My Ethnic Background

Race can be defined as people who belong to a certain group because they have the same physical characteristics, such as the color of your skin. Ethnicity is known to be defined as a group that is determined through similar distinctive culture, language or religion. One’s ethnic and racial background are key components to defining ones’ individual identity. We are defined by where our ancestors come from. Our ethnicity is based on decades and decades of cultural traditions that have been passed on through generations and generations. Over time each generation inherits their ancestral background from their parents and passes it down to their children and so on. However, as the generations progress many cultural traditions can be dropped creating

I am a daughter of two immigrants. Both of my parents were born in the Dominican Republic. They lived through poverty and made the decision to move to the America in search for a better life and to live the “American Dream”. Around thirty-seven years ago, my father and my mother both came to this country. At just the age of sixteen my father had to leave behind all he knew and start a new life in the United States after his mother, my grandmother past away suddenly. My mother came when she was just twelve years old to join my grandfather who had been working in the United States two years prior. Both were put in this completely different world where they could barely communicate because they didn’t know the language. Life wasn’t easy for my mother and my father. Throughout my father’s teenage years, he had to work hard at school as well as have full time job to help support his family. While my mother had to take care of her younger siblings and go to school while my grandparents struggled to manage multiple jobs. Both my parents settled in New York when they left the Dominican Republic; my father lived in Queens, New York and my mother in Rockville Centre, New

There are many important aspects to our ethnicity such as, music, food, religion, family. Being Hispanic and from the Dominican Republic, music is definitely very important. We are known for the creation of the music and dance style merengue. Merengue is a fast-paced rhythm that is based on the musical instruments such as, the drums, accoridan, and some intrustments only found in the Dominican Republic the tambura and the güira. Every get together is practically a party. Food is equally as important, we have a variety of different Dominican cuisines that have been passed down from generations. Our food is influences by Spanish, African and Middle – Eastern dishes. Breakfast is definitely considered the most important meal of the day to Dominicans. A typical breakfast would include some mangú; which is mashed plantains, fried salami, fried eyes and fried cheese. Religion is definitely one of or the most important things in my culture. My ethnic identity relies on me going to church every Sunday with my parents. We would go to church on special occasions such as Christmas, Ash Wednesday and Easter. Since I was little my parents have always taught me that church is very important and that God is always watching over you and protecting you. In our ethnicity, church is really all we know. When I was, younger I would attend Sunday school every Sunday where I learned about God and Jesus as well as attended church. I think if I