How do I recognize and talk about my own class background without shame?

Sor Juana understood something crucial: your origins aren't a flaw to hide—they're part of your actual knowledge. She came from an unmarried mother, limited formal education, and social precarity, yet she claimed her intellect as legitimate anyway. That matters. Recognizing your class background means naming it first to yourself, without the story you've been told about what it means. Were you the first to go to college? Did you learn to code-switch? Do you still feel like you're performing in certain rooms? These aren't personal failures—they're real navigations of real structures. When you talk about it, you don't owe anyone a redemption narrative. "I grew up working-class" or "My family didn't have resources for that" is complete. You don't need to prove how hard you worked or how far you've come. That performance is exhausting and it's not the point. The point is: your class history shaped how you think, what you value, what risks feel possible. That's intelligence. That's material. Start there—with curiosity about what your background taught you, rather than shame about what it lacked. Everything else becomes easier to say.