Racial Identity Formation

Racial Identity Formation and Transformation
Ward
I enjoyed reading this article but I want to know about identity formation of girls of color who are in inner-city high schools since that is the population I will be teaching. I wonder if African American women in these settings still see themselves as a member of a devalued group as the girls in this study felt. Generally do they have a positive sense of self? I think its important to prepare these young men and women of the inner-city in dealing with demographics that are unlike their own. This means they have to have a strong self-identity so that they don’t lose who they are wherever they go. I understand that people change and transform over time with different experiences but it’s important for a woman of color to understand that they will be dealing in settings that are highly competitive. The reason I say this is because I went through the same thing in high school and I didn’t have a support group of teachers or friends who could provide the necessary skills and resources for me to cope with these issues. Also, I don’t think I had a clear grasp on who I was myself and therefore I began to question who I was and measured myself according to the white standard.
I felt that I could relate to the experiences these girls went through but my high school context was different. Although I went to a diverse high school I was constantly dealing with trying to stay true to myself and my culture all the while being successful in school and sometimes being looked at as “white washed.” It was hard trying to fit into both domains especially when I as involved in DECA, an association of marketing students, and was a State Officer. The position put me in a role where I had to travel all over Wisconsin and facilitate workshops and get to know other marketing students. It was tough because I dealt with groups of people whom I wasn’t familiar with, especially because I lived in the inner-city all my life and I wanted to fit into both worlds. I had to learn the hard way and I hope that when I become a teacher I can instill a global perspective on my students so that they know how they can contribute to their own community and how they fit into society. I'm not exactly sure how that will look like or how I can implement something into my curriculum