Battling Cultural Stereotypes | Sadie Ortiz | TEDxYouth@ParkCity
Summary
TLDRIn this powerful speech, Sadie shares her journey of defying stereotypes as a young Hispanic woman. Despite being told she would fail due to her ethnicity, she overcame societal expectations, battled prejudice, and refused to be another statistic. Sadie recounts being placed in a remedial class because of her background and the emotional toll it took on her self-esteem. Through perseverance and hard work, she excelled academically, proving others wrong. Her story is a testament to resilience, as she strives to achieve her dreams and inspire others to break free from the labels society imposes.
Takeaways
- 😀 Sadie faces societal stereotypes as a young Hispanic woman, including being labeled as a high school dropout and pregnant at 17.
- 😔 She feels like she's constantly being categorized and expected to fail due to her ethnicity and background.
- 🎓 Sadie reflects on the challenges she faced, such as being placed in an extra-help class despite excelling academically, which harmed her self-esteem.
- 💪 Despite the obstacles, Sadie refuses to accept these labels and works hard to prove people wrong.
- 🎶 Her love for education and passion for learning was hindered by stereotypes, especially when denied access to a musical elective.
- 👩🎓 Sadie is now in AP classes and striving to achieve her dreams, including attending college in New York and majoring in political science.
- 📉 Stereotypes and societal expectations often define people, but Sadie refuses to be just another statistic or failure.
- 🌍 Sadie dreams of giving her parents a life they never had, motivated by their sacrifices for her success.
- 🚫 She opposes the harmful labels that hold people back and seeks to pave a path for herself and others with similar dreams.
- 🏅 Sadie stands strong in the face of adversity, vowing to overcome stereotypes and continue fighting for her future and her family's happiness.
Q & A
What challenges did Sadie face growing up as a Hispanic?
-Sadie faced the challenge of being stereotyped as a failure due to her ethnicity and skin color. She had a 34 percent chance of dropping out of high school as a Hispanic, and was automatically categorized as a failure.
How did Sadie's mother influence her approach to stereotypes?
-Sadie's mother always told her not to act or dress like a stereotype and to strive to be someone great in life.
What was the significance of the elective class in sixth grade for Sadie?
-The elective class in sixth grade was significant because Sadie was placed in an extra help class without her consent, which was a direct result of the stereotypes associated with her ethnicity.
Why did Sadie refuse to accept the extra help class?
-Sadie refused to accept the extra help class because she believed she was placed there solely based on her ethnicity and not her academic abilities, which she knew were good.
How did the extra help class affect Sadie's self-esteem?
-The extra help class had a negative impact on Sadie's self-esteem, causing it to wither and making her feel like an outcast.
What was the turning point for Sadie in the extra help class?
-The turning point was when her teacher told her that it must have been a mistake for her to be placed in that class, validating her belief that she didn't belong there.
What are Sadie's ambitions despite the stereotypes she faces?
-Sadie's ambitions are to go to college in New York, major in political science, and give her parents the life they never had.
How does Sadie feel about being labeled with stereotypes?
-Sadie feels that stereotypes are walls that hold her back, oppress her, and have caused her unimaginable pain, but they have also made her stronger.
What is the statistic Sadie mentions about Hispanics in the United States prisons?
-Sadie mentions that 831 per 100,000 Hispanics are incarcerated in the United States prisons.
How does Sadie plan to defy the odds and the stereotypes?
-Sadie plans to defy the odds by continuing to work hard in AP classes and standing up to stereotypes with grace until she achieves her goals.
What message does Sadie want to convey to those who face similar challenges?
-Sadie wants to convey that despite the hardships and stereotypes, one should keep standing up and striving for success.
Outlines
🌟 Overcoming Stereotypes
The speaker, Sadie, shares her journey of overcoming societal stereotypes as a Hispanic teenager. Despite being pregnant at 17 and having dropped out of high school, she challenges the expectations placed on her by society and the juvenile court system. Sadie was told from a young age that she was likely to fail due to her ethnicity, but she defied these odds. She recalls her mother's advice to avoid conforming to stereotypes and to strive for greatness. When placed in a remedial class without her consent, she pushed back, insisting she didn't need the extra help. Her determination led to her being placed in AP classes, where she continues to work hard to prove the naysayers wrong. Sadie dreams of attending college in New York to study political science and provide a better life for her parents. She emphasizes her refusal to be defined by stereotypes and her commitment to breaking barriers, not just for herself but for others with dreams.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Stereotypes
💡Hispanic
💡Education
💡Juvenile court system
💡Statistical labels
💡Prejudice
💡Self-esteem
💡AP classes
💡Dreams
💡Family sacrifice
Highlights
The speaker reflects on being categorized as a failure based on societal stereotypes tied to her ethnicity and being a high school dropout.
At a young age, the speaker was told she had a 34% chance of dropping out of high school simply because she was Hispanic.
Her mother advised her not to conform to stereotypes and to strive to be someone great in life.
Despite doing well in elementary school, she was placed in an extra-help class in middle school, likely due to her ethnicity.
The placement in the extra-help class damaged her self-esteem, reinforcing the sense of being an outcast.
She describes the joy she felt when it was revealed that her placement in the extra-help class had been a mistake.
Her determination grew as she sought to prove wrong those who doubted her based on her ethnicity and background.
She refuses to be defined by the labels and statistics society places on her as a Hispanic.
She proudly states that she is in AP classes and works hard to defy stereotypes.
The speaker has dreams of attending college in New York, majoring in political science, and giving her parents a better life.
She highlights the prejudice she faces when people question her background, assuming she can't be from here based on her appearance.
The speaker mentions the high incarceration rate among Hispanics, wondering if she was expected to just become another statistic.
She emphasizes her purpose in life: not to be another number in the system but to pave a path for others, including her siblings.
Stereotypes, for her, are not just labels but walls that hinder progress and hold people back.
She ends by affirming that she will keep standing strong and working hard until she makes her parents proud for the sacrifices they made.
Transcripts
pregnant at 17 high school dropout in
the juvenile court system
I am defined by these stereotypes every
single day I walk out of the safety of
my home having to walk out of one
culture into a completely new one and
already categorized as a failure
I had a 34 percent chance of dropping
out of high school as a Hispanic as of
2010 so at the age of 10 I was already
told I wouldn't be making it very far
based on something I never got to choose
my skin color and my ethnicity look at
me now do I fit the stereotypes society
has placed on Hispanics stereotypes
placed in front of me like obstacles
that I was meant to trip over and never
stand up from the consistent reminder
that I am expected to fail and my future
has already been decided now when I was
a little girl my mom always told me what
not to do not to act like a stereotype
not to dress like one and to essentially
be someone great in life my first day of
sixth grade I was finally a teenager
excited to go to school and pursue my
dream of an education it was time to
pick an elective a musical elective but
as I would soon find out an elective was
not an option for me
I had already been prejudged and sent a
category as a student that needed extra
I could send Mike help I was confused I
thought about how the entire time in
elementary school I wasn't labeled as a
struggling kid what had brought me to be
in this extra helping class I mean a
little help wouldn't hurt but was it my
test scores no couldn't be I had done
great on those my mom had told me what
about the fact that I'm Hispanic hmm
that had to be it but I refused to
accept that I had been placed in that
class simply for being Hispanic instead
I went to that class every day with my
homework already done and
already graded insisting that I did not
need to help now this wouldn't seem like
a big deal to many people but what it
did to my already withering self-esteem
was destroy every bit I had a bit left I
was already an outcast and now I
wouldn't be able to participate in
something the rest of my peers were
doing something so simple as learning
how to play a musical instrument one day
my teacher did tell me that it must have
been a mistake that I had been placed in
that class a great smile of rose on my
face a smile that I had proved people
wrong a smile that I had contradicted
the future people thought I had I did
not take my first breath into this life
thinking I was meant to fail thinking I
was going to be cut short from
opportunities simply because of the
person I was born as I have not been
beaten by the many labels that I'm
forced to walk around with I'm in AP
classes and every day I work harder only
to prove those wrong who have
consistently told me no I am NOT another
number in society I'm a furious Hispanic
with consistent challenges I'm a furious
Hispanic with great dreams great dreams
to go to college in New York major in
political science and give my parents
the life they'd never had but is that a
realistic dream now when I'm
consistently shot down because of the
way I look or asked where I'm from
because it is simply impossible to be
from here because I'm so different these
stereotypes I wake up to every single
day have broken me and unimaginable ways
it made me stronger with every slur said
about me 831 per 100,000 Hispanics are
incarcerated in the United States
prisons was I meant to be here just to
be another statistic another number in
the prison system No I was meant to be
here to pave a path not only for my
siblings but for every person with a
dream stereotypes are not only labels
they are walls holding us back
oppressing us and destroying me my name
is Sadie I am NOT a high school dropout
I am not 17 and pregnant I'm a 4.0
student and never face
stereotypes I am NOT another statistic
it is hard to stand up from every
stereotype but I will keep on standing
and standing with grace until I know I
have placed a smile on my parents faces
my pot my parents have sacrificed so
much more than their own happiness for
my success
[Applause]
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