Anna Harris

11/29/2023
ENGL 1050
Prof. Giordano

Author’s Note:

This project showed me that cultural identity isn’t just about race, gender, ethnicity, etc. it can

be numerous things that are part of a person's cultural identity. I wanted this project to focus on

my personal experiences and what has shaped my cultural identity, I also wanted to focus on

what I learned from some of the readings that we read in this class. It’s been a very fun

experience learning all the different cultural identity topics and being able to compare them to

my everyday life. It has also helped me realize that I need to be more vocal when it comes to

certain cultural identity topics and what I can do better and what differences I can make in

society.

Cultural Identity Project

I grew up in a working middle-class family. Both my parents have worked most of their

life and provided for our family, and I’ve continued to be in that social class as an adult. I’ve felt

privileged at times with my social class. I’ve never had to worry about having a roof over my

head or having food on the table because my parents always provided for us, or my husband

and I have provided for ourselves. I’ve always had healthcare accessible to me and never had to

worry about receiving the proper medical care when needed.

 One of my closest friends growing up was a great dancer and she tried out for the Drill

Team of our school and was asked to be on the team. She was very excited about this; I

remember when she came running up in the hallway at school to tell me. Later that day she

went home to tell her parents, that’s when her excitement turned into disappointment. They

were excited she made Drill Team but were unable to afford the cost. She was devastated but

understood because it was something she had always dealt with because her parents always

struggled to make ends meet a lot of the times. I never realized how privileged I was until I

became an adult, but looking back on certain situations growing up I realized that while I never

had to worry, I had friends who did.

One of the articles I read in class was “I Am Not Proof of the American Dream” by Tara

Westover. The article focused on college students and the social class struggles they are faced

with. I think many people can relate to this especially if you're in college, because the struggle is

real. Most college students are juggling a full-time job, sometimes even two in order to provide

for themselves, going to school part-time or full-time and then trying to balance life in general. I

realized once I read this article how lucky I really am. All of my schooling has been paid for, my

husband and I only have to work one job each and are still able to live comfortably. I’m still able

to balance work, school and life without feeling overwhelmed. I know that this isn’t the case for

a lot of students though. My brother-in-law is a great example of this. He has had to move into

his in laws basement because of the student loan debt that he’s in and they never can seem to

get ahead no matter how hard they try. It makes me feel very fortunate that I grew up with

parents who were able give me the opportunity to go after my dreams and to also have that
same lifestyle into my own adult life now. It’s really helped shaped my cultural identity and feel

very appreciative of what I’ve been given.

I never thought I’d compare my own personal cultural identity to disability rights, but

when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease back in 2013, I was faced with things that I never

thought I would experience. I had a great knowledge already about disability rights growing up

and how limited people with disabilities are. I had an aunt who was in a wheelchair for most of

her life and she was faced with unimaginable inequality because of it.

I read the article “If You’re in a Wheelchair, Segregation Lives” by Luticha Doucette. This

author talked about how doing some of the simplest things for most people were a struggle for

her. If she wanted to go out to eat, she had to find restaurants that made it accessible for her to

go into, especially if she went downtown because very few places had accessibly for people in

wheelchairs. My Aunt was faced with these same issues whenever we’d go out to eat and I

remember how frustrated she would get with businesses and their lack of empathy towards

people who have disabilities.

I personally have faced these issues with my Crohn’s Disease but in different ways. I

remember I had applied for a job, and they required you to disclose if you had a disability or

not. I filled out the paperwork knowing that I did have a disability but knew it wouldn’t affect

the work I was doing, all I asked was to have accommodations where I could sit close to a

restroom in the event my Crohn’s flared up. I received a call from the company and the HR

person told me they wouldn’t be able to accommodate my needs, which seemed odd to me

because my request wasn’t so far out there that it would complicate things, I just needed a desk

closest to the bathroom. When I explained this the HR person they didn’t say much, but I didn’t
end up getting hired for the position. Whether that was the reason I will never know, but it felt

personal.

Over the years I’ve worked for several companies that have been willing to

accommodate me and my needs and I’ve worked for others that haven’t. I’ve learned to

embrace it and deal with it the best that I know how and while it’s frustrating the best thing, I

can do is continue to fight for equality for people with disabilities for not only myself or my aunt

but for others who struggle too. It’s a part of who I am, and part of my cultural identity and I

didn’t even realize that it was a part of my cultural identity until taking this class.

After taking this class I’ve realized there’s more I need to do in society to when it comes

to cultural identity and help others understand how important it is as well. I work for a college

up here in Washington state and today I had a meeting with some of my professors. We were

going over classes to offer students for the next academic year. We noticed that a lot of our

Gender Identity classes, and Cultural Identity classes weren’t filling as much as they use to, we

were brainstorming on ways we can promote students to want to take these classes. We’re

going to hold a “get to know you” event where students can come share their gender identity

and cultural identity stories. We’re hoping by holding an event we can also encourage students

to take some of classes that offer more on gender identity and cultural identity. I’m excited to

take what I’ve learned from this class about my cultural identity and sharing my story with other

students and hopefully can inspire them to take classes to help them with their own identity.

References:
Doucette, L. (2017, May 17). If you’re in a wheelchair, segregation lives. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/opinion/if-youre-in-a-wheelchair-segregation-
lives.html

Westover, T. (2022, February 2). I am not proof of the american dream. The New York Times.
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/02/opinion/tara-westover-educated-student-debt.html?
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