was a late in life child. My parents grew up in a time prior to the Civil Rights Movement, when cultural assimilation was forced strongly upon them. Consequently, I was raised not being taught to speak Spanish, and my cultural identity lacked Mexican heritage influence. Moreover, my peers who identified as Mexican excluded me from that social circle. This shaped my values, which were centered on “White American” ideals. The conservative nature of the area I grew up, also cultivated my early formation of values. Though I now believe my earlier views were somewhat narrow minded, I am thankful for having the experience of contrast when compared to my present life. Having served in the military, I was fortunate to be exposed to a rich variety of cultures. During this time, I was also exposed to beliefs of intolerance and bigotry, some subtle and others blatant. These contrasting experiences shaped my attitude of how I should strive to treat others with equality. I began to realize how my preconceived ideas formed stereotypes, as described by Crawford (2012, Ch. 3), which effected the way I treated others. I eventually grew to learn how the inequities that I faced were similar to other groups. Groups expanding beyond ethnicity, such as gender, religion and orientation. This helped me to understand how I could better my future judgement and