I find all the labels of ethnicity don't really convey much information . A lady I know on the next block is from Italy. We talk to each other, sometimes in English, sometimes in Spanish, sometimes in French, sometimes in Italian to the extent we both know those four languages.

She is more or less only identifiable as Italian because she was born there, a few typical Italian cultural characteristics and I guess because she can speak the Italian language.

She lives in an American house, drives a Japanese car, buys food at the same store I do and is married to a cuban man. Ninety nine percent of her life has nothing to do with Italy.

We both enjoy speaking to each other about things we remember from past experiences in Italy. It is pleasant to reminisce. This type of conversation only represents a small fraction of our communications with each other. The other things we talk about are in the here and now having nothing to do with where she is from.

If you are happy to be from a certain place, then fantastic. If you are identifying as a certain ethnicity to exclude others that has a very negative effect on the community you live in.

My USA passport says I was born in the USA so I assume that means I am American no matter if I like that or not. My French passport also says I was born in the USA, so I can't claim to be French...lol I can say when I live in France people who know me well consider me to be more French than American, mainly because I speak the most widely excepted dialect of French I think. I am no different when I am there than the Italian lady is here. When I am there Ninety nine percent of what I do relates to France and not the USA. So why would I try to identify as an American first?

The truth is we are all just people, hugely more alike than different.

Billy

“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”