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Personal Narrative: My Persian Identity

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When I was in the fifth grade, my school began to introduce the students to ideas about identity, race, and ethnicity. As a young child, I was still trying to figure out who I was as a person and whether I identified as American, Persian, Pakistani, or all of the above. I knew I had always felt the greatest connection to my Persian background and roots; however, I still felt that I was somewhat Pakistani because of my mother and also partially American because I was born and raised right here in the United States of America. As the year progressed, other kids in my class also began to figure out who they were and what ethnicities and what races they identified as. Slowly, I began to identify solely as Persian. One of my friends, Laura, was …show more content…
I remember looking at her with disappointment because I self-identified as Persian and how others viewed me was not how I saw myself. I almost found it unfair that she believed she had a right to tell me who I should be. I looked up at Laura because she was much taller than I was, and I recall seeing her long, blonde hair and being reminded that I was not American nor did I look like one. I was proud of how I looked but frustrated that people seemed not to see that. As we continued to argue, other people joined in and most, if not all, took Laura's side and agreed with her about how I should identify. I did not want to identify as American, but inside my head, I began thinking about how I was a bit American. It seemed as though what they said had got the wheels in my head turning. I looked back out at the carpool line and I saw my dad waiting in his black SUV. I quickly rushed over, wanting to get out of that argument as soon as possible. As we were driving away, I got one last good look at Laura and her champagne coloured hair. I was once again reminded of my appearance and how different we

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