Complete the final 6-page APA Multicultural Panel assignment, due at the end of Module 2. Please be sure to include the following: Part 1 (2 pages): Summarize a panelist’s racial, ethnic, im
Multicultural Panel Noella Ntakirutimana Walden University Racial, Ethnic, Indigenous Identity, and Nationality The panelist that I have selected is Mariangelly Sierra, MS, LPCA, NCC who is a 35 -year – old Latina female , who identifies as a cisgender and pansexual woman and is a single mother of one child. Sierra grew up in a Christianity household where she would attend church and se minars though currently, she identifies to be spiritual than religious. During her childhood she grew up in a low -income household but through worked hard she went on to graduate from college and work as a teacher then got married where she moved up into b ecoming to the status of a middle -income household. Though Sierr a proclaimed that she is in a transitional period in her life as she is a single mother and her income status is different for the moment as she is continuing her education into getting her do ctorate. Sierra’s story beg ins with her parents as they are of Puerto Ricans nationality which she is the same as well. She left Puerto Rico to the United States at the age of 5, then her parents and sibling s moved to Connecticut where they began their new life in the U.S but it didn’t last long as they moved back to Puerto Rico and then back to the U.S so there was a lot of back and forth living exchange growing up. Then during her adulthood, she got married to a Puerto Rician who is a coast guard where th ey had a lot of adventures in her life from moving all around the U.S and other places. Sierra finally made the decision to her very own final destination living status in her life which she resides in North Carolina with her child as a single independent ambitious woman. Sierra embraces her strong Latina heritage as she is fluent in Spanish and she has taught her child to be bilingual and bicultural like her. She goes onto to describe her heritage as being descendant’s mixture of Spaniard, African and nati ve Ta Nos which all three identities and cultures live within her. I enjoyed learning the background of Mariangelly Sierra, she seems to be a woman who loves where she came from and embraces her culture identity. She takes the time to inform her child abou t the backgrounds of her heritage so that her child can know where he/she comes from that under no circumstance her child will not be a person in this world who doesn’t know who they are or where they come from. Sierra loves her nation ality of Puerto Rica ns as she describes it to be an independent colony that it is of a strong ideal establishment. As Sierra finally took ground into permanently staying in the United States during her adulthood, she noticed that she carried her idea s and biases of her indepe ndent country . She states that her opinion of white people was that they are evil people, the oppressions which was the symbolism of white Americans to her where she has a hard time getting over that issue. According to Sue and Sue, the term microaggression is defined as “ brief, everyday exchanges that send denigrating messages to people of color because they belong to a racial minority group .” (Sue, 2007) Though she proclaims to say that there are biases that the United States people have rumored about as well. However, as she started to expand her education especially when she started counseling her perceptions of white Americans prejudice was far lowered than what she initially thought of them. She grew out of it, b ut it is never simple to just abandon those perceptions of them as Sierra declares that she cannot deny it forever or keep it under wraps because there are triggers that happen where it comes from her upbringing of those ideals and biases that come to surface. Sierra tries her best to become aware of her perceptions towards White individuals especially white men and keep in check. But though she declares that her learning of white culture grew an increase of her progress where it helped her tre mendously to overcome her ideals and biases. Since all she knew about White Americans is that they were the supreme oppressors of their nation, that they kept her people back at home in charge, where they had an upmost power over them. Sierra came to learn more and more about the culture of white people and that she became friends with them . This was a breaking point to her where she put all her past ideals and biases and government views behind her. That the misperceptions about the history of white Americ ans came to a stop for her because she then knew to grew that they were genuine and friendly individuals that the history that happen with her country it is not something that she carried or carries around her anymore. That more in her part of the microagg ressions she received but that it was in her way discriminating against from other people based on assumptions and biases that we have . Sierra concludes to say that we as people all have our biases and that as long as discuss and become aware. That was sai d by Sue and Sue, all we can do is acknowledge them and keep them in check and know where they came from and prevent them from affecting how we perceive and see other people, where we try to learn and not to continue the oppression. Social Class and Clas sism The second panelist of my choosing is Marcella Rolle, M.E D, LAPC, NCC who is a 36 year old black female, who identifies as a cisgender and heterosexual woman though she states that she only identifies as black and not African American as she does not associate any of her heritage from the African background whatsoever as she believes that she identifies the racial more than the ethnic background. She goes on to say that the term that all black people are from Africa is a term that she does not agree o n and that would like to know how that term came about but she just feels more comfortable as the label of just being called Black. Rolle comes from a Christianity household; she continues to carry on that religious aspect in her. The experience of class a nd classism to Rolle came apparent to her recently, she had never had any kind of oppression or discrimination or microaggression in relation to class and classism that happened to her in her life. Sierra declares that because she would hang out with peopl e of her own class and if it did happen where she met someone out of her own class it was parents of the students she would teach. Though it soon came to an end where it happened to her last year, she was invited to join this league of women where she lear ned the history of the community was that there has never been a women of color or her age invited into this league but that did not discriminate her from going thru with attending the meeting. She was asked by someone if she was a working girl? Where she explained to her that she does not sell her body for money but then asked for more of a clarification towards the question where she answered that she is a working woman. After that the women around her did not like her answered as they were women who were privileged to the point that none of them worked. As claimed by Hays and Erford, “Privilege is having power, access, or unearned advantage; holding a majority status. Those who experience it find it difficult to detect. Complex and multidimensional. ” (Erford, 2018) That statement she made was made into some sort of a freeze out to her but that did not discourage her at all as she continues to be a part of the league and attend the meetings. Rolle has never been asked to le ave the league since there is work to be done but she knows that her presence is no where looked upon as the norm. Now the parents of her students are from a lower socioeconomic status, which she declares that she has expressed that the hardships of being in the lower status is rough especially when having children. It is really important to her that she is able to provide some sort of an acknowledgment to them that she is there for them that she sees and hears them. That she does not expecting anything mor e from them than they are able to give. An example that she states is that is asks the parents what are they able to bring to the table? Instead of setting out guidelines to them about what she is expecting of them. She does this to help and assist to them in order to keep the relationship with her students as well as her parents. The panelist that I chose were extremely well -thought -out of people who have experiences that I have similarities as well as difference in my life. Mariangelly Sierra is a woman who loves where she comes from and her identity from her country is close -knit to her. I will say the similarity experience that I share with Sierra is that we both are fluent in Spanish and that where we come from is an upmost importance to us. I was rais ed in a Hispanic environment but my parents who are from East Africa taught me about my identify i.e. the culture and traditions. My perceptions of White Americans were upheld to me by their past history into this country but the difference with Sierra is that it really didn’t affect me until this stage in my life as an adult who is African American. So many of my race background are being killed of their identity for reason of them just being black and it is so sad that I need to act differently when I am around White Americans . I think about it constantly that at any given moment someone could take my life just because of my color and not because of anything else. I feel so weird that I wasn’t prepared for this kind of treatment at all growing up. I was th e only African American in school except for my siblings but my parents were there for me to just be myself, no matter what. And that even when I was feeling down about someone not liking me it never came to my mind about race it was more like why doesn’t this person like me? So whenever I had these issues my parents would not come to the conclusion of my race but they would just help me boost my self -esteem, that if that person does not want to have you in your life than someone else will come along and wa nt to be your friend. I am not sure what is going to happen to the future for African Americans safety but that I know that there are people out there who see me just as a person and as long as those people continue to exist than it won’t be as bad but I r eally do hope that the killings will come to an end and that the real problems that are happening into this world will be taken seriously. Marcella Rolle is a really great person who I enjoyed hearing and listening about her life. I think that the similar ity we share is that we have been involved with people who are privilege and that even with this kind of predicament it does not shut us down at all. I have had my share of people who are privilege and that does not in any way keep me from doing the things I want to do in my life. I am a strong woman who I previously stated that my parents as well as my family has kept my spirits up in my life. I would like to say that the difference about Rolle and I is that I identify myself as an African American, I was born in the United States and I have never been to where my parents came from but I do take it seriously about the label of being classified as an African American because I know where my heritage lines comes from. My parents make sure to keep their tradit ions in line so that the next generation that comes along will know who they are. I am truly greatly of the panelist I chose to write about, they seem to be outstanding woman who have stories that are interesting and amazing to hear about. Oppression or d iscrimination based on their affectional orientatio n and/or gender identity The panelist that I chose for this part is Dianne Piggott, M. Coun., LPC who is a 59 -year – old woman and her gender is a transwoman. Piggott states that she got over her birth gen der as male quickly though her transition happened later in her life. Piggott continues on to say that with her transition gave her the confidence and courage to go back to school and further her education where she got her counseling degree. The transit ion stage is different to everyone as some people can handle it and others can’t because of the hormones that come with it. Though with her it did not have that kind of the affect since she was able to continue on with it and that know that what she was doing for her was right. The oppression/discrimination she experienced was that when she became a woman the community in her state of Idaho would say that she is a lesbian and that her legally and bind ing marriage is sought to be as a same sex one. The sta te law in Idaho wanted her to have her taxes separated from her partner but she had a friend who worked in taxes and was able to help her since it was not something that was an issue or that they will come hard on to her about. Piggott declares that growin g up she did not have any experience about lesbian relationships as she jokingly says that she is one but her partner does not care about the label of the relationship which has brought some sort of frustration towards the LGBTQ community. But that doesn’t seem to put her down in a way about herself though she does go on to say that growing up she wanted a peer to peer relationship where she points out to be that affiliates of the lesbian relationship she wants. It was to where she felt that she was among t hem but no really with them. “Feminizing hormonal treatment leads to reductions in testicular germ cell levels. All transwomen should be warned about this consequence, and gamete preservation should be of fered before starting hormonal treatment. ” (Jindarak, 2018) The experience she had growing up was a big difference as she did not experience a normative gender sexual practice. The becoming of a transition person was different in a way that Piggott has always been relationally a ttracted to women where it came to the point where it has not change for her. Because some people who have transitioned have hanged their sexual attraction which she goes on to bring up of the hormones that are taking place which seems to be a powerful thi ng to every individual. Wagner and Bohecker state that “Intersectionality is the study of overlapping or intersecting social identities and related systems of oppression, domination, or discrimination. The intersection of sexual orientation, gender, and race in the classroom can facilitate awareness of the experiences of LGBTQQIA people, thereby promoting skill, advocacy, and ally behaviors in emergent counselors. ” (Bohecker, 2015) It is of true importance to understand someone fully on their identity. That they are able to come to the counselor about their problems and issues within themselves. I think that the community of the LGBTQ is a group of people that want to be able to be themselves, where they have no one judging them on their preference about who they are or who they are attract to. I would say that this community has had a lot of battles where people were being killed or attacked about and I will say that this is something that should not be hated or discriminated aga inst. I have felt discrimination in my life and I wouldn’t want to happen to anyone because this what they want and we shouldn’t deny anyone about who they want to be in their life. Bibliography Bohecker, W. a. (2015). Ally Development Through Feminist Pedagogy: A Systemic Focus on Intersectionality. Journal of LGBT Issues in Counseling . Erford, H. a. (2018). In H. a. Erford, Developing Multicultural Counseling Competence: A Systems Approach . Pe arson. Jindarak, S. (2018). Spermatogenesis Abnormalities following Hormonal Therapy in Transwomen. Walden University Library . Sue, D. W. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life. In S. a. Sue, Implications for clinical practice (pp. 271 -286).