--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've grown up feeling very American but…" description: "\"I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism and feeling weird about being second-generati..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg" --- # I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly… ![“I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism and feeling weird about being second-generation.” quote by Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg) > “I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism and feeling weird about being second-generation.” [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker expresses conflict between an American upbringing and the lingering effects of internalized racism and the complexities of being a second‑generation immigrant. **In simple terms:** Feeling conflicted about identity due to racism and heritage. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and explore these feelings. Themes identity race immigration belonging Mood reflective conflicted Type personal cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - workplace interactions - community events - personal reflection Key Concepts internalized bias cultural hybridity generational trauma Questions to Reflect On - How does your American identity shape your view of heritage? - What steps can you take to reconcile these feelings? A Different Perspective It can be hard to separate personal experience from societal stereotypes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Feeling American](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-american-1423394/) [Feeling Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-weird-2652042/) [Grown Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grown-feeling-1321069/) [Internalized Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internalized-racism-608581/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Racism Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism-feeling-4410916/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Weird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weird/) ## Related quotes > […“white supremacy” is a much more useful term for understanding the complicity of people of color in upholding and maintaining racial hierarchies that do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/white-supremacy-is-a-much-more-useful-term-for-understanding-the/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [We live in a racist world. Everywhere there is racism. We say to White people, "You really have to examine how you behave in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/we-live-in-a-racist-world-everywhere-there-is-racism-we-say-to-white/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“What is the black shadow? It's the running inner dialogue we have with ourselves all day long about our fears of being inferior as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlene-f-watson/what-is-the-black-shadow-it-s-the-running-inner-dialogue-we-have-with/) [Marlene F. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlene-f-watson/) > [Being an immigrant myself, but feeling very American, and also being the child of immigrants, I understand the feeling of wanting a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milana-vayntrub/being-an-immigrant-myself-but-feeling-very-american-and-also-being/) [Milana Vayntrub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milana-vayntrub/) > [Occasionally, I've been asked to do American roles, and once or twice I have, but I don't understand Americans. I don't have any real…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-broadbent/occasionally-i-ve-been-asked-to-do-american-roles-and-once-or-twice-i/) [Jim Broadbent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-broadbent/) > [I said it was my feeling that the American people would struggle for peace, and that has since been underscored by the President of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-robeson/i-said-it-was-my-feeling-that-the-american-people-would-struggle-for/) [Paul Robeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-robeson/) > [The more uncertain I have felt about myself, the more there has grown up in me a feeling of kinship with all things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-more-uncertain-i-have-felt-about-myself-the-more-there-has-grown/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“Yet there is so much that fills me: plants, animals, clouds, day and night, and the eternal in man. The more uncertain I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-gustav-jung/yet-there-is-so-much-that-fills-me-plants-animals-clouds-day-and/) [Carl Gustav Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-gustav-jung/) > [“I’d grown up feeling like the trees had eyes, each tangle of roots like a brain that held memories. I could feel, even now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-young/i-d-grown-up-feeling-like-the-trees-had-eyes-each-tangle-of-roots/) [Adrienne Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-young/) > [If you've grown up feeling unattractive, I don't think you ever lose that. It never goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-andrews/if-you-ve-grown-up-feeling-unattractive-i-don-t-think-you-ever-lose/) [Naveen Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-andrews/) > [I am sure that, had I grown up with both parents, had I grown up in a safe environment, had I grown up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/i-am-sure-that-had-i-grown-up-with-both-parents-had-i-grown-up-in-a/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [It feels like a rash. It suddenly seems like I've got a contagion of diseases, I mean awards. But it's nice, it's a nice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-bonham-carter/it-feels-like-a-rash-it-suddenly-seems-like-i-ve-got-a-contagion-of/) [Helena Bonham Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-bonham-carter/) > [I used to just think about what my fans wanted all the time. But it just started feeling weird to me. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-miller/i-used-to-just-think-about-what-my-fans-wanted-all-the-time-but-it/) [Mac Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-miller/) > [When you lose someone that's really important to you, I feel like it's something that never really goes away. It's almost learning how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-mark/when-you-lose-someone-that-s-really-important-to-you-i-feel-like-it-s/) [Amber Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-mark/) > [Sometimes good art jumps out at me; most of the time I see bad art, or see nothing at all and just drift, feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/sometimes-good-art-jumps-out-at-me-most-of-the-time-i-see-bad-art-or/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) ## More by Kelela > [Even on my most angry song, I'm also still saying, 'Thank you for helping me to learn.' I've always wanted to give voice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/even-on-my-most-angry-song-i-m-also-still-saying-thank-you-for/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [It's such a challenging time, and in my small way, I will make it so that other younger women, and maybe older women, will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/it-s-such-a-challenging-time-and-in-my-small-way-i-will-make-it-so/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I'm definitely seeking to challenge tropes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-m-definitely-seeking-to-challenge-tropes/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Self-care is a requirement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/self-care-is-a-requirement/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [For those of us who make music together, I think it's important to realize that generosity on both sides is actually going to produce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/for-those-of-us-who-make-music-together-i-think-it-s-important-to/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [A lot of white men in the music industry are promoting and participating in black culture in a way that is pretty careless. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/a-lot-of-white-men-in-the-music-industry-are-promoting-and/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [There are no black women geniuses that are being named in canons. I could name a bunch, but it's not part of common knowledge.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/there-are-no-black-women-geniuses-that-are-being-named-in-canons-i/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I think my worst enemy was myself. It's like I've been in my own way more than anybody else has been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-think-my-worst-enemy-was-myself-it-s-like-i-ve-been-in-my-own-way/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I've always had this commitment to not being in one thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-always-had-this-commitment-to-not-being-in-one-thing/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I am your homegirl, at the end of the day, but I also feel very... outside. So if you're finding solace in feeling outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-am-your-homegirl-at-the-end-of-the-day-but-i-also-feel-very-outside/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > ['Take Me Apart' doesn't feel cohesive in a singular way but in a varied way. You can fixate on individual songs, and there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/take-me-apart-doesn-t-feel-cohesive-in-a-singular-way-but-in-a-varied/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > ['Seat at the Table' has expressed real adversity, struggle, and also triumph and joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/seat-at-the-table-has-expressed-real-adversity-struggle-and-also/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Before I collaborate, it's important that I have a conversation about what I care about before we make anything, so that it's very clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/before-i-collaborate-it-s-important-that-i-have-a-conversation-about/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [I'm quite scrutinous when it comes to who I put myself in the room with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-m-quite-scrutinous-when-it-comes-to-who-i-put-myself-in-the-room/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) > [Sometimes I learn by someone giving me warnings and giving me advice about what to do next. And other times, a lot of times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/sometimes-i-learn-by-someone-giving-me-warnings-and-giving-me-advice/) [Kelela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) [Explore all 100 Kelela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. And an Irish writer who used to write for 'The New Yorker' called Maeve Brennan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/william-maxwell-s-my-favorite-north-american-writer-i-think-and-an/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I have fallen in love with American names, the sharp names that never get fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/i-have-fallen-in-love-with-american-names-the-sharp-names-that-never/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [I really like a lot of American country stuff, so my music has that influence, but I don't like to be set within a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-bird/i-really-like-a-lot-of-american-country-stuff-so-my-music-has-that/) [Jade Bird](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-bird/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. 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But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) [Browse all 7,717 American quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism and feeling weird about being second-generation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kelela" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but-being-constantly-bothered-by/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but-being-constantly-bothered-by/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7c1/kelela-5546_american_i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but_523164.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've grown up feeling very American but being constantly bothered by people - there's internalized racism…” — Kelela", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Kelela", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelela/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've grown up feeling very American...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but-being-constantly-bothered-by/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelela/i-ve-grown-up-feeling-very-american-but-being-constantly-bothered-by/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```