Strickland PAGE 4

Riley Strickland

Ms. Caruso

UWRT 1103-001

28 July 2015

The Struggle For Self Identity When You Seem Unidentifiable

Throughout this summer session writing course I have researched into the topic of raising a biracial child and continually circled around the idea of self identity, self worth and confidence. Self identity is the recognition of one's potential and qualities as an individual, especially in relation to social context (Oxford Dictionaries). Without self identity who would we be and what would we consider to be our self worth? How would we relate to one another if we felt no self confidence or similarity between others? These are some of the questions researched and looked into when studying the habits and thoughts of biracial children in society today. My conclusions and research led me to the creation of my genre piece, a drawing that came to me when considering different ways to express self identity and the struggle faced on a day to day basis.

My drawing is not just a sketch to be taken at face value nor is it something with deep symbolism thats hard for someone, say a child, to understand. My piece of work is a compilation of the actions, physical appearance and moods biracial children, as well as many other people are experiencing. There are questions going back and forth in the minds of any tormented, unconfident child as well as strangers attempting to pry into the lives of these children of mixed races in hopes to understand who they are, when, in reality it comes across as rude or arrogant. This picture I have drawn has been made in hopes to make people think, listen and start conversations. This drawing will be held in a childrens museum, in a section dealing with the mind or physical appearances of people. My drawing is an interactive piece; I have written some questions and statements throughout the border of the drawing and want children who come across it to write the questions they ponder over about themselves, or get asked by people around them. As for the actual picture, I hope this depiction of a child covering his face, with questions floating through his head and being asked all around him will be enticing to children of all ages and parents. I dont want this audience to solely be those of mixed races, but everyone, so that all become aware and realize what biracial children might be going through.

How young children perceive and treat people who are different with them says a lot about their upbringing. People like to think and assume that young children are color innocent, that racial and ethnic differences carry little meaning in their lives, and that they are not implicated in the racialized dynamics of society (Powell). While its nice to want to believe children and some people are color innocent its just not the case and thats not necessarily a bad thing. Seeing differences and learning about other types of people is the way to move towards a better and more accepting society, pretending like everyone is the same and not talking about differences leads to problems arising. In short, self theories tell us that the development of the sense of self is a matter of first learning to distinguish oneself from others by means of visual, auditory, and still other perceptual modes (Proshansky, Fabian, Kaminoff). This source that wrote, Place Identity, tells us that how people perceive them self is based off of how they notice they are different or the same as others. With this information I wanted to incorporate something into my drawing that expressed an inner struggle besides hands just covering a face. Expanding on my idea with the thought in mind of how some children may never notice or appreciate their characteristics because they are too worried with how they are observed, I placed questions around the child that point out differences and show how a question or statement that might not have been meant to cause harm, did. Children pick up on everything, and recent studies show that children not only have been introduced to the concept of race but also have learned to base their evaluations of people on race (Park 2011). With young people making assumptions on people and having biases solely based on color of the skin we are back tracking in the progress modern society has made. According to the Census Bureau the number of Americans identifying as two or more races in the 2010 census, increased from 6.8 million to 9 million since the 2000 census (US Census Bureau). With populous numbers like these there needs to be recognition of peoples differences and how to minister to them with respect. The fact that self identity and confidence is an issue with the young people of the world is a red flag within itself. Society needs to build everyone up, not tear them down due to the shade of their skin or their parents background. With a biracial child they will be seen to some as more white or, looking more black which are presumptions in themselves and judgements being made prior to even knowing the person. Judgements and assumptions are learned and heard behaviors that the offender may not even realize they are stating. I wish my drawing will make these people think before they speak and become knowledgable rather than assumptive.

Identity of self and confidence go hand in hand with tensions in society and in the community. Since society often pressures mixed-race individuals to choose just one race because of the outdated one-drop rule which mandated that Americans with any African heritage be classified as black. It wasnt until 2000 that theU.S. Census Bureauallowed citizens to identify as more than one race (Nadra Nittle). Biracial children can experience an inner fight that makes them feel the need to choose a side, the sides being white and black or whatever their races may be. Sanchez talks about how adolescents who do not have a stable racial identity show lower self-esteem. As such, it is vital for mixed race families to speak to their biracial or multiracial children about their mixed race and foster pride in their background (Sanchez et al., 2009). This discussion comes back to expressing the different ethnicities the child belongs to and how parents need to be open to their child and start discussions. Bullying is a concern for most parents as well as society, and we are all aware of the black or white jokes people say, maybe not meaning any harm from them but no matter what they are racist. With biracial children, they can be perceived to others as being white or black solely and then as a result be made extremely uncomfortable from these nasty jokes. This is a focal point of how I hope my drawing will open peoples eyes and minds to what these children are experiencing and shed new light on the matter.

Children in distress over the color of their skin, or discomfort because someone asked what they are I hope will look at my picture and realize they aren't alone. Society is compiled of all types of people, and it takes these people becoming aware and enlightened of all the members who make up our big melting pot in order to succeed. The sketch I have created has the hands, nose and features of a person drawn as black, white and gray to add dimension and let people use their imagination. However, theres another reasoning for my choice in using shading technique and not just coloring in the picture. With people and ancestry, heritage and all the like its never just black and white, there are areas of gray. Areas of gray that take time and discussion to understand and appreciate, it might not come easily or be accepted instantly but its a work in progress.

Works Cited

"Definition of Self-identity in English:." Self-identity: Definition of Self-identity in Oxford Dictionary (American English) (US). Oxford University Press. Web. 27 July 2015.

Greig, Astrea. "Seven Essential Facts about Multiracial Youth." Http://www.apa.org. Web. 14 July 2015.

Nittle, Nadra. "Raising Biracial Children to Be Well Adjusted." About. Web. 13 July 2015.

Park, Caryn. "Young Children Making Sense of Racial and Ethnic Differences: a Sociocultural Approach." American Educational Research Journal. 48.2 (2011): 387-420. Print.

Powell, John. "Race: The Power of an Illusion." PBS. PBS. Web. 28 July 2015.

Proshansky, Harold, Abbe Fabian, and Robert Kaminoff. "Place-identity: Physical World Socialization of the Self." Place-identity: Physical World Socialization of the Self. Elsevier, 1 Mar. 1983. Web. 27 July 2015.

Sanchez, D. T., Shih, M., & Garcia, J. A. (2009). Juggling multiple racial identities: Malleable racial identification and psychological well-being. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 15, 243254. doi: 10.1037/a0014373