Artifact 5 (mod 8)
| Occupation | Your Responses (African American) | Partner Responses (Liberian) |
| Doctor | M | M |
| Lawyer | F/M | F |
| School Teacher | F | F |
| Taxi Driver | M | M |
| Dancer | F/M | M/F |
| Babysitter | F | F |
| Chef | M/F | M/F |
| Pilot | M | M |
| Mechanic | M | F |
| Architect | M/F | F |
| Designer | M/F | F |
| Make-up Artist | M/F | F |
| System Engineer | M | M/F |
This image represents how different my friend Josh, who is Liberian, and I think about gender roles in our society. I was pretty surprised when he sent my his answers because it almost made me want to change mine because he listed a lot more jobs and being female than I did! Honestly, I don’t know how to explain this difference between us except for the fact that he was raised by his grandmother so she may have had an influence on him while growing up. I learned that he really changed my point of view for a couple of the jobs listed because I was going by how I saw gender roles displayed commercially and not in my daily life.
Artifact 4 (mod 6)
This drawing is a memory I have from being at my grandmother’s house in South Carolina. Every summer, I would stay there and she always made it a habit to get me and all of my cousins together for a water gun fight. This was the only time I really got to see this side of the family because of some issues we have. Growing up and not having these water gun fights anymore has made me realize that my grandmother was the glue of the family before she passed away. She always made sure that we realized how important our family was and stressed for us to continue to function as a unit. To me, this experience represents unconditional love and the importance of always appreciating your family.
Artifact 3 (mod 12)
This picture pretty much sums up how my body language is a majority of the time. I never really pay attention to how my body language is on a day to day basis but one thing I always get commented on is how I’m always ‘laughing’. Thinking about it is honestly hilarious because I have a constant inner dialogue and I always find something to entertain myself no matter what I’m doing. I think I get this from my mom because she’s always so lighthearted and smiling and I have always appreciated her for being so vibrant. Also, I think I present myself this way because I come off as being easy to talk to which is something I enjoy doing and just being there for my friends.
Artifact 2 (mod 3)
I chose a fruit basket to represent my Puerto Rican heritage because fruit is a big part of all Latin American cultures, especially in Puerto Rico. The reason why fruit is a big part of Latin American culture is because islanders are mostly farmers who literally live off of the fruits of their labor. Since Puerto Rico is considered a tropical island, a lot of the country’s profits not only come from their tourism but also the exportation but, sadly at times, exploitation of fruits. My personal favorite fruit is a mango which is one of Puerto Rico’s most popular fruits. Unfortunately, a lot of the exported mangoes from Puerto Rico are not naturally grown by farmers but instead are grown for a profit so it’s difficult to find authentic tasting mangoes in the United States.
Another reason that a fruit basket represents my Latin American culture is because fruit is a big sign of femininity. As a woman, especially a woman who is Afro-Latina and African American, my femininity is sometimes taken away from me. The second aspect is because farmers are not considered rich and the only thing they ate was what they grew. This is a major part of being Puerto Rican because food isn’t just important culturally but has had an even bigger aspect historically.
Artifact 1 (mod 5)
Personally, I liked this archived item the most because until I completed the activity, I didn’t realize that my parents and I don’t take a lot of pictures together. Honestly, I was really surprised doing this activity because my parents and I pretty much agreed on everything. As much as I can argue and get annoyed by my parents, I realized that we are probably just so similar that it’s like magnets facing each other with the same attraction. Besides that, I can say that true to the way I was raises, family is definitely one of the most important things to hold on to in life and I’m definitely blessed beyond measure. The most important thing I’ve learned is not to fight so much because my parents are only human just like me.