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Earliest political memory #41

I grew up in West Virginia (USA), a rural and culturally homogenous region. My memory is of my mom putting me on the phone to talk to the utility bill person when I was around 8 yrs old, because she thought my American accent would be better understood than her Filipino accent. I was taken aback that I was a child suddenly placed in an ‘adult world action,’ then later understood why and thought it very strange. I have always been aware that accent, language, communication, and perceived identity influences action (for better or worse). I later studied politics in university and work with environmental politics for marginalized groups.

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