Being Latina means nearly everything — it’s my identity. I adore, embrace and am not afraid to flaunt my heritage. I have grown up being told to have pride in where I come from and, similarly, others of my heritage could say the same.
Although I have living relatives who were once immigrants, I was born in the United States and this is the only home I have ever known. Regardless, I find myself a minority in my own country. I have been undermined by my race, discriminated against on a personal, heretical and ethnic level. My experience is just the start, as there are others in our community who face the same struggles.
Latinos are constantly being referred to as “Hispanic,” which is a term that was developed by the United States in the 1970s to better classify members of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban cultures. Over time, the number of Latin countries that have been placed under this blanket has grown.
More and more people are being generalized as Hispanic, and are further losing their ability to represent their own culture independently. What this means is that individuals have less of a unique voice, because we are expected to be a voice for others as well.
Others tend to expect me to speak for, or have infinite knowledge of, others from my “background.” Latinos are being grouped together to represent an idea, or a type of person. Many races, ethnicities, heritages and cultures have become prejudiced for things they might not even associate themselves with, simply because they fall under the “Hispanic” blanket.
This type of generalization has been placed upon a large portion of U.S. population. It has started to debilitate many cultures and has undermined the average citizen’s ability to self-define themselves. This generalization has become an issue for youth in this country to assume an individual identity.
“I hate it when people assume I speak Spanish based off the color of my skin,” said Isadora “Izzy” Hernandez, a business major in the Lundquist College of Business. “I have to tell them I don’t and then I get made fun of or called ‘white’ for it.”
Assumptions are often made about cultures or members of certain cultures. But for Latinos like myself, we are neither asked which country our ancestors originate from, nor where we were born. Latin groups are discriminated against despite the lack of education for others when it comes to distinguishing between them.
“I actually get asked where I immigrated from,” Hernandez said. “I also have had friends assume I prefer tequila because I’m Hispanic.” These types of questions are more deeply rooted than simple stereotypes. Although they are stereotypical, they also show the overgeneralization of “Hispanic” culture.
In addition to generalization, there is discrimination. Discrimination stems from stereotypes and prejudice alike, but it is reinforced by media and entertainment in ways that further affect Latinos’ ability to have an individual identity. Latinos are one of the most negatively viewed ethnic groups in this country.
Both my race and ethnicity has come to represent an ugly concept in the eyes of the United States. Even though I am born here, I am still seen as responsible for any wrong doings that someone associates with my race or ethnicity. We are frequently seen as a representation or “advocate” for our race, regardless of the context of circumstances.
It becomes personal, and damaging to youth trying to determine their role in society. Many find themselves ostracized by their looks, or where they come from, in their school and in their communities.
Being Latina is something that I am proud of, and something that I will continue to consider a part of my identity — but it is not my sole identity. There is a lot more to me than where I come from or what culture I practice.