Power and Privilege: A Deep Dive into Personal Identities, Oppression, and Privilege

Power and Privilege: A Deep Dive into Personal Identities, Oppression, and Privilege Name Institutional Affiliation Instructor Course Date Power and Privilege: A Deep Dive into Personal Identities, Oppression, and Privilege As a male Italian/Canadian individual who is straight and actively takes part in indigenous communities, the path to forming my identity has been a complicated moral dissection of privileges, oppression, and allyship. My family, with roots in Italian culture and tradition, helped me understand how privileged my heritage is. Nevertheless, early experiences in Indigenous communities greatly influenced my perception of the mechanism of society. I began a journey of authenticity through conversations, observations, and introspections, examining privilege, identity, and responsibility. This happened with the interaction with Indigenous people, from my school life to my role as a school teacher and volunteer in the school environment. Witnessing variations in power and struggles of the less privileged helped me understand essential concepts of empathy and accommodating others (Mackay et al., 2024). I will analyse my experiences and investigate the relationship between privilege and power in this critical biography. I will also discuss using my privileged position to bring about positive changes in my local community and school settings. The journey of shaping my identity has been complex and intricately connected to the heritage of my ancestral home and the diversity of cultural groups I encountered when interacting as a straight, Italian/Canadian young man. The characteristics of family values, toughness, and a sense of pride in my cultural background came to me because I grew up in a family environment where Italian and Italian-American customs were richly preserved (Faber et al., 2024). The Indigenous cultures that I had a chance to be exposed to in my early school years, a period where my worldview was formed, as opposed to theirs, contributed mainly to my broadened horizon and my identity being moulded. For the first time, I realized that the primary source of my privilege in society was my belonging to the dominant culture after having the opportunity to meet Indigenous students and see the way they were being marginalized throughout their educational system and broader society (Joseph et al., 2022). This event was eye-opening as it also pulled me out of my comfort zone and made me confront my privilege. Going through school made me realize that I spent most of my time being confused about who I was and where I belonged. This was most evident when I was pulled from one side to the other between my Italian roots and the Canadian mainstream. I met the requirement to critically analyse my privileged position as well as to see the link between my privilege and the oppressions that Indigenous peoples have always experienced as a result of the events mentioned above. This was the beginning of my journey of self-discovery and learning new information, which helped me appreciate and respect people from other cultural backgrounds. Despite the difficulties and complexities that are associated with having multiple identities, my contact with the Indigenous community taught me feelings of empathy, solidarity, and social justice. From these experiences, I realized the significance of using my privilege to elevate the voices of marginalized people and advocate for acceptable opportunities for everyone. The identity-building process is never-ending and shaped by my interactions, ...