In August I had the privilege to go to Mexico and visit my mother's "pueblo", where I met her family and learned a little bit more about her upbringing. I think that when people think about Mexico they think of the beach, the food, and the music- but forget to think about the struggle, the passion, and the strive that is carried among the people that live there. Regardless, I was so overwhelmed by my experience that I began to ask myself: was I was proud of my heritage or was I running away from it? By being American, was I leaving my roots behind and embracing patriotism instead? Could I even identify as Hispanic just because I "look" a certain way, or because I speak Spanish? In fact, what does it mean to be Hispanic?
These questions had me thinking about my childhood, my values, and the overall expression of myself in a modern American way. Is being Hispanic a way of living, an attitude, or a mindset? The more I thought about it, I began to convince myself that this was such a complex question for such a small blog. In the end I had to do what every millennial would do with their social media platform; ask the people.
In doing so, I knew I'd get mixed responses; there was no right or wrong answer because in actuality the hefty definition of "hispanic" includes several people and entities.
Hispanic: of, relating to, or being a person of Latin American descent and especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin... of or relating to the people, speech, or culture of Spain.
After contemplating the question, these were some of the answers I received:
"When referring to the word hispanic, I think of colonization and oppression. I will never really know my indigenous roots."
"For me being Hispanic means embracing my culture. It means to be part of a family with values."
"Being hispanic to me means being part of this type of Spanish culture. This includes what used to be colonies but are now their own countries."
"Hispanic means reclaiming our own culture, but also adopting Spanish roots some way or another."
"Hispanic for me is related to my ethnicity, and my parents background."
"The link between hispanics is simply having Spanish be the mother tongue/ language."
"Having your mom throw a chancla at your a**."
"Respecting and embracing the traditions of your elders while infusing our modern ideology."
"Being Hispanic means Spanish speaking, which is why Colombians, Mexicans, etc are hispanic and Brazilians are not."
"Someone who is hispanic is a person who has ties with their language, traditions, and other roots from Spanish speaking countries."
"Hispanic to me is this culture that we live in. We hear it in our music, we taste it in our foods, and we see it in our factions. It's a thing that we can't touch but we can feel."
"Being hispanic is 'la cultura,' period."
After reading through all the responses I have discovered that for most people, being Hispanic is a subjective experience. It is a cross cultural tie between Spanish speaking countries and individuals.
For me personally, the older I have gotten the more I have come to embrace being Hispanic. Being born in America has not stripped me of being born from Mexican decent parents. In fact, it has matured me in a unique way; offering me new perspectives and insights about the world. I am proud of my roots and self identification; although I am American, I am also a result of struggling people who have made it this far. Being Hispanic is like dipping your toes into a pool of passion and hard work. It really pushes us to celebrate years of victories and losses. All I can say is that Hispanic people can really become this powerful force if we simply awaken and unite. For now, we will simply continue to prosper, inspire, and make changes in the world.
To all my Hispanic friends who helped me dig deeper about this question, thank you. To my parents who have put hard work into my moral compass, thank you.
Comments