Cultural Autobiography by Kymla Mathis<\/p>\n
Culture helps me identify my cultural being and awareness <\/p>\n
by acknowledging the celebrating the similarities and <\/p>\n
differences amongst people both in my city and across the <\/p>\n
world. According to Rossi( as cited in Zimmerman, <\/p>\n
2017),\u201dculture encompasses religion, what we believe is right<\/p>\n
or wrong, what we wear, how we sit at the table, languages, <\/p>\n
how we greet visitors, and a million other things.\u201d For me, <\/p>\n
culture symbolizes ways of life , beliefs and traditions that are<\/p>\n
passed on from generation to generation. As we grow up, the <\/p>\n
past experiences shapes our futures. Upon initial examination, I <\/p>\n
selected Cross\u2019 People of Color Racial Identity Model to guide <\/p>\n
me through the culmination of research needed for my cultural <\/p>\n
autobiography. Because of my past experiences, I am who I am. <\/p>\n
Experiences teach many lessons. In my cultural autobiography , <\/p>\n
I will discuss how my family , education, and life experiences <\/p>\n
have shaped my life. My Methodist background of my family <\/p>\n
members and very diverse community in which I was raised in <\/p>\n
have impacted my personal views on equity, equality, social <\/p>\n
justice, and diversity both as a special education teacher <\/p>\n
and future educational leader.<\/p>\n
I grew up in African American household with two brothers. <\/p>\n
I was born in Gonzales, Texas. My father, Elias, married, my<\/p>\n
mother, Maglene, on June 20 in Waelder, Texas. To this <\/p>\n
blessed union three children were born, elder son Elias Jr., <\/p>\n
daughter Kymla Jean, and youngest son Jeffrey. Following the <\/p>\n
birth of their daughter, the family moved to San Antonio, Texas.<\/p>\n
In addition to working toward a graduate degree in Educational <\/p>\n
Leadership, I graduated from Texas State University and<\/p>\n
presently teach in resource inclusion classroom at a very<\/p>\n
diverse public middle school in Duncanville, Texas. My oldest <\/p>\n
brother attended truck driving school. My youngest brother <\/p>\n
obtained an engineering degree a master degree in engineering <\/p>\n
management. All three of us attended public schools before <\/p>\n
attending college or trade school.<\/p>\n
My father was born in Gonzales, Texas. He was the fifth of <\/p>\n
seven children. As our father, he kept us in the Methodist<\/p>\n
Church, valued education, worked hard and showed us love. <\/p>\n
He grew up on the family homestead in the Elm Slough<\/p>\n
community. At a young age, he dedicated his life to Christ and<\/p>\n
become an active member of Henson Chapel United Methodist <\/p>\n
Church in Gonzales. Elias completed his early education at <\/p>\n
Edwards Elementary and High School in Gonzales. After<\/p>\n
working for IGA Foods, he attended Radiological School in San<\/p>\n
Antonio. Upon graduation with honors from the Baptist <\/p>\n
Medical Health System School of X-Ray Technology, Elias was<\/p>\n
presented with the outstanding X-ray student award from<\/p>\n
Mollinckrodt Radiopharmaceuticals. Elias worked for the <\/p>\n
Baptist Health System his entire career. My father was a<\/p>\n
rancher and skilled carpenter. His father was born in Elm <\/p>\n
Slough before he worked as rancher and carpenter until he age <\/p>\n
seventy five from a stroke. His mother was born in Elm Slough,<\/p>\n
where she was youngest of five children, and served in the role <\/p>\n
of housewife. She was raised in Methodist faith. My mother<\/p>\n
was born in Waelder, Texas , where she was the sixth child of<\/p>\n
nine children. With a hard working husband, she graduated <\/p>\n
nursing school with an associate degree in nursing. She <\/p>\n
dedicated her life to the serving others. Her mother was born<\/p>\n
in Waelder, Texas. She was hard worker as a maid. She was <\/p>\n
raised in Methodist faith. Because of my past experiences, I am <\/p>\n
who I am. Experiences teach many lessons. In my cultural <\/p>\n
autobiography , I will discuss how my family , education, and <\/p>\n
life experiences have shaped my life.<\/p>\n
Attributes of Culture<\/p>\n
Ehtnicity , which describes cultural traditions such as religion <\/p>\n
and language, and race, which describes physical characteristics <\/p>\n
, demonstrate significant roles in people lives. According to <\/p>\n
ethnicity and race, I identity as African American. African <\/p>\n
American people have become a single pan-ethnic group <\/p>\n
because of a common history, language, economic life, and<\/p>\n
culture developed over centuries of living in the United States <\/p>\n
(Gollnick & Chinn, 2017). Blacks still experience racism with<\/p>\n
BLACK LIVES MATTERS MOVEMENT. By being African <\/p>\n
American woman, I am a double minority. <\/p>\n
As a female, I am a minority and women\u2019s right movement<\/p>\n
made improvements. In my opinion, the movements more<\/p>\n
opportunities for women, but men get more of the highest <\/p>\n
paying jobs. After the three waves of women\u2019s movement, <\/p>\n
women continues to fight for equal pay, (Gollnick & Chinn, <\/p>\n
2017). The first wave began with Seneca Falls Convention <\/p>\n
when goals was to gain the right to vote, own property, and <\/p>\n
work. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 addressed civil rights of <\/p>\n
women. With the second wave ,women gained greater access <\/p>\n
to employment and educational opportunities. In the <\/p>\n
reflection, with history of the movements in creating gender<\/p>\n
equity, future principals are more likely to be males than <\/p>\n
females. With continuing education, women will eventually <\/p>\n
get same pay as men. In my perspective, women have gained <\/p>\n
some ground in the workforce. <\/p>\n
My culture also receives the discrimination of having African <\/p>\n
American parents. My parents attended segregated schools.<\/p>\n
With Civil Right Movement, they attended colleges and <\/p>\n
obtained better paying jobs. The 1964 Civil Right Act led to <\/p>\n
removal of Jim Crow Laws and expansion of civil rights to<\/p>\n
women. Today, Black Lives Matters is decentralized political <\/p>\n
and social movement protesting against incidents of police <\/p>\n
brutality and all racially motivated violence against black <\/p>\n
people. Because of Civil Right Movement, I am educated, own<\/p>\n
a home , and living in a diverse city called Cedar Hill,Texas. <\/p>\n
Yes, Civil Right movement created economical gains for African <\/p>\n
Americans. <\/p>\n
Religion is part of my culture. Religion is system of faith and<\/p>\n
worship. Over the course of decades religious diversity has <\/p>\n
increased as has interaction between different religious groups.<\/p>\n
First among different kinds of protestants, then with Catholics <\/p>\n
and ultimately members of non-Christian Cultures as well <\/p>\n
(Gollnick & Chinn,2017). I was raised in Methodist church. My<\/p>\n
father\u2019s example of faith influenced my life. He held leadership<\/p>\n
positions of steward and class leader for several years, and <\/p>\n
organized several church activities. He received the Man of the<\/p>\n
Year Award. I became a Sunday school teacher. Religion <\/p>\n
played a vital role in my upbringing. Religion is still heavy in <\/p>\n
African American communities, but we don\u2019t attend services<\/p>\n
every day of the week, and most importantly, the services are<\/p>\n
much shorter. While both black and white a people read from<\/p>\n
the same bible, the atmosphere and culture of religion is <\/p>\n
different. In the white church, church services are quiet and no<\/p>\n
one is yelling to the top of their lungs begging for a witness. In<\/p>\n
my culture, after two prayers, two scripture readings, and A <\/p>\n
& B selections from the choir, it\u2019s already been a couple hours <\/p>\n
and the preacher hasn\u2019t come close to the sermon. Because<\/p>\n
service was not ending any time soon, the religion teaches <\/p>\n
patience and discipline. My age of 57 is the number of years I<\/p>\n
have been alive. I have passed five of seven stages on human life.<\/p>\n
The stages including infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, <\/p>\n
adolescence, and early adulthood. Now, I am in middle <\/p>\n
adulthood stage. After twenty years, I will be in old age stage.<\/p>\n
Language is part of one\u2019s culture. Language is a system of <\/p>\n
oral sounds and\/or nonverbal systems by which group<\/p>\n
members communicates with each other ( Gollnick &<\/p>\n
Chinn,2017). Culture shapes the language. My first language is<\/p>\n
English. My second language is dialect, African American <\/p>\n
English. African American English is heard at family reunions <\/p>\n
and cookouts. Language goes hand in hand with geographical location.<\/p>\n
Our identity are closely tied to the geographic area in which<\/p>\n
we grew up and the places we later live. My parents moved <\/p>\n
from rural Gonzales to urban San Antonio for better jobs. The<\/p>\n
rural workforce earns less the it urban counterpart. Larger<\/p>\n
cities offer large jobs, libraries, colleges and restaurants. <\/p>\n
Because I spent most of my life in urban setting as San Antonio,<\/p>\n
Texas and Dallas, Texas, urban culture has shaped my values as <\/p>\n
better organized my time. Living in Texas has allowed me not<\/p>\n
to experience racism.<\/p>\n
Cultural Proficiency Elements<\/p>\n
Cultural Proficiency is an inside and out approach to ensure<\/p>\n
that we are doing as educators is done through lens. Cultural <\/p>\n
Proficiency is set of behaviors and values that allow to apply <\/p>\n
mindset tools to issues such as diversity. Everyone has culture, <\/p>\n
we cannot have culture, nor can be have an environment that is<\/p>\n
culture free (Borel, 2021). By applying the tools of cultural <\/p>\n
proficiency I am becoming culturally proficient leader. <\/p>\n
Framework including the four tools is essential in cultural <\/p>\n
proficiency. These include: the barriers, the guiding principles, <\/p>\n
the continuum, and essential elements. The essential elements<\/p>\n
are five which are: assess culture, value diversity, manage the <\/p>\n
dynamic of differences, adapt to diversity and institution <\/p>\n
cultural knowledge. Culture is everywhere. In the teaching<\/p>\n
profession, the teachers bring cultures with them to work. <\/p>\n
Different cultures create diversity. Valuing diversity is <\/p>\n
important because all cultures need to feel accepted and <\/p>\n
appreciated. For example, all school have moments of silence<\/p>\n
to promote religious diversity. Being Methodist, I take a brief <\/p>\n
prayer at that moment. My acceptance of diverse religion in<\/p>\n
classroom is managing the dynamics of differences. Future<\/p>\n
leaders and educators must learn to adapt to diversity and <\/p>\n
promote social justice in order to be a culturally proficient <\/p>\n
leader. Culturally proficiency leaders embodies personal<\/p>\n
experiences, self \u2013assessment, and reflection. Also, I value <\/p>\n
diversity as a special education teacher, I create divers <\/p>\n
environments and programs to help students get the most out <\/p>\n
of education. In order to expand my cultural knowledge, I <\/p>\n
volunteer as mentor in Big Brother Big Sister Program.<\/p>\n
Identity Development<\/p>\n
After analyzing Cross\u2019s (1971) Identity Groups Minority <\/p>\n
Racial Identity Development Model, I have concluded that I sit <\/p>\n
on the internalization stage. During the stage, I am secure in <\/p>\n
racial identity with pro-black attitudes. I am willing to establish<\/p>\n
meaningful relationships with whites. In my childhood, I was in<\/p>\n
pre-encounter stage because young kids do not see racial <\/p>\n
barriers. Because of being raised in the black community, I <\/p>\n
passed through the encounter stage and immersion\/emersion <\/p>\n
stage. In elementary school, in encounter stage, by looking at <\/p>\n
my skin I acknowledged that one cannot be white. In <\/p>\n
immersion\/emersion stage, I kept symbols of black powers on <\/p>\n
my wall as racial identity in my bedroom. After completing of <\/p>\n
master in special education, gaining employment, buying a <\/p>\n
house in a diverse community, I am in the stage of <\/p>\n
internalization\/commitment. In this stage, I am comfortable in <\/p>\n
my race and those around me. <\/p>\n
Conclusion<\/p>\n
My African American culture has taught me to serve God and <\/p>\n
get a good education. Methodist religion played a vital role in <\/p>\n
my upbringing and it taught patience and discipline. Religion <\/p>\n
includes: singing hymns, prayer and bible studies. With role <\/p>\n
models of parents and grandparents, religion is a must in my<\/p>\n
life. My geographical location of Texas has allow me to avoid <\/p>\n
racial discrimination. All of my life experiences and cultures <\/p>\n
have created the person I am today. I am a dedicated special<\/p>\n
education teacher working on becoming a culturally proficient <\/p>\n
leader. My experiences impacted my personal views on equity, equality, social justice and diversity.<\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
Borel, D.A. (2021) Cultural Proficient Leadership: EDLD 5312 week 2 lecture 1(PowerPoint presentation) .Retrieved from <\/p>\n
https:\/\/luonline.blackboard.com<\/p>\n
Cross,W.E. (1971) The Negro to black conversion experience: Toward a psychology of black liberation, Black World, 20,13-27.<\/p>\n
Gollnick,D.M. & Chinn, P.C. (2107) Multicultural Education in a Pluralistic Society (10th ed).Boston, MA: Pearson.<\/p>\n
Zimmerman, K.A. ( 2017, July 12). What is Culture? \/Definition of Culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cultural Autobiography by Kymla Mathis Culture helps me identify my cultural being and awareness by acknowledging the celebrating the similarities and differences amongst people both in my city and across the world. According to Rossi( as cited in Zimmerman, 2017),\u201dculture encompasses religion, what we believe is right or wrong, what we wear, how we sit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-80958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-research-paper-writing","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80958\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/papersspot.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}