What I Don t Have A Single Identity - 1907 Words

Daughter, student, journalist, sister, Catholic, middle-class -- that s just scratching the surface of what my identity is. As author Barbara Ryan points out, I know I don t have a single identity and I know it is not fixed, but I wasn t quite sure of what identity politics was. Thankfully, Ryan did a great job of explaining how our identities, as well as how we perceive other s identities, or how we allow for people s identities to affect the way we act think of and act toward them, can affect social movements. People s identities can also lead to the fragmentation of people of a social movement who might have a common goal. Reading this introduction and now better understanding how identities can aid in the buffering of people†¦show more content†¦I knew that the ideas I came up with would be difficult to achieve on my own, but I knew that with others, they were plausible. Because I ve has classes with my group members for four years now, I was comfortable enough with gett ing started with my idea sharing right away, but what if I hadn t known these other women as well? Would I have looked at their identities (skin color, socioeconomic status based on how they dressed, etc.), assumed certain things based on those identities, and then let those assumptions get in the group s way of cohesively working toward a common, shared goal? Maybe, and that s scary. Identity is of course important, for it helps us better understand ourselves and each other, but once we let identity create barriers between us and section us off into homogenous groups, such a strong focus on identity can, as Ryan suggests, prevent us from uniting with those working on a similar issue. Women are already marginalized, so let s not marginalize each other even further. That s my goal this semester. Journal Entry # 2: Who Am I If Not My Father s Daughter? Minnie Pratt s usage of a personal anecdote in her piece is a beautiful way to let readers better understand her, her story, her background, and her identity. By showing us a time that made her question her identity, we all feel relief in knowing that we are not the only ones who have