It was at that moment that I also realized that whatever I decided to think will affect what I did later on in life. Many of my future choices will be decided by my decision in that moment. At that moment, I decided not to hate the police and to reevaluate the “them vs us” mentality. Now, this is not to say that I fully trusted the policing system in America, if nothing else, after this incident I realized just how important my racial identity was to my everyday life. And nor do I believe that all police officers are bad. But, I was now acutely aware of the conflict and tension within my community and how it will affect my life. And I also become aware of how badly I wanted to erase that line.
Who I am and what I experienced can be traced to that incident (along with others). I understood that my social identifications (African American, lower-class, feminist/womanist, and woman) were inseparable from my life. I started accepting proudly and with grace the ghetto mantra. I saw the strength, culture, and necessity of those characteristics. I should not be ashamed of my loudness, aggressiveness, and boldness. And nor would I allow others negativity to take me down. My multiple experiences of being put in life threatening situations has affected how I express myself. Sometimes you have to say what needs to be say, even if …show more content…
Tradition just means that people are used to certain beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes being the norm—and this has not to do with right or wrong. Also, I have learned to proudly be myself. I have learned to be me and to always accept myself, even if others do not accept it. I would rather live my life being me; rather than to live my life being what others want me to be or become. But, I also learned to understand that other people’s cultural norms differ from mine, so my beliefs/life messages might not be realistically achievable for
Who I am and what I experienced can be traced to that incident (along with others). I understood that my social identifications (African American, lower-class, feminist/womanist, and woman) were inseparable from my life. I started accepting proudly and with grace the ghetto mantra. I saw the strength, culture, and necessity of those characteristics. I should not be ashamed of my loudness, aggressiveness, and boldness. And nor would I allow others negativity to take me down. My multiple experiences of being put in life threatening situations has affected how I express myself. Sometimes you have to say what needs to be say, even if …show more content…
Tradition just means that people are used to certain beliefs, behaviors, or attitudes being the norm—and this has not to do with right or wrong. Also, I have learned to proudly be myself. I have learned to be me and to always accept myself, even if others do not accept it. I would rather live my life being me; rather than to live my life being what others want me to be or become. But, I also learned to understand that other people’s cultural norms differ from mine, so my beliefs/life messages might not be realistically achievable for