Reflection On Andrew Manzo

I am Andrew Manzo, a male, mixed race, middle-upper class, and homosexual student at Pace University. The interlocking systems of gender, race and class have disproportionately shaped every aspect of my life from the choices I have had to make, the choices I was unable to make, and even my personality. Our gender is a large part of who we are in America. I cannot recount any incident where my gender has played a role in a negative way for me. As a male I need to recognize the struggle that all female, transgender and gender non-conforming people deal with everyday. And more importantly, I need to recognize my own privilege as a male. I have an endless amount of choices being male. I don’t have to deal with being catcalled, being considered …show more content…
Not a single day goes by that myself, or any other person of color isn’t forced to think about our race. Coming from a mixed race background, I find myself thrown into the middle of all race arguments. I have been discriminated as a Latino, as a white person, and as a black person. Whether it’s a white person telling me that I’m black, or a black person telling me that I’m white, or a Latino person telling me that I’m not Latino because I don’t speak Spanish, I have been discriminated against in all aspects of my race. As a minority I’m always concerned that someone has preconceived ideas about me. Stereotypes plague minorities all over the world. Countless times in high school I was called a “beaner” or a “gardener”. Also, people constantly think that I’m either Mexican or Puerto Rican, even though I’m Ecuadorian. Whenever anything involving a Latino would be brought up in my high school, I was always looked at and expected to speak on behalf of the entire race. Going to a predominantly white private school, I was constantly put on trial for my race. Many students didn’t think I should have been at that school, and I was asked multiple times if I was there on scholarships, even though my parents paid the cost out of pocket. Also, as a Latino looking individual, people are always expecting me to speak Spanish. Almost everywhere I go I’ve encountered someone who attempts to speak to me in Spanish. I also always have to deal with strangers on the street asking me what my ethnicity is, or where my family is from. Although I deal with the everyday struggles of being a minority, I also find privilege in having a European sounding name. There have been a few times when someone has said to me that they had assumed I was white simply because my name is Andrew. And, having an Italian last name has also benefited me in ways because some people automatically