Essay On The Benefits Of Intersectionality

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I feel the need to have separate identities throughout my own life depending on where I am or who I’m with; I have to code-switch, known as the concept of alternating your identity based on where you are or who you are with. It has come to my attention that many individuals, including myself, face the challenges of intersectionality which is the mixture of race, class, gender, and religion overlapping in one’s self. Some of the challenges and benefits of intersectionality that Native college students faced is perceived throughout a collection of essays called I Am Where I Come From.
Shannon Joyce Prince’s essay, “Seeking to Be Whole” depicts in detail the benefits of of intersectionality, and which is the foundation in her essay. This is significant because she says, “I am African American, Cherokee (Aniyunwiya) Native American, Chinese …show more content…
George explains some of the challenges Natives go through, she says, “My blue eyes were a source of confusion to me early on, and I stuck out like a sore thumb when sitting with the other Indian children.” (George 37) This quote resonates with me because when I go back to my home village and I look like an intruder, an outsider, someone they cannot trust based on the clothes I wear, and the way I carry myself mentally. It can be difficult when your own people don’t accept you for who you are. It is the same case for George, she says she likes to learn, other students cannot relate, which makes her feel like someone who doesn’t belong (George 37). She thought her physical traits would benefit her but in a negative aspect. She says, “I didn’t want to take on the Yurok mantle openly because I associated so many negative things with the dark skin of my peers. I had assumptions about “drunken Indians” who didn’t succeed in life, and I had other plans.” (George
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