The Personal Side of Bias, Prejudice, and Oppression

An incident I can think about that has made me a target for prejudice within my own ethnic group is my name. Before I continue to explain, I need to share a bit of my parents history. Both parents migrated to the United States and were the target of many racial profiling and where treated vary unjustly in the 70s and early 80s. They received  this at work and in their vary same neighborhood where they lived. When I was born, they wanted to name me Francisco, a name that is commonly used in many Mexican families. Francisco is the name of my grandfather and it is the middle name of my father. They wanted to continue the tradition but were thinking that it may cause me problems, mainly with acts of prejudice. My parents thought that if they named me frank, short for Francisco, that when people would  see my name like in a waiting list for school or a job position, I would have a better chance to be selected as they thought that if a racist person was in charge, they would not pick my name that is associated with a Mexican.  

Now to the prejudice part that I have received from other Mexicans and Mexican Americans. All I can say is, "dammed if I do and dammed if I don't". My parents good intent on trying to make me fit in with Americas was a good deed on their behalf but overlooked the reaction from other Mexicans and Latino populations. An example I can share is that some people think that I changed my name because I was ashamed of being called a name that is so commonly used in Mexico. They tell me to keep it real and to never deny my roots. Some people even tell me that I am a liar and should not misread my name on my birth certificate. Some of my close friends have called me a wannabe whitewashed Mexican. They do not believe that the name spelled on my birth certificate is Frank. All I know is that things like a person's name can be tied into a person's social identity and as a professional, I must be mindful in not to insult anyone by changing their name even if I cannot say it. The story that Dr. Euguene Garcia told in one of this week's videos made me remember this. I sometimes feel like his sister , Cipranita felt with the unintential microaggression that she experienced on her first day of school when the teacher, not being able to pronounce her name, changed it to Emily forever. It creates thoughts of insecure feeling of which name is better. This is not a good thing for children to experience as it can make them question their roots.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). "In His Own Voice: Dr. Eugene Garcia" [DVD] Baltimore, Learning MD. Author.