Growing up as a Hispanic woman in America, I constantly switch back and forth with which culture I identify with most. Growing up I fully embraced my American culture, but as I started to get older, I started to identify more with my Hispanic culture. Having to always choose one side, has always left me feeling guilty for not embracing the other culture. Throughout the paper, I am going to use the term Hispanic to describe my Latin origin. Hispanic can be used interchangeably with Latino, but the meaning behind Hispanic focuses on a Spanish-speaking origin.
My mother is a 2nd generation Mexican-American, and my father immigrated here when he was younger from Honduras. I grew up in a small town in Hollister, California and I grew up surrounded …show more content…
I was aware about my race, but always felt like I was white, just like my friends. When I was 18 years old, I moved for college where 85% of the student population was white. I even made a joke that I was accepted to the school because they needed to admit people of color. I felt at ease being surrounded by white people, similar to the ones that I grew up with, but a part of me felt guilty for never embracing my Hispanic side. Dalmage (2013) describes how multiracial children are facing unending demands to choose a side, stake a claim, and adhere to the rules of the race that they identify with. I agree with this article because I have never felt like I could identify with both cultures. I have always felt like I could only identify with one. Race and culture are not simple concepts, but rather complex meanings that effects our personal identity.
As the years went on, I …show more content…
There are many times where I felt isolated for not being Latina enough. Many times it is for something so simple, but we tend to judge the people within our culture the toughest. Growing up, I was always made fun of for my Spanish by my family. I would say a sentence incorrectly, or because my accent sounded “too white.” One of the reasons behind embracing my white identity over my Hispanic identity was because I felt like I didn’t meet the criteria to be fully Hispanic. I was not confident with my Spanish, it made me feel very uncomfortable when I had to use it in public with other people. I felt comfortable, and more accepted with my white friends and the white identity that I had adopted. I don’t believe that we are racist with the people in our own culture, but we show signs of same race
My mother is a 2nd generation Mexican-American, and my father immigrated here when he was younger from Honduras. I grew up in a small town in Hollister, California and I grew up surrounded …show more content…
I was aware about my race, but always felt like I was white, just like my friends. When I was 18 years old, I moved for college where 85% of the student population was white. I even made a joke that I was accepted to the school because they needed to admit people of color. I felt at ease being surrounded by white people, similar to the ones that I grew up with, but a part of me felt guilty for never embracing my Hispanic side. Dalmage (2013) describes how multiracial children are facing unending demands to choose a side, stake a claim, and adhere to the rules of the race that they identify with. I agree with this article because I have never felt like I could identify with both cultures. I have always felt like I could only identify with one. Race and culture are not simple concepts, but rather complex meanings that effects our personal identity.
As the years went on, I …show more content…
There are many times where I felt isolated for not being Latina enough. Many times it is for something so simple, but we tend to judge the people within our culture the toughest. Growing up, I was always made fun of for my Spanish by my family. I would say a sentence incorrectly, or because my accent sounded “too white.” One of the reasons behind embracing my white identity over my Hispanic identity was because I felt like I didn’t meet the criteria to be fully Hispanic. I was not confident with my Spanish, it made me feel very uncomfortable when I had to use it in public with other people. I felt comfortable, and more accepted with my white friends and the white identity that I had adopted. I don’t believe that we are racist with the people in our own culture, but we show signs of same race