My name is Armani Peterson and I was born at Victory Hospital in Waukegan on August 17, 1991. I am black, white, and Native American. My mom's name is Ann Peterson and my dad’s name is Adonis Peterson. I have two sisters named Asia and Tiara. I and Asia grew apart but I and Tiara are close to this day. I grew up the first ten years with both of my parents in the household then they divorced. I lived in Gurnee, Illinois for two years then moved to Zion, Illinois. I'm very multi-talented. I played basketball, band, sing, and did acting growing up. I spent my whole life in Zion from grade school to high school. I started off a Christian school where the teachers thought i was too wild to be moved a grade higher.
At Newport and that is where i learned many traits. Then for sixth through eighth grade i went to Beach Park Middle School. For high school, i went to Zion-Benton and played football for my first year and strictly basketball for all four years. My junior year my basketball team took second in state. My favorite colors are red and for short people call me Mani. For a hobby I enjoy playing basketball and hanging out with friends. I stayed in Zion Went to a Christian school when i was in kindergarten. All of those experiences led me to Wisconsin- Parkside University. I'm now a sophomore but undecided my major so whatever i choose i plan on being successful.
My race defines me as who I am. Without the tragic and disaster in the past, I wouldn’t be here. I’m not sure of how I am mixed with different ethnicities. To be all honest my ancestors could have been raped and that’s how I evolved. I don’t try to think of the past but look at the future; because that’s something I can change.
I am very intrigued on the fact that you define yourself by your race, because I am quite the opposite I believe that my behaviors and beliefs define who I am. However, I can appreciate your recognizing that the past enabled you to exist today. After reading your blog I am able to understand more about the young man that I call my friend, knowing now that your parents divorced when you were younger allows me to know that everyone goes through family struggles regardless to the class they were brought up in. I to rarely think about the past yet I’m a history major (that’s a joke) because in all honesty I think about the past quite often. I am very interested in how events shaped the world we live in. I am excited to follow your blog and to see how you feel about other topics:)
ReplyDeleteArmani- Thank you for your story... I'd like to hear more about how you see "race" defining who you are. You mention the "tragedy and disaster" of the past. For me, that calls up the colonization of North America by Europeans, the murder and rape of Native Americans, and the enslavement (and murder and rape) of African Americans. Given your ancestry, it is clear you are a result of that history... I believe that I am, too. By that I mean that I am of European descent, and so my life is historically tied to that of the colonizers and slaveholders. If your race defines who you are, what does that mean about how you see the world, and how you choose to act in it? My own perspective is that we have inherited a legacy of colonization and racism that we cannot simply ignore or shrug off, even if as individuals we are nice people who are "color blind." How can we work together to create a more just society?
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