Being a Latino born in the U.S is not at all easy why? I will tell you why, one because in a way it means you have to be both American and Latino. That also means speaking two languages depending on where you’re from, if your country has a dialect language to. In my experience there was once in my life where I was super Americanized and spoke not a word of Spanish. But later on, when I graduated high school I soon realized how much I loved the Latino Community and its music and the different types of Spanish that is spoken.
NBC news wrote an article about “Young Latinos: Born in the U.S.A., carving their own identity” by Suzanne Gamboa, Sandra Lilley and Sarah Calhan in 2018. I feel like I can so relate to this article because it talks about how people in the United State are in a world of both Latino and American and how they are trying to shape a place for themselves in both of these worlds and between. This is a really huge issue I believe because not every Latino family is the same for example in the article a young girl named Berenize García, 16, of New York City, said her father, “a Mexican immigrant, has pressured her to be “more American,” while her mother told her it’s disrespectful not to retain and speak Spanish to their Mexican relatives”. This has become a real issue on whether or not parents are teaching their children to follow their culture and speaking Spanish or assimilating to being more American and only American.
Berenize Garcia (photo by Nirma Hasty)
Her response to her father and mother was “That makes me feel confused, because how can I be Mexican when I’m pressured to be more American? How can I be American when I’m pressured to be more Mexican?” she said. A lot of Latinos don’t get the opportunity to learn their language or really know their culture. This is why being Latino-American or Afro-Latino etc., is important because at the same we don’t know what a Latino is supposed to look like or how a Americans showed be like. Latinos all look different and have different colored skin, just because someone is to darken skinned doesn’t mean their black they can be Cuban for all we know. Don’t judge a book by its cover!
Overall, in my experience I can say that sometimes I don’t feel like a full Latino because I was born in the U.S. and maybe some Latinos born here can say that because their parents are full Latinos they are too. I think it goes in many ways how to define a Latino its just how you see it. I mean people born in the U.S and with Hispanic background are considered Chicanos. I guess I never really liked defining myself as Chicano or Latino because I believe they’re both different meanings for me and others. I don’t know if others have really put a lot of thought into this like I have?… maybe they should.
Below is the Link to the video that shows a different bunch of young Latin Americans and how they feel about being Latino in the U.S. go check it out!!
https://www.nbcnews.com/video/defining-latino-young-people-talk-identity-belonging-1319844419597
Links:
Article- Young Latinos: Born in the U.S.A., carving their own identity https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/young-latinos-born-u-s-carving-their-own-identity-n908086
Video- Selena Movie (1997) Twice as Perfect Scene 3/9 movie clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIBYaeYQF0k
Word Count:578
Mi Comunidad Latina 