Finding Your Identity
A Critical Reflection on “Sabrina Needs her Identity Back” and “Desde Entonces Soy Chicana”
What?
We all yearn to belong. We all discover ourselves through good and bad experiences that mold us into the people we aspire to be. In both readings, “Sabrina Needs her Identity Back” and “Desde Entonces Soy Chicana”, two women have different perspectives and reasonings about whether they associate with being called Mexican-American or Chicana. In “Desde Entonces Soy Chicana,” Nelda is an eleventh grader who came to the United States three years before being interviewed by Angela Valenzuela. During the interview Valenzuela finds out that Nelda was given books from her mother and has realized her identity by reading Rodolfo Acuña’s book, Occupied America. Valenzuela then states,
“Clearly, Nelda’s passion for history and her desire to understand more fully the sources of both Mexicans’ and Chicanas/os’ oppression was gripping. The fact that she bore at least some of the emblems… helps explain her rapid transformation into a Chicana against the historical and institutional odds of her doing so” (Valenzuela, 182).
From being informed about the history of the Chicano movement, Nelda has gladly accepted being known as Mexican and a Chicana.
“Although she was exposed to a lot of criticism about Chicanas/os, even in her own family, Nelda felt that through reading history she had come to see their struggles as her own. Nelda further explained that while she will always consider herself Mexican, she sees herself as different from other Mexicans who “look down” on Chicanos. Thus, she manages the dual identities of Mexican and Chicana without seeing any conflict between the two” (Valenzuela, 181).
In “Sabrina Needs her Identity Back,” Peter Orner describes Lorena, a 22-year-old college student from Puebla, Mexico who arrived in the United States when she was 6-years-old. Lorena states, “I’m Mexican. That’s where I was born, and that’s legally my citizenship. Or, I guess I’m Mexican-American. I love both countries. I love my heritage. It’s beautiful, and it’s old” (Orner, 199). She also explains why she chooses not to be described as Chicana or Latina. Lorena describes how she believes that being deemed Latina makes her feel as if she is seen to have an attitude or be a troublemaker (Orner, 199). And she describes how being Chicana has a connotation of “always protesting for something” or “always being angry at something or somebody” (Orner, 199).
Both women have different perspectives regarding what culture they associate with. It is essential to have these perceptions to help with self-identification.
So What?
When one realizes other’s perceptions of them, it affects what they think about themselves. In Nelda’s case, she recognizes her autonomy by stating “Desde entonces soy Chicana.” By embracing her Chicana and Mexican identity, she now associates herself with “…biculturalism and the Chicano movement ideology of seeking social justice and a right to self-determination for Mexican Americans” (Valenzuela, 181). By acknowledging her identity, Nelda is able to find belonging in a group that she shares ideas with. Valenzuela observes,
“Nelda’s case strongly suggests the role that ideology can play in mediating the assimilation of adolescents. Armed with excellent literacy skills and empowering historical knowledge, Nelda demonstrated the capacity both to achieve and to blend in within her social milieu” (Valenzuela, 182).
On the other hand, Lorena chooses to be deemed as simply Mexican-American based on her perceptions of being called Latina or Chicana. It is her personal opinion to oppose being called Latina or Chicana based on the discourses she connects with both cultures. Lorena may also choose to be Mexican-American based on not wanting to draw too much attention to herself based on her undocumented status. Her main goal is to pursue education and to study medicine. She is not like Nelda who is interested in the ideology of the Chicano movement for social justice. Both women are influenced by the environment they grew up in and found themselves through learning and realizing their goals.
Now What?
The community partner I chose is Catholic Charities Kids Club in the Canal area of Marin. Kids Club is an after school program students grades 1st through 6th can attend. The main focus of this program is to aid families and children in need of assistance with schoolwork and care. During our training at Kids Club, the faculty disclosed to us figures and statistics that state facts about how the Canal area consists of individuals with the lowest economic statuses, mortality rates, and education achievements. We were also informed about how the children in the Canal area live in cramped apartments with multiple family members and may not have a place to concentrate on homework after school. The main goal Kids Club would like to help is to decrease the educational and achievement gap in this area of Marin. Most of the children in the program are reading at a grade lower than they are deemed. The faculty in the program make sure that the students are on track with finishing daily homework and comprehending the material they are given to read.
During my freshman year experience with Service Learning at Venetia Valley I was very surprised to witness the opposite effect with the students. The class I was assigned to was a class for students whose first language was Spanish and were reading English at a grade level lower than fifth grade. One day I experienced two students speaking to each other in Spanish and the teacher yelled at them and told them to stop. This experience truly surprised me since I see nothing wrong with the students speaking a language they are most comfortable with. The tone the teachers had when telling the students to stop made it seem like what they were doing was a bad thing. I wish I had asked why it was not appropriate for them to speak Spanish in class, but I remember being very shocked during the matter. I can imagine that these children may face the same identity crisis that both Nelda and Lorena experienced living in America. Through education and experience, I know that the children who encounter this dilemma will realize their true identities.
