Racial Identity Theory

I believe that the Racial Identity Theory is a great way of viewing the changes that one may feel when they are dealt with racial oppression. Although it is not the only way of viewing racial identity and how it is dealt with, it is incredibly insightful as it does offer a perspective. I believe this is so because my past self would have been able to identify with many of the stages. My current standing can also identify with the final stage. 

As I grew up, I found myself learning and changing, just like the many stages of the racial identity theory described. I currently find myself in the integrative awareness stage, allowing me to explore other facets to my personality and life. As a 21 year old college student, I find myself firm in my racial identity. I feel that I no longer have to spend time trying to understand what I identify as anymore. 

I have recently started taking more social ecology classes (I am a biological sciences major), and I find myself being surrounded with a much different world. In the physicals sciences, addressing racial issues is a very rare thing. However, in the field of social ecology, I'm suddenly surrounded by it. This quarter, I'm taking my first anthropology class and one of the topics we are currently covering is that of race. I've come to learn that it is a social construct (never really thought about that before), and that it is a prison cage that humans have put on ourselves that limits our capabilities. I strongly believe in this concept. I currently identify as an Asian-American because I feel that in order to allow myself to be who I am, I must identify with all my roots, including my blood as well as where I am born (America). However, I think there is one more liberating step above being able to identify as a hybrid. The final step is to truly identify as a human, no longer imprisoned by race, but by one unified species.

Who Am I?

In at least 200 words (feel free to write more if you feel compelled),
write about who you are in the context of your racial/ethnic identity. You
may find it helpful to reflect on yesterday's discussion on race/ethnicity
and the racialization of Asian Americans in the U.S. Think about personal
experiences (i.e., K-12 education, family upbringing, college experience)
you’ve had that have led to your understanding of these concepts.

My name is Albert Luo, a Chinese/Taiwanese-American. I am the first generation in my family to be truly called an American. By stating that I am a Chinese/Taiwanese-American, there is a lot that must be explained.

To begin with, the Chinese and Taiwanese people are not the friendliest to each other. There is always tension between the two countries, with China exerting pressure onto Taiwan to assimilate it. With that in mind, many Taiwanese and Chinese have strong national pride and generally hate to be confused with the other. However, my parents immigrated (like many other Taiwanese parents) from China to Taiwan in order to escape some of the political conflicts in their childhood. By origin, they are technically Chinese, however, they were born and raised in Taiwan. This is why I consider myself to be Chinese as well as Taiwanese since I believe that we are one and the same, only separated by political conflicts.

Explaining how I am American is a bit rather complicated too. As I am the first generation of my family to be born in America, there is a bit of tension when I am in the presence of immigrants who are my peers in my community. I am referred to as an ABC, an American Born Chinese. Typically, the immigrants look down upon the ABCs as they think of us as uncultured and ignorant, usually passing us off as disrespectful and incomparable to them. However, as an individual ABC, I can say that they are rather unwilling to try and understand the American point of view, as they are not willing to embrace the land that they have decided to move into. The current state of the relationship between ABCs and Chinese/Taiwanese immigrants is strained, and at times, difficult to break the barrier.

Just because I stated that I identify as a Chinese/Taiwanese-American does not mean I do not identify with other ethnic groups. Although my household was meant to be of Chinese/Taiwanese descent, my schooling community was much different. I actually went to school in Orange County while I lived near Rowland Heights (a rather Chinese city). In Orange County, more than 50% of my friends were Korean as I went through school from 1st grade to the 12th grade. I was always over at their houses, so I am very much so familiar with their culture. It was at this time that the immigration of Koreans from South Korea was also very strong so as the 12 years passed, I became incredibly familiar with the Korean lifestyle. The thing I most commonly mention to help understand this is: in my high school's hallways, it would be more common and frequent to hear Korean than English spoken.

Right now, I can say that I strongly identify as a Asian-American, but more specifically, I am Chinese & Taiwanese by blood and American by culture.