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TRANSCRIPT — DESCRIPTIONS
Image Description: A woman is signing to the camera throughout the video.
Transcript: “As I mentioned, I am a person of color (POC). I am a Latina and from El Salvador. However, my identity in Kenya was reduced to a simple dimension of “mzungu” (foreigner, white person) or an Asian.
“I attempted to explain that I was a Latina, not a white person, and that my culture differed from the mainstreamed white U.S. society. My other cultural experiences were dismissed. They said you are a white person nonetheless and I had to accept their perspective.
“The only roadway I was able to gain was the fact that I was comfortable with hand washing my clothes, I explained that I did this in Mexico. They recognized that but everything else, they still thought of me as a white person.
“However, I did struggle with this loss of my identity. But, I understood that their worldview differed greatly from mine, and it can take time for changes to shift their worldview. It’s important to be patient and understanding of that.”
What does it mean to be a proud Latina woman in Kenya–a country that does not recognize your identity? Watch Norma Moran explain her experience being a Latina woman in Kenya. This video clip is in American Sign Language with English captions.
The short video clip here is originally taken from a longer, 20-minute webcast by Norma Moran. Watch the full webcast, “International Volunteer Work: Considerations entering a community overseas as a Deaf woman“.
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