Personal Narrative: Discrimination Among Immigrants

My ancestors constantly had to either push against the boundaries discrimination confined them in, or try to hide their culture entirely. This caused their sense of security to deteriorate. This is one of the main differences between my ancestors and I, they lived in fear and struggled because of their identities, whereas I am hardly aware of my own, and society has not forced me to be aware of it, to try to hide it, or to act any differently because of it. When my family immigrated to Canada they changed their name, possibly from Obertas but no one is certain what it originally was, to O’Bertos, to try to mask their Ukrainian heritage. The ones still here are much more concerned and frightened when they see discrimination, whether it is in …show more content…
Education became highly valued as well, because it was seen as the only way to break out of poverty. My grandfather attended the University of Saskatchewan with hardly enough money to survive. The professors there were kind enough to let him sleep in the top part of the chicken barns, and eat some of the eggs. My father also attended the university, and I will as well. The trauma the Holodomor caused to millions of people is horrific, and although signs of intergenerational trauma are evident, my family is healing. My great grandparents were devastated, my grandparents were impacted negatively, my father remembers the pain his ancestors went through and cares about it, and I feel little connection to it at all. This is the main difference in my sense of Canadian identity compared to my ancestor’s. I feel safe in Canada, and I know it is one of the safest places to live. My ancestors never felt safe, and they were uncertain if Canada would offer them protection. This key difference is integral to my sense of Canadian identity, because by being in an environment I feel secure in I am more free to explore, to learn, and to develop my own self image as well my place in