How can people maintain their identities in a multicultural world?
 Studying various historical occurrences of oppressed identities has helped me realize the answer to this question: an individual voice must be projected. There needs to be a fight in order to achieve this. There must be effort put in. No passive person will be able to keep his or her identity from being crushed in the face of a hegemonic power. Some of the most significant periods of oppression include the period of colonialism in Africa and Hitler’s terrorizing reign. In both eras, the oppressed faced such powerful forces that they had a small chance of gaining an individual voice to resist. Yet, some did get a chance to prevail. Without trying however so much of culture and traditions would have been lost in the destruction of these inhumane movements. The Taiping Rebellion in China is an example of a successful attempt of protecting identity. The effects of the revolt can be seen in the shift of China’s views on international relations at the end of the movement. Discrimination that has resulted as a part of all of these historical events and become a part of society only further suppresses individuality as it separates people into stereotypes. Studying these ideas throughout Unit 3 in depth has left me pondering the question of identity. I feel as if there are more answers that only time and practice will reveal. I find these concepts fascinating and have found great interest fueling my research throughout the unit. As a freshman in college discovering who I am, I found identity a very fitting topic for a class my second semester. I’m a Pakistani woman with a penchant for rap music and sewing. How could I be simply “othered?” Not all Pakistanis like rap music. Not all women enjoy sewing. On our field trip to the African Voices exhibit in the Natural History Museum I was shocked by the 15-foot diameter of the area. There was not a proper representation of all the different cultures of the massive continent of Africa. It was almost portrayed as a unified “other” to the Western world. This struggle of breaking free from boundaries has reinforced my interest in helping the oppressed find a voice. For the last two years I became involved in the Best Buddies organization. Its goal is to help special needs students integrate more socially through building one to one friendships. I was surprised by the astounding appreciation of the students and families involved in the program. In the upcoming spring break I will be traveling to Dallas, Texas with the Alternative Break group to help refugees resettle in this country. We will be teaching English and provide necessities for a new home and lifestyle. As I continue to learn about oppression throughout history I become more and more inspired to work with those struggling to claim their voice. I’ve set a goal for myself to become a conflict resolutions expert in the future. With all of the uncertainty in life, I want to support those who have something to share. Opening eyes to new cultures and ideas is what will keep the human race constantly evolving. The universe would most certainly behoove from i