My race, ethnicity, and culture has all played a valuable role in crafting how I think and behave in this world. If it was not for my parent's parenting skills I would not be the woman I am today. I have learned through taking this class that race, ethnicity, and culture are three separate constructs that are easily misinterpreted to mean the same thing. Race is the biological construct based on phenotype and skin color (Bigner & Gerhardt 2014). My race is black. Ethnicity is defined to be groups of people who identify themselves as interconnected because of shared history, nationality, or ancestry (Bigner & Gerhardt 2014). I identify my ethnicity as African, Nigerian to be exact. Culture places emphasis on values, beliefs, customs, and traditions (Bigner & Gerhardt 2014). My cultural identity is African.
I was brought up in a Nigerian culturized home right here in America. My parents never shied away from their culture even after immigrating to the states. Ever since I could remember, it was mainly my father who instilled in me the importance of my culture, race, and ethnicity. My father’s favorite thing to say to us growing up before giving us a life talk …show more content…
The way my foreign parents viewed things such as dating, studying, and hanging out with friends brought forth some challenges in my life because it contrasted with my peer’s parent’s views. I was not always able to relate with my peers due to the fact that I did not experience the same activities their families allowed them to partake in. I was not always able to hang out on weekends and do exciting things such as going out to the bowling alley, amusement parks, movie theaters with friends because my father always wanted me to be studious. Some days as a child, I did feel like an outcast because of this. But I always knew that my father was only trying to prepare me for success so that I could continue the legacy of
I was brought up in a Nigerian culturized home right here in America. My parents never shied away from their culture even after immigrating to the states. Ever since I could remember, it was mainly my father who instilled in me the importance of my culture, race, and ethnicity. My father’s favorite thing to say to us growing up before giving us a life talk …show more content…
The way my foreign parents viewed things such as dating, studying, and hanging out with friends brought forth some challenges in my life because it contrasted with my peer’s parent’s views. I was not always able to relate with my peers due to the fact that I did not experience the same activities their families allowed them to partake in. I was not always able to hang out on weekends and do exciting things such as going out to the bowling alley, amusement parks, movie theaters with friends because my father always wanted me to be studious. Some days as a child, I did feel like an outcast because of this. But I always knew that my father was only trying to prepare me for success so that I could continue the legacy of