Yesterday, I finally realized that I have become conscious of stereotypes and assumptions that people make based on looks. I was sitting with a girl from my Biology class, I’ll call her Girl 1, and someone in our Biology lecture, I’ll call her Girl 2, came to sit with us. We started talk about families, […]
Disclaimer: I am only going to focus on my mother’s side of the family because I don’t have a relationship with my father since he got remarried three and half years ago and had another baby three years ago. Also, my grandma was so happy that I was asking her about my family history. She […]
A friend of mine once made a joke that might too accurately sum up how I view life. He said, “Waffles are top priority. School is second.” He went on to change it slightly to say, “Okay, waffles aren’t top. Sleep is top. Then friends, then food in general, then waffles, and then somewhere at […]
I come from generations of working class people. My grandparents as well as my parents grew up and lived in Albania during the communist regime of Enver Hoxha. The country had jobs and prosperity but it was a very limiting time during which those who wanted to pursue or be anything outside of the norm […]
Gjelina translates to “young bride” in Albanian. Ironic considering I am one of the very few in my family to avoid being exactly that. My maternal grandmother, my nona, was born in Lugjej, Dibër, Albania. My maternal grandfather was born in Palaman, Dibër, Albania. My nona was engaged to my grandfather at the age of […]
I never really cared to ask about my family’s history to be honest. Most of what I know is from what I’ve overheard from conversations among family members. I just thought, “Eh, maybe this is all there is to know so why bother ask about it?”. I thought I already knew much of my family’s […]
On 14th of August 1947 the British Vice Roy Lord Mountbatten signed the Partition Plan in which the Indian Subcontinent was divided into the Dominion of Pakistan which included East (which in 1971 became Bangladesh) and West Pakistan and the Union of India. During this partition my grandparents were in their early childhoods. They witnessed […]
I come from an interracial family. We have similar goals in life, particularly about education. After all, opportunity is what is supposed to make America quite appealing. Due to my background, certain opportunities, namely higher education, have been available. My grandfather encouraged my father to pursue higher education, probably because he wasn’t able to. My […]
Notes From a First Generation Pakistani American In August of 1947, approximately fourteen million people were forced to abandon their familial lands and engage in the partition of British India. In this division, religion was the determinant. Hindus and Sikhs hastened inside the newly established borders of India while Muslims went towards their designated state […]
The metaphorical tree of life provides a clear juxtaposition of the events and behaviors following two previous generations in an individual’s cultural makeup. In doing so, the tree provides the individual with a means to reflect upon both the individual’s own ideals and aspirations while forming analogies between those of his or her ancestors. Without […]
Often times, we as people intentionally or inadvertently, forget that who we are is a culmination of our family’s and ancestor’s roots. Each and everyone one has a heritage that is unique. Whether or not someone chooses to embrace their culture and make it part of their identity, is the decision of that individual. Nonetheless, […]
Prior to doing this exercise, I thought I knew all there was to know about my family history. And maybe this is true, but reflecting on my roots really got me thinking about what exactly I felt connected to. And it also really got me thinking about how choices my family had made in the […]
New York’s immigration fueled ethnic heterogeneity and daily economic processes have and will continue to remain reliant on one another as time progresses. This relationship can be described as mutualistic: both mediums benefit from the activities of the other without being hindered by these very same activities. This beneficial cooperation can be seen in play […]
Tracing the trajectory of my familial roots has exposed a trend towards the less traditional, enhanced with each passing generation. I’ve come to recognize the rebellious streak indelibly shaping genes at the heart of my being – perhaps not quite as radical in the eyes of my peers, but certainly drastic within the context of […]
I am so eager to talk about my background history because it really shaped me to who I am today. My parents were both born in Syria in the 1970’s. Life in Syria at that time was not simple. The Syrian Jews established themselves rather well, despite living among the duress of the Syrian government. […]
The quantitative analysis does not lie. “Race at Work,” by by Devah Pager and Bruce Western details an experiment regarding hiring discrimination based on race. The study shows that black and Hispanic men receive significantly less positive call-backs from employers when compared to white men. This trend was found even when white men were portrayed […]
Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Rothschild’s “Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy” illustrates an unfortunate reality that is the result of increasing gender equality and globalization, two supposedly positive events. This makes me question why such seemingly progressive processes have resulting in the creation of undesirable situations for thousands upon thousands of […]
Roots are a part of what defines the individual. My roots are complicated by the fact that my parents’ nationality and culture contrasts with my own. Furthermore, having an identity different from the mainstream American culture have also presented some problems. However, despite the drawbacks, I came to realize that my roots have brought me […]
My name is Batsheva Ettinger. I am a highly motivated, pre-dental, American, Jewish girl. The person I am today is very strongly influenced by my roots. Looking back at my father’s parents who immigrated from Poland and my mother’s parents who were born and raised in Brooklyn, both played a major role in my development […]
There lies great inequality in labor opportunities and wage in America for minorities and women. We claim to have grown as a society and to have become less racist and discriminatory, but when it comes to the job market it is evident that there is still much progress to be made. The inequality becomes evident […]
Both of my parents are immigrants. But contrary to the typical “rags to riches” story that many immigrants have, my parents made their stories sound plain and simple. We overcame this obstacle, but it doesn’t really mean anything. We got this job, we got that job. We raised a family. Although my parents made their […]
What is equality? Can we ever achieve it or is it just a figment of our imagination from a utopian society or more so a communist one? Well to answer these pompous questions one must embark on a journey of self realization and more importantly history. Inequality isn’t a recent issue it has been around […]
I suspect there are some things we just accept to be true, never question, never think about, that we’ve maintained since childhood. Here is a horrible set of assumptions: if a non-white woman is pushing a white baby in a stroller, she is hired help; if a white woman is pushing a non-white baby in a […]
“Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy” by Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Russell Rothschild bring attention to the unfortunate side effects of greater equality for women in the western world. The fact that western women have renounced housework and childcare in favor of paid jobs has triggered an ever-increasing demand for other women […]
