Written by Lisset Rojo Ramirez
In an increasingly global society, it is difficult to identify a person based only on the sound of their name, the color of their skin, or the language that they speak. For example, when I introduce myself, it is difficult not to notice that I am (1) a woman and (2) Mexican. Stereotypes surround the “type” of person that I am. However, there are undoubtedly other “layers” and intersectionality that cannot be seen. I am a scholar, an older sister, a Dreamer.
But how can I say all this about me without writing a novel? And more importantly, how can I identify these in other people to get to know them on a deeper level? It’s easy to form an opinion right away and think that we know everything about them, but there is more to a person than the place in which they were born.
These are my thoughts after watching Taiye Selasi’s TED Talk (Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From, Ask Where I Am a Local) in class. In my trip to New York, I desire to learn more about the local people that reside there and the culture in which they are from. As an immigrant, I understand the complexity of living in the United States. Even so, there exist different experiences outside of my hometown, school, and church. I wish to be able to grow in my understanding of what it means to be an immigrant in such a diverse place as New York.