autobiography on race and ethnicity

See if you can answer these about yourself and your family..


1. How many generations has your family been in the U.S.?

2. What continent and/or country did your ancestors come from?

3. Under what circumstances did your ancestors come to the U.S.? Were they voluntary immigrants, refugees, slaves?

4. Were your ancestors welcomed when they arrived in the U.S.?

5. Were there any restrictions as to where your ancestors could live or work when they arrived?

6. What do you know of their customs and culture; food, clothing, language, beliefs, religion. How much of these customs do you still know and practice?

7. What kind of work did your ancestors do?

8. Was your family able to improve their economic situation over the generations since they first came to the U.S.? Were there or are there still barriers?

9. Did your ancestors live in neighborhoods with primarily one race and ethnicity or were they mixed?

10. How were your ancestors treated by people who were racially and ethnically different from them? Did that change over time?

11. What race and ethnicity were the adults you knew growing up. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, store clerks, laborers, elected officials.

12. What experiences did you have or observe as you were growing up about race or ethnic discrimination?

13. How connected do you feel to your family's country of origin today?