I’m Tiffany. I’m 14 years old. I live in a small house in New York state. I live with my mom and twin sister. I’m a black biracial cisgender female who has brown eyes and a lot of freckles. I have curly hair and have grown to love it, slowly, over time. I love to read and bake. I love to dance with my friends and I write terrible poetry that only I will ever read. All of that is who I am… AND SO MUCH MORE.
You get to decide which identities you will share with the world and how you’ll do so. You get to choose how to name your identities.
Your identity grows and changes just like you. There are some things that are static and stay with you always. My skin color and the many freckles I have on my face have been with me for as long as I can remember and will continue on with me until I am 103+!
There are other parts of us that can change (even daily). I can wear my hair up or down, braided or straight; I can change the color and the length–it’s all up to me.
MANY OTHERS WILL TRY TO GET YOU TO FIT INTO AN IMAGINARY BOX.
This box includes what we call “the dominant culture.” If you are white, upper middle class, cisgender male, educated, athletic, neurotypical, and/or able-bodied, you are in this box. (We’ll go through all of these in the next chapter.)
If you do not fit into this box, you are considered to be a part of what’s called the “subordinate culture.” Folx included in the “subordinate culture”, include Black, Brown, Indigenous People of Color of the Global Majority, queer, transgender, and nonbinary folx, and cisgender women, youth, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, and non-Christian folks, neurodiverse folx, folx living with disabilities, those living in poverty, and more. There are many more who exist outside of this imaginary box than those who fit inside it.
The dominant culture is what has been considered “normal” and this “normal” has been created and is maintained by those who are in the box. It is this version of normal that has shaped how we see ourselves and the world around us.
Comprehension Questions
1. What is the main point of the author in this passage?
A. To love ourselves.
B. To change ourselves as much as we can.
C. Many people have been ignored and left out of mainstream culture.
A. Because China has such a big population.
B. Because there are so many Christians in this world.
C. People of color outnumber whites in worldwide population statistics.
Your Thoughts
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.