second generation Archives - The Race Card Project

No one wants to hear your heritage

December 7, 2022December 7, 2022 German, heritage, immigrant, Knoxville, Macy Willett, proud, second generation, story, The University of Tennessee, TN, tradition, we al have a story, white

Macy Willett,
Knoxville, TN

Yes, I do have a heritage. Yes, I am also white. While I celebrate the unique backgrounds of my friends and coworkers, I often feel as though I have no identity or culture to grasp onto. No one wants to hear your “percentages” and what comes along with you if the end result is that you are simply Caucasian. But, I am the daughter of a second-generation German immigrant who moved to the states as a single mom. I have stories, traditions, and culture. I am proud of my heritage, even if that looks like a percentage number to some people.

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Sociology 110

First Generation means second is mediocre

September 13, 2017September 13, 2017 Alameda, American Dream, CA, first generation, high expectations, immigrate, Jonna Marie Mallillin, mediocre, second generation

Jonna Marie Mallillin
Alameda, CA

“First generation means second is mediocre” explains the stress immigrant parents put on their first generation children. People who immigrate to the states come for new opportunities. As a child of an immigrant, getting good grades, going to a good college, and getting a high paying job is the American dream these parents have put on us. Nothing but the best is expected from these parents because of the opportunity given to us. The sacrifices the parents gave for these new opportunities means that their expectations are higher. These parents may or may not have had the same opportunities, so they want their child to succeed but the push or drive they are giving to us children can be stressful. As a child, you can only wish that your best was good enough, but sometimes, it’s not. “First generation means second is mediocre” shows the stress of what I feel to reach these high expectations.

I hate seeing it in people.

June 9, 2015 Edinburg, first generation, forget, grandson, hate, Hensen's Law, immigrant, Jesse, remember, second generation, son, TX

Jesse,
Edinburg, TX.

“What the son wishes to forget, the grandson wishes to remember.” According to Hansen’s Law, the second generation immigrant tends to sever themselves from the customs and traditions of their ancestors in order to achieve assimilation, but in time the “grandson” will value, that which the “son” wished to forget. What my sentence refers to is, the DESIRE I see in second generation immigrants, to belong to the “right” race.

“Black Only” Events perpetuate the segregation

February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 atlanta, black only, GA, Giovanna, Jewish, racism, second generation, segregation

Giovanna,
Atlanta, GA.

I am a second generation American Jew (meaning none of my family members ever owned another human being) I was raised to treat everyone for who they are – not outward appearance – I just moved to the south and have experienced something entirely different. In a city full of educated, eloquent and well bred people – many of whom are african american. Many events here are”black only” which I believe further segregation and isolation. I would never tell someone that they couldn’t come to an event due to color – if I said “whites only” there would be a firestorm – I don’t believe in the term reverse racism because racism doesn’t have a specific color – it’s all hate. Why does society do this over and over and negate all progress? It’s hurtful to us all. I would love to know why this exists?

Am I Hispanic enough to ‘count’?

September 4, 2014 Alix Sotomayor, ancestry, Boone, ethnicity, heritage, Hispanic, NC, second generation, two worlds

Alix Sotomayor,
Boone, NC.

I have always felt suspended between two worlds, since my ethnicity is widely varied (like that of most Americans). I am mostly (~70%) white, of Scots-Irish and English descent, but also have a chunk (25%) of Puerto Rican heritage (the missing ~5% comes from smidges of Native American and German ancestry). I have never been sure what to call myself. I hate the idea of being ‘white’ or ‘American’, because of all the negative associations those titles impiy internationally, but also feel like a bit of a liar when I tell people I’m Puerto Rican. I’ve never been to the island and have met only a few of my Puerto Rican relatives. I’ve made a steadfast attempt to learn Spanish, because it’s a gorgeous language – but somehow it still doesn’t feel like enough. I’ve always identified ethnically more with the Puerto Rican part of myself more than any other segment of my heritage, but feel more culturally Swiss/German, because all of our holiday traditions come from my mother’s side of the family (the white side). And I think I’m in the majority in feeling this way, since many young people in America now come from such splintered backgrounds that they can’t rightly claim to be any one of them. Facing and answering the question of what your ethnicity is extremely hard for these young Americans of fragmented heritage. I’ve often found myself wishing I was the child of second-generation immigrants from somewhere exotic just so that I wouldn’t have to worry about what I am, what cultural traditions I should be assimilating/carrying on, and things like that.

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