By mtejan
I am Texan but I was born in Kentucky. I am Texan but I am not a republican. But still, I am a Texan. I am not apart of many of the stereotypes associated with Texas. I was born in Kentucky but I was raised in Dallas, TX. Texans are people with immense pride in their state, their culture, and their history. Although I am not a born Texan, I absolutely consider myself one of them. It is interesting how being from Texas impacts so many aspects of my life, however, I suppose one’s hometown always has a heavy weight on their life. My experiences growing up have shaped who I am today and I was raised to always have pride in where I come from. Many people have preconceived notions about what Texans are like and I love to be the person who proves them wrong. Not all Texans carry guns, ride horses, or live in small towns. I love Tex-Mex, the state fair, and the Texas flag.
I am an American. I was born and raised in the United States. I sing the national anthem and say the pledge of allegiance. However, my mother is an Irish immigrant and my father is a Sierra Leonean immigrant and I am a citizen of the two nations. People are always so surprised when I tell them about my background but I wear my culture with pride. I do not think my mixed culture makes me any less American. The United States is a nation built on immigrants of course. I do think though that input of the two cultures has given me a unique perspective on American life. I am so incredibly grateful to live in the US but also to have been able to travel to both Ireland and Sierra Leone and see where I come from. I can understand more about myself and my history which has helped me feel more comfortable in my own skin. I think being mixed with three diverse cultures has also fueled my academic endeavors in International Affairs and given me a curiosity about different cultures.
I am black but I am also white. My race has always been a source of confusion for myself. Am I African-American? I was born in the US and I am a black woman living here. Am I African? I am a part of West African culture and history. Can I identify as white? I am just as much white as I am black and grew up in a predominantly white community. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about my race. Speaking with other individuals who are mixed race, it seems they have similar feelings. It is difficult for me to feel fully accepted in both the black and white communities because of the differences in privilege. I acknowledge that I have a certain level of privilege in the black community because I am light skinned. However, no one will ever look at the color of my skin and say I am white so how could I every fully identify with that community? I would never say I am uncomfortable with who I am. I am so proud of who I am, what I have done, and where I come from. All I can say is that when I come across a question about my ethnicity, I definitely stop and think.
My history and my experiences are what make up my identity. I am a woman. I am passionate. I am curious and open-minded. I am independent. And after my time in Madrid, I will be a Spanish-speaker.