We Are All Human Beings.

WHAT: I think that Lorena resists identifying herself as a Latina or a Chicana because she identifies herself as simply Mexican or Mexican-American. She says, “I’m very proud of being Mexican, but being Mexican now is almost taboo” (Orner 198). Nelda, on the other hand, dually identifies with both Mexican and Chicana. Although both Lorena and Nelda choose to identify themselves in that specific way, I believe that they both also strive to truly identify themselves as an American. Both readings contained words about becoming “Americanized.” One reading wrote, “I observed the existence of powerful pressures for immigrants to rapidly assimilate and ‘Americanize’” (Valenzuela 178) and the other stated, “You have to assimilate, you have to become American” (Orner 198). I think that what Lorena meant when she referred to her “job as a human being” was that rather than working to represent her identity and her culture, she worked to represent the future of the human population. Her job as a human being was to treat everyone equally and be seen as an equal to other people. She could have easily said, “my job as a Mexican American, Chicana, or Latina,” which would have served a completely different meaning, but she didn’t. She chose to not only represent, but to identify herself as human beings, as part of the generalized population and not a specific one.

SO WHAT: I think that the specific distinctions between the ethnic identities are important to the young women because it built the foundation of their identity. Each ethnic distinction can display a different perspective or have a negative connotation to others. Lorena says, “I don’t like calling myself Latina, either. Because Latina is like, Latina with an attitude. The fighter Latina, but not the good fighter. The troublemaker. Chicana, the same way. Chicana is ‘Oh, you’re always protesting for something, you’re always angry at something or somebody” (Orner 198–99). Negative connotations like these on those ethnic names can cause people to perceive these individuals like Lorena and Nelda in a negative way. Nelda identifies herself as a Chicana and Mexican. She believes that she is perceived as different because she “had come to see their (Chicana/os’) struggles as her own… [And] she sees herself as different from other Mexicans who ‘look down’ on Chicanos” (Valenzuela 181). Both women work to redefine what it means to be Mexican American in the U.S. by showing that you can still identify with one of the three ethnic groups (Latina, Mexican and Chicana) while becoming Americanized. There is no difference because everyone should be treated equally and no one should be afraid to be who he or she wants to be.

NOW WHAT: The people at my community partner reinforce the cultural and ethnic identities of the people they serve through simply providing the services they can’t afford for free. My partner also reinforces the identities of the individuals they serve by providing plenty of resources for the individuals to use. They make great accommodations to provide language translating services and an easier process to obtain healthcare. Also, my partner treats patients of any race, social class, gender, sexuality, or culture. Everyone is welcome. My community partner does not agree with the current events that affect immigrants. We all agree that everyone deserves a voice and an identity, which gives us all a greater motivation to make an impact and continue working hard to help not only underrepresented individuals, but also the entire population. I don’t think that my positionality has affected my ability to push back against these dominant discourses because I believe that I will always have the strength fight for what I believe in, regardless of my position within power structures.