My Cultural Identity Analysis

I believe that many different factors throughout my life have contributed to my cultural identity. Our cultural identity plays a huge role in who we are and how accepting we are of different cultures. I have also considered myself very accepting of different cultures and ethnicities. I always knew racism existed but has not directly affected me until I met my African American husband. We have been married for four years and have a two-year-old son together as well as a nine-year-old daughter that I have from a previous relationship. My daughter has indicated that students in her class have asked her if she was adopted after seeing her with my husband. My husband and I have gotten stares and ugly remarks made towards us. I worry about

I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school from kindergarten through eighth grade. I was taught that God created everything. I now find myself often questioning what I was taught as a child. I believe that there is a higher power but I am not sure that he created everything. I do believe that everyone has their own view of the world and that all the different perspectives are valuable. My view of reality is diverse and undefined. Everyone should be able to be themselves and have their own views without fear of judgement. Society plays a huge role in how some individuals see the world. I believe that my locus of responsibility is a mix between internal and external. I believe that both the individual and society contribute to the individual. I think that every situation is circumstantial and depends on the choice the individual makes. I also believe the same for locus of control. I do not believe that I fit into one of the four combinations from Sue that are mentioned in the book. Again, I feel like circumstances are

I remember at a young age when my biological father was a part of my life he established three rules and would make me repeat them often; no blacks, no earrings, and no tattoos. These were the three rules I was suppose to adhere to when selecting a partner. At a very young age every time he would ask me his three rules I would recite them. At age five, he and my mother divorced which I consider a blessing because he no longer was a big part of my life and these rules were no longer reiterated. Kindergarten through eighth grade I went to a small private school. There was very little cultural diversity. I think in our eighth-grade class of forty there were only two people of color. We were not taught about different cultures or the importance of acceptance. We did not celebrate things such as Black History Month or anything else that embraced cultural differences. I never really thought about my whiteness or how it affected me or the people around me. In middle school is when I had my first African American boyfriend. I remember my biological father being very upset and not speaking to me. When he finally did start speaking to me, he made jokes and remarks degrading my boyfriend. This relationship continued throughout high school and my father refused to meet him. I went to a public high school where I was slapped in the face with diversity. This is