Video #1:

Watch America Ferrara’s TED Talk here:

America Ferrera: My identity is a superpower -- not an obstacle | TED

Links to an external site.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why is America so taken aback when the director says: “Can you do that again,
but this time, sound more Latina?” What does this have to do with America’s
(the person, not the country) identity?
I think that it goes to show how we constantly stereotype actors in the media. The
media often makes actors act in their traditional roles and portray the same stereotypes
over and over again. This can make people like America feel different about their identity
and feel obliged to portray that traditional role.
2. What roles did America mention were available to her, but that she did not
eventually get cast for? How does this play into stereotypes about Hispanic
Americans or Latino Americans?
She mentions roles like “the gang-banger’s girlfriend, pregnant woman, and
shoplifter”. This perpetuates the stereotype that all Hispanic people are like this. When
directors see America not fitting the traditional stereotype, they usually reject her.
3. What does America mean when she says that her identity “was an obstacle [she]
had to overcome” for casting directors?
What America probably means is that casting directors want actors to play more
conventional roles when it comes to casting. For example, this means that when a role is
designed for a “woman” they probably mean a white woman. As a Latina, Ferrara has
had to overcome these obstacles.
4. America notes that “presence creates possibility.” How is this applicable to her
role as an actor? What does it encourage casting directors to do?
This is applicable to her role as an actor because usually actors are
groundbreaking for industries. As an actor you get lots of publicity which inspires
potential actors and directors alike to hire more people like you.
 5. What part of your identity is your superpower? Why is that?
The part of my identity that is my superpower is the fact that I am Indian. As
such, everyone has high expectations of me and expects me to do well. This encourages
me to work harder.

Activity 1:

Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, posts its Demographic and Identity
demographics on its website each year.

First link: Racial and Ethnic Identity Demographics:

https://tableau.stanford.edu/t/IRDS/views/DEIWorkbook-Demographics/CompareDemogr
aphics?%3Aembed=y

Links to an external site.

Second link: Identity and Background:

https://tableau.stanford.edu/t/IRDS/views/DEIWorkbook-Demographics/IdentityandBackg
round?%3Aembed=y

Links to an external site.

Third link: Explore Diversity:

https://tableau.stanford.edu/t/IRDS/views/DEIWorkbook-Demographics/ExploreDiversity?
%3Aembed=y

Links to an external site.

Instructions:

Take 3 minutes to play around with the websites. Don't forget to check out the tabs at the
top of each page.

1. With the Racial and Ethnic Identity Demographics (first link), what are two
observations you notice on the first page under “How does racial and ethnic
diversity compare across populations?”?
First, I noticed that while the faculty was majority white, the undergraduates and students
were majority Asian-American. Second of all, I noticed that while a lot of the
undergraduates are Hispanic or Black, their role in the faculty and staff is very
disproportionate. I think that this statistic will change with time, as more and more
Hispanics and Africans graduate they will eventually occupy a larger place.
2. Click on “Identity and Background” (second link). Under the first page under
“How do other identities compare across populations?”, go to the right hand side
under “Select a demographic for survey respondent”. Choose two different
 demographics of your choice. Which two demographics did you choose and what
are two concrete observations about each demographic? (Total 4 observations)
I chose political leanings, which was the most disturbing out of all the statistics.
The fact that across all the scales, conservatives occupy less than 10 percent of the total
demographic, is horrifying for free speech across America. With such a large majority
liberal population, it seems only a matter of time before colleges turn into an echo
chamber. The second thing I noticed about the political demographic is that the staff
(counselors, physicians, etc) tend to be more to the middle of the road than the other
demographics. I think this is likely due to the fact that those are the lowest paid
demographic at Stanford. People who work long hours are probably less likely to be
involved in politics. The second thing I chose to observe is generations. Here as well, the
staff tends to be more first-generation than the others. This, I think, is probably linked to
the fact that these jobs tend to be the most low-paying and low-skilled. These jobs will
often attract low skilled workers from Asia and especially from across our southern
border. Another thing I noticed was that less graduates tend to be first generation than
undergraduates. This is likely due to the fact that first-generation Americans going to
Stanford is fairly new, and as time progresses more graduates will become
First-generation.
3. Click on the third link: "Explore Diversity." Toggle between the two red tabs at
the top titled: "What does diversity look like at Stanford?" and "How do people
describe their racial or ethnic identity?" What is one observation you are
noticing between these two tabs?
One observation I noticed was that white people tend to identify more with the
background that their families who immigrated, in most cases more than 50 years ago.
While they have no real ethnic connection to these people as most of these “Germans” or
“Irish” likely only know English, I think there is a real phenomenon for many white
people to identify with the ethnic group of their immigrant grandparents or in mst cases
great-grandparents even though they know nothing about their culture.
4. Under "How do people describe their racial or ethnic identity?" in the third
link, choose a racial or ethnic category of survey respondent on the right hand
side. What does this do to the bubbles on the screen? What racial or ethnic
category did you choose? What racial/ethnic bubbles on the screen stayed and
which ones disappeared?
I chose Asian or Asian American. Expectedly, the ones belonging to the Asian
continent stayed and many others disappeared. One thing I found interesting,
however, was the fact that none of them identified as American. I think this is
related to the fact that many immigrants or first-generation Americans tend to
identify more with their home country than the one to which they are a national of
.
Take a look at the 2020 US Census Demographic Data on Race here:
https://maps.geo.census.gov/ddmv/map.html

Links to an external site.

Note: You do not have to answer #1 - 3 in full sentences.

1. Click on the link. In the upper left hand corner, scroll down and click on “Race
alone, not Hispanic or Latino”. Under the dropdown, click on “White”. Click on
California. What is the percentage of Californians identifying as white alone?
34.7%
2. Zoom in on the map and click on Santa Clara County. What is the percentage of
Santa Clara County residents who identify as white alone? Is this percentage
more or less than the total percentage of Californians who identify as white
alone?
28.7%. less
3. Choose another race in the dropdown menu. Choices include: “Black or African
American,” “American Indian and Alaska Native,” “Asian,” “Native American
and Other Pacific Islander,” “Some Other Race,” or “Two or More Races.”
First, list which race you chose, then Zoom out and click on California again.
What percentage of Californians identify as that race? Zoom into Santa Clara
County. What percentage of Santa Clara County residents identify as the race
you chose? Is this percentage more or less than the total percentage of
Californians who identify as the race you chose?
Asian American, 15%
Santa Clara county, 38.9%. More.

Text #1:

Read “The differences between race and ethnicity – and why they’re so hard to define” by
Harmeet Kaur, a reporter at CNN at this link:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/us/race-ethnicity-difference-explainer-cec/index.html

Links to an external site.

. (Also found in Canvas > Files > Unit 1 > Homework > Week #2)

1. What is the difference between race and ethnicity? Why are race and ethnicity
important?
 Race is based on physical features while ethnicity is based on culture. These are
important for many key reasons. First of all, ethnicity is everything you really are. If you
lose sense of your ethnicity, it can be safe to say that your culture is gone too. Race is
important because it helps the government profile you in censuses and is useful for legal
documents.
2. How is it possible that race and ethnicity are able to overlap?
Some races are very specific and thus an overlap is possible. For example, people who
identify as Native Hawaiian are probably more likely to identify as ethnically native Hawaiian. Same with
ethnicities such as Native American. It is also likely possible that some people have been naturalized for a
few generations and likely forgotten their ethnicity so they just identify with the category of their race.