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Create an identity chart for Dalton Conley. An identity chart contains the words or phrases people attach to themselves as well as the ones that society gives them. Begin with the words or phrases that Conley uses to describe himself. Then add the labels others might attach to him. Create a similar chart for Ifemoa J. Nwokoye. What words or phrases does she use to describe herself? What words or phrases might others use to describe her? How are the two charts alike? What differences seem most striking? What part have labels played in shaping each identity?
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Construct an identity chart for yourself, much like the ones you made for Conley and Nwokoye. After you have completed your chart, compare it to those of your classmates. What do you have in common? To what extent is each chart unique? What part have labels played in shaping your identity? What other factors have affected who you are and what you may become?
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Our identity—our sense of who we are and what we might become—is more than a set of labels. It is also shaped by our philosophy—our ideas, values, and beliefs about the world and our place in it. What ideas about self and others have shaped the philosophy of each of the individuals quoted in this reading?
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How does society shape our identity? To what extent does your answer explain why Ifemoa Nwokoye believes that the identity crisis everyone faces is “doubly hard” for biracial children? Who else in American society may confront similar challenges in forging an identity?
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Compare and contrast Diana Chang’s experiences with those of Ifemoa Nwokoye. How do their histories shape their attitudes and beliefs?
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A Facing History and Ourselves student who dislikes being labeled was surprised to discover that her classmates had similar feelings. She writes:I had always known that I didn’t fit into boxes and labels neatly, but it was not until all of us in class looked carefully at our identities that I realized that there were times when we all couldn’t fit into a box: racially, economically, religiously, or politically. That day we put away facades, superficial stereotypes, and imposed labels and came to the understanding that we are all crossbreeds in some way. . . . Once we were able to understand our own identities, we were better able to understand those of others. How do the student’s comments explain why Dalton Conley believes that “race and class are nothing more than a set of stories we tell ourselves to get through the world, to organize our reality”? How do the comments explain why Ifemoa Nwokoye has come to believe that she must “ignore the limitations and labels society places on me, and instead, realize that I am an individual with unique insight, able to encompass the best of both worlds”? How do the student’s comments explain the way Nwokoye views her heritage?
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