1) My personal ethnic heritage is Polish descent from my mother's side, and a mixture of Dutch, Irish, German, and Slovak from my father's side. My racial heritage is Caucasian, and this how I would identify myself.
2) I first became aware of issues of ethnicity and race when I was younger. I would go to doctor's appointments at Children's Hospital in Buffalo (quite a switch from my small hometown Olean, NY). I noticed and recognized there were people who looked, acted, or spoke different than me, but I treat everyone the same, regardless of their racial or ethnic identity.
3) When I was growing up, I was always taught and agreed that equality was the best way to handle issues of ethnicity or race, even though I knew that that inequities still existed in the world. These things were reinforced in everything from my parents to my teachers to Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 album.
4) My views on ethnicity and race have changed over time, especially by being exposed to new people. For example, when I first met my best friend over 5 years ago I always thought she was Black, and never pondered it any further. Later on, she told me her Mother is Creo, Cherokee Indian, Puerto Rican, and Chinese, and her Father is Black, Indian, and Mongolian. People often ask her if she is Hawaiian or Dominican, so I think it is interesting how perceptions differ from person to person.
5) I have not experienced or witnessed any instances of racism first-hand, but it is still socially prevalent. I am not sure if this is a definite example of racism or not, but my Mom once told me about a coworker of hers that is White and married to a Black man. They recently went to a restaurant together, and were not waited on for a long time. Whatever the case may be, treatment of this kind makes me livid.
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