The questions that should be so simple like, “What are you?” and “Where are you from?” become two of the most complex questions to answer for someone like me because I do not have a straightforward answer.
Being the first of a generation to be apart of a new culture may inevitably lead to a cultural identity crisis. Conversely, being able to identify yourself with more than one culture can still be wonderfully liberating. From my personal experience, Americans have a lot of animosity towards people who are from a different scope of life, thus, not completely American.
I have noticed that people are sometimes offended when I represent my Jamaican culture. It is believed by some, that because I live in America I should detach myself from my roots, and only identify myself as an American, but that is something I will NEVER do.
Why do I not meet the American standard because I enjoy the food, music, sports, and lifestyle of my Jamaican roots? Why am I not Jamaican enough because I was born in Hartford, Connecticut? There have been many times when I have felt "torn between the two" trying to identify myself as an American or Jamaican. I was raised my Frank Bartley, a Jamaican man and Denese Rose Bartley, a Jamaican woman and am very proud to be Nordene Bartley a JAMameican.
Unfortunately, these issues span much further than we all care to realize. There have been many times when I have felt not American enough and not Jamaican enough, but I have realized I am MORE THAN ENOUGH, I'm just me. The only answer I have is to try and bridge the gap between my two cultures as best as possible and never abandon any side. By taking the good, the bad and the ugly from each culture to help represent myself uniquely as a descendent of one country and a citizen of another. I will forever embrace both of my cultures equally and hopefully this will help pave the way to a better understanding and acceptance of people who’s culture does not fit one simple spectrum.
