Think about and celebrate your ethnicity. Often we feel lost in a vast and complex world. There is tremendous comfort in knowing your ethnic heritage. It gives you a history, a sense of place, a
uniqueness that remains no matter what else is going on around you.
Our homes look the same, our towns look the same, we watch the same movies, we dress the same, we often seem indistinguishable from everyone else. We live in a time of massproduced
everything, and we often feel lost in all the sameness. We long to know how we fit into the world. Where did I come from, and how did I get to this place? Knowing our family history and our ethnic heritage can offer comfort because it helps tell us who we are, where we're from, and how we fit.
The Foundation for Empowerment is one good example. The group teaches African American children about their heritage with history lessons, art lessons, and celebrations of food and music.
What do the students get out of these lessons? Pride. A sense of accomplishment. A sense of place. The effects are impressive. Students who participate tend to improve both their attendance and grades in school. As one eighth-grader explained, the program has made her work harder, be more committed to a professional career goal, and "feel better about myself because I know more about my heritage."
In studies of students, greater ethnic identity is associated with 10 percent greater life satisfaction.
Neto 1995
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