Complexities, Fluidity, and Growth: Hispanic and Latinx Identities
It is undeniable that people of Hispanic and Latinx identities are one of the largest, most diverse ethnic groups in the world, ranging anywhere from Spaniards to Dominicans to Filipinos. Hispanics and Latinx people can come from a multitude of countries, speak various languages, and perform their identity in a plethora of ways that make them comfortable and proud of who they are. There is something truly individual and intricate about the combining of cultures and the coexistence of backgrounds that all go under the umbrella term Hispanic.
Contrarily, with these different cultures and varying degrees of ethnicity, comes discrimination, colorism, struggle, and guilt in the Hispanic community. People tend to feel as though they don’t belong in the Hispanic/Latinx community because of various facets of their identity that others deem uncharacteristic of a “real Hispanic/Latinx” and question their heritage and how to find an appropriate form of identity that they can share with the world.
These struggles that many Hispanic people go through are detrimental to their sense of self and have been brought into the spotlight all over the world by Hispanic people from a multitude of backgrounds, all trying to band together and overcome these obstacles revolving around a sometimes tricky subject: identity.
In this essay, I plan to discuss Hispanic and Latinx identities, their complexities, and why we as people feel the need to identity with certain groups in society to feel comfortable, welcomed, and like we belong somewhere with people that resemble us and relate to us. By tying in the works of Gloria Anzaldúa and her concepts of borderlands, I will explore what Hispanic/Latinx identities mean to individuals and how they see themselves and if this grows and changes through time. I will first explore my own Hispanic identity, how I came to realize I was Hispanic, how my identity has been shaped over the years, and will delve into my own personal struggles that come from being a white, monolingual Hispanic woman from America.
I will expand on my own ideas of Hispanic identity and lead into various resources that I have gathered from online articles and other students at the University of Delaware who discuss being Hispanic/Latinx and what this means for them. I will analyze the online resources I accumulated while tying in the personal comments and anecdotes from my peers in order to expand on the ideas presented in the articles to get a sense of how the rest of the world tackles the issues of Hispanic/Latinx identity.
My efforts will aid me in understanding why society insists that labels are vital and why Hispanic and Latinx labels are especially liberating and simultaneously restrictive, depending upon how the person or people in question look at identity through their own lens(es).
My Own Journey with Identity
I didn’t realize I was Hispanic until about high school. My grandmother came to America from Spain, and Spanish was her first language. She met my Polish grandfather when they both moved to the states, and had my mother and her four siblings, raising them on American culture with hints of their own Spanish and Polish roots. When I was younger, I would always go over to my grandparents’ house to visit since they lived about thirty minutes away. Their house is still to this day filled with Spanish and Polish artifacts that range from exotic looking posters with bull fighters and matadors to massive maps of Poland decorated with tiny people and landmarks.
I always found it fascinating whenever I heard my grandmother on the phone with friends and family from back home or with Spanish speaking clients (she worked as a real estate agent) because she would speak with such eloquent and fast Spanish that it would make my eyes grow wide and my eyebrows raise. I always thought to myself “Wow! Nana speaks Spanish on the phone. That’s really cool”, never thinking much about it and what that meant for her identity, and especially not thinking of what that meant for my own corresponding identity. I remember my mother telling me that my Pappy was Polish and that my Nana was Spanish, but again, it didn’t click with me that that made me 25% Polish and 25% Spanish.
I don’t exactly remember how I came to truly realize my ethnicity, but it definitely resonated with me sometime in high school, when people’s ethnicity and race were talked about more seriously and more openly than in elementary and middle school. I can liken it to a moment in a movie where the action stops, the noises in the background fade away, the camera zooms in to the character in focus, and we see the shocked expression on their face and hear them say in a hushed whisper, “Wait. I’m Spanish too”.
Realizing I was Spanish and therefore Hispanic was a strange phenomenon, due to the fact that I was grappling with the ideas of being white and being Hispanic, trying to figure out how big or how small being 25% Hispanic was, and how this made me different from other students and my friends at the time. Even when I started to come to terms with this monumental facet of my identity, I never mentioned it to anyone. I didn’t feel like it was my place to share this part of who I was, like I wasn’t worthy of the classification or was “faking it”.
Nobody in particular told me to think these things about myself, I just knew in my head that Hispanic people, especially the very few times I saw them presented in media, did not look or sound like me. Therefore, I thought that my Hispanic identity was false, or “not enough”, or just something insignificant that wasn’t a big enough deal to mention to my friends or classmates.
As the years went on and identity became more important for me in the way that I saw myself and saw others, I started to open up about it little by little.
If you’re a white Hispanic, trying to explain yourself and feeling the need to constantly prove yourself and your background to others can be extremely exhausting and at times, difficult. You’ll get bombarded with questions and comments like “You’re Hispanic? No way! You don’t look like it. How are you white and Hispanic?” or you’ll get the nonverbal cues of judgment such as people giving you the once over before going “Really?” or the look of shock and slight confusion that people give off but quickly hide when you mention you’re Spanish.
Coming to college, however, made me realize how comfortable everyone is in their identity — for the most part. A lot of my friends and classmates announce their sexual orientations, ethnic backgrounds, and gender identities with ease, not caring what other people think of them. This helped me gain confidence in my ethnic identity and I even told my closest friends at college that I was Spanish, something that I really never did with friends in high school.
Probably some of the most interesting comments that I’ve received from these announcements, besides the looks of shock and “You’re Hispanic?!”, were: “So, you’re like half woke, but not fully woke.”, “That’s so cool, being able to say that you’re Spanish.”, and “Well technically Ashley isn’t even fully white.” which have been interesting and eye-opening as I come to understand how people see my identity and how this in turn affects how I see it too.
My periods of realization, self-identification, and exposure to various types of Hispanics through all forms of media, especially social media, has helped me to grow into a person who is confident in their ethnicity but doesn’t feel the need to label themselves in such specific terms all the time. Representation is huge for me, especially in visual forms such as the film and music industries.
While this has been a controversial topic in terms of Latinx representation and colorism in media, learning online that Honey Lemon, a character from the movie Big Hero 6, was in fact a white Latina made me squeal and run to show my mother immediately. A year or so before, I actually went as Honey Lemon for a Halloween party. Seeing other white or lighter skinned Hispanic/Latinx people in the music industry such as Chilean-Norweigan singer Nicolás Pablo Muñoz, lead singer for the band Boy Pablo, and American rap collective Brockhampton’s Spanish-Cuban music producer and webmaster Robert “Roberto” Ontenient makes me ecstatic beyond belief.
I saw this same happiness and surprise in my mother’s face when the athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were announced, and gymnast Laurie Hernandez was selected for the final five on the gymnastics team. Hernandez is the first Hispanic on the team since 1984 — she is Puerto Rican. The excitement in my mother’s voice when she squealed “Laurie Hernandez is Hispanic! Look how cute she is!” was unmatched, even by my aunts who chimed in with their surprised and happy comments at the revelation.
At the time, I didn’t even realize that my mom was concerned with representation. I always thought that her identity was something she put behind her and didn’t think much about because she rarely discussed it and didn’t seem bothered by its complexity. Seeing her get so animated by the fact that the United States had a Hispanic woman on the gymnastics team for the first time since my mother was a teenager made my heart ache in a good way.
Obviously, my own internal struggles with identity and my Hispanic heritage are just one story of millions and pale in comparison to the plights of darker and less fortunate Hispanic/Latinx people whose hardships and issues of self identity are much greater and more diverse on varying levels.
Because of my skin color, I have the privilege of fitting into American society and the privilege of not necessarily having to tell people my ethnic background because people assume certain things when you’re white or white passing. The years I spent trying to find representation and trying to figure out my place in the world are small compared to the stories I found while doing my research. Finding people in media that looked like me and identified like me was my way of feeling validation and represented in a world where I thought I wasn’t enough or that I wasn’t worthy of taking claim to my Hispanic roots.
That’s the beauty and chaos of people who identify as Hispanic/Latinx: we all have similar roots, but our stories and our experiences in relation to discovering and solidifying our identities and trying to break out of the molds we were forced to succumb to differ more than we could ever imagine.
White Hispanics
I found an article written by Kimberly Helminski Keller, who identifies as Polish and Puerto Rican. I was immediately immersed in her articled titled “My Life As A White Hispanic: Prejudice Comes from All Sides” because her identity coincided with mine almost exactly. It was fascinating to read all about her struggles through the various chapters of her life that she dealt with because she is both white and Hispanic and comes from two very different cultures.
An impactful quotation of hers that I found was: “Society wants to put me in an easily definable box based on the color of my skin. People get angry when I make my own box” (Keller). Again, this article proved to have a positive impact on how I see my own identity and its complexities. Just like Keller, I find that I “straddle the fence. I want to be part of both cultures, but I know that in reality, I am a culture unto myself” (Keller).
“Not Hispanic/Latinx Enough”
The most popular topic that permeates Hispanic/Latinx culture is the idea that there is one sort of Hispanic/Latinx person and that people who do not fit this mold are deemed “not Hispanic/Latinx enough.” They are made fun of, mocked, belittled, and are overall made to feel as though they do not belong in the community.
I found an article written by Tanisha Love Ramirez that lists many of the reasons people are given for not being seen as Hispanic/Latinx enough, such as their skin color, the way that they speak, their name, their religion, the fact that one of their parents is not Hispanic/Latinx (Ramirez) and so on. It highlighted various comments that people sent in such as: “I’ve been told that I’m ‘too dark skinned to be Latina’ and ‘your features are too black to be Latina’” (Iris Altagracia Gonzalez, Ramirez) and “I’ve been kicked to the curb by Puerto Ricans because I was born in New York to Puerto Rican Parents” (Brenda Bunnell, Ramirez) and “’Being well-educated makes me ‘an exception’ and not really ‘like the rest’ of Latinos’” (Suzanne M. Rivera, Ramirez).
When I provided students on campus with questions for them to respond to, I wanted this question of authenticity to be the first thing that they saw because I know from being in the community that it can be a huge issue to some members. What I was surprised to see, however, was that almost every single person I asked the question to, even the ones who look “traditionally” Hispanic/Latinx or even speak and/or understand Spanish, told me that they were indeed told by other people that they didn’t belong in the community or didn’t seemingly fit the part of a Hispanic/Latinx.
Whether it be the language the speak, the color of their skin, or how they act, it seems as though most Hispanics have been told, at least once in their life, that they aren’t enough or that they don’t pass the test, whatever that may be. Hispanic identity is constantly being measured by standards that have nothing to do with cultural reality.
My own mother, for example, told me that every time she chooses to mention that she is half Spanish, which is very rarely, she gets told that she “doesn’t look Hispanic” but that it doesn’t bother her too much. She rarely tells people she is Hispanic because she “feels like I’m cheating by claiming to be Hispanic” even though her mother came here directly from Spain and spoke Spanish as a first language.
My friend Ava, who is half Puerto Rican and half Filipino, has been told that she doesn’t “seem Hispanic” and told me that it has been widely assumed that she is Caucasian because of her physical features.
Alyssa Mojica, my friend here at the University of Delaware, comes from a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood and recounted to me all of the times her friends at school “would point out how fair my complexion was compared to them” and how they would “jokingly call me ‘gringa’.” She often felt as though she “had to prove myself to others because they would ask me to speak in Spanish or ask questions about my background to ‘verify’ my ethnicity.”
Alternatively, many of the people I spoke with noted that their inability to speak Spanish was the reason why people told them they weren’t Hispanic/Latinx enough, such as my friend Suli, who is Puerto Rican.
Suli explained to me that “Since it isn’t my first language, I have an American accent when I speak Spanish. My distant relatives always give me this look or make comments to either me or my mom as to why I speak ‘so white’.”
My friend Julianna Elsesser, who is half El Salvadorian, had similar experiences, telling me that “I have been told I’m not Hispanic enough because I cannot speak Spanish smoothly and fluently, even though I can understand it perfectly.”
I wrongfully assumed that all of my Hispanic/Latinx friends, even the ones who are white passing, wouldn’t struggle with these issues of feeling like a fake or like they were proving their ethnicity to people (even those in their own family) since they have roots in Latin America and were more exposed to their culture first-hand than I was. I was very wrong.
It is clear that stereotypes and harsh ideals of what a Hispanic/Latinx person should look like and talk like are ever-present and can be damaging to people and how they view their identity and present themselves to others.
Gloria Anzaldúa & Borderlands
The works of Gloria Anzaldúa, especially “How to Tame A Wild Tongue” share a great connection with the articles I reviewed and the friends I interviewed. Anzaldúa identifies as a Chicana tejana lesbian-feminist who was born on the borderland of the Texas-US Southwest/Mexican border. In “How to Tame A Wild Tongue”, Anzaldúa discusses the ‘psychological borderlands, the sexual borderlands, and the spiritual borderlands’ that exist wherever ‘two or more’ cultures, races, and classes ‘touch’” (Anzaldúa, 356). She describes borderlands as being “places of contradiction, where hatred, anger, and exploitation are part of the landscape but also where she finds a certain joy, especially at the unique positionings consciousness takes at the confluent streams “(356).
Her piece emphasizes the connection between culture and the individual, and how she struggled greatly with her identity and how to present herself to the world.
One of the most impactful lines of her entire piece for me was: “Because we speak with tongues of fire, we are culturally crucified” (361). To me, Anzaldua is highlighting the struggles that come with Hispanic identity and how the perceptions of other people can affect how you see yourself and how you present yourself to your peers, your family, and society as a whole.
I made sure to ask my friends who identified with multiple cultures and spoke different languages if they could compare it to being at a crossroads of sorts, or a borderland. My Mexican-Syrian friend Nicole Alali told me that she identifies with three different cultures: American, Mexican, and Syrian. She said that, “Even though they are all very different, I think it is very harmonious. I would never consider it a bad or difficult thing, although it can get confusing when trying to pick which one I identify with most, but that’s easily resolved by just accepting that I’m all of them.”
Suli states that, “I don’t want to admit that it feels like a crossroads, but it does. My stepfather is American, and therefore I feel as though I have to be most American around him. Around my Puerto Rican mom, I feel obligated to act more Hispanic, whatever that means.” I found it interesting how Nicole saw her combination of cultures as a predominantly positive thing, allowing her to be immersed in multiple, beautiful cultures. More similar to Anzaldúa’s viewpoints are Suli’s comments, where she feels distressed and a little torn with how she should present her different identities at different times around certain people.
When Anzaldúa was in school, she was reprimanded for speaking Spanish and was told that English was to be spoken, especially in the classroom. Because of this, she struggled with her identity and how to present herself in educational spheres: should she stick to her Chicana roots and speak Spanish, or assimilate to American culture and its education system and speak English?
A lot of the people I asked told me that they didn’t feel as though they were at a crossroads or on the borderlands between multiple cultures. I find this very fascinating, since I see my own identity as sometimes conflicting and leaving me confused since I’m 100% European but have Spanish blood in me. Hearing how other people describe and see their identities makes me realize that all of the preconceived notions that I had about the responses to these questions and the people in question were completely wrong, and at times, ignorant.
Social Class
My mother was often told by classmates when she was in high school that she didn’t look Hispanic. She told me that she was okay with this, because it never really bothered her. She did mention, however, that, “I feel like Spaniards are considered the “Upper Class” of Hispanics, somehow better than Central or South Americans. I’m not sure why Europeans are looked at differently.” I’m glad that she voiced these questions and concerns, because this is one of the biggest reasons why I often felt as though my Hispanic identity was false or not valid.
Social class is a major aspect of identity that is used to tell Hispanics that they aren’t Hispanic enough or don’t belong. If people are from Europe and are Hispanic, people like to tell them that because they don’t struggle and they aren’t poor, since they come from a wealthy, first world country, that this means they aren’t truly Hispanic, which is extremely damaging.
My mother told me that she doesn’t often mention the fact that she is half Spanish because she feels like she is cheating: “It goes back to the European thing. Usually if you say you are Hispanic, it infers that you are poor.” Because my family is pretty well off and in the white middle class, it sometimes feels as though our Hispanic identity isn’t genuine because we aren’t financially stressed or because we went to good public schools and got good educations.
The stereotype that Hispanics/Latinx people are poor or struggling is hurtful to people in the community who are financially stable and have the privilege to get a good education. Because they don’t fit the problematic mold society has told them they have to fit into, they feel guilty for their education and feel as though they aren’t Hispanic enough because of it. This twisted mindset makes Hispanics believe that in order to fully and proudly claim your roots, you must have overcome struggle and poverty or must be currently dealing with it.
My mother doesn’t even mark down that she is Hispanic on certain documents “because I don’t think they mean my type of Hispanic (European)”. My mother, and various other Hispanics, have this idea that European-Hispanics and Central/South-American Hispanics are two different breeds with different languages, skin colors, cultures, and experiences overall. It’s interesting to see how people view their ethnicity and identity depending on their country of origin. My mother mentioned that, “You say you are Puerto Rican and you get one look. You say you are a Spaniard and you get another look. It’s as if we are in a different class. We don’t have the same stereotypes.”
Financial status and education level are just a couple of the many stereotypes that go into Hispanic identity that complicate it and make it become this toxic ideology and this list of aspects that people must be able to check all of the boxes in, to be considered part of the group.
Be More American or More Hispanic?
The article “Young Latinos: Born in The USA, Carving Their Own Identity” by Suzanne Gamboa, Sandra Lilley, and Sarah Cahlan, provided me with a plethora of information to base my research around, and opened my eyes to various issues that Hispanics/Latinx people deal with that I hadn’t thought about previously. The article shares the stories of various teenagers in Queens, New York, that identify, in one way or another, as Latinx. One quotation that stuck out to me was: “Berenize Garía, 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” (Gamboa et al.).
This relates directly to the feelings that Anzaldúa revealed in “How to Tame A Wild Tongue” because of how she felt pressured to speak English at school and Spanish around her family, making her feel confused and agitated of the clashing of her cultures. I’ve often seen this phenomenon in movies and in novels, where immigrant parents who bring their children to America want so badly for them to assimilate into American culture, but also want to make sure that they appreciate their roots and don’t forget where they came from. This can often lead to confusion and a feeling of helplessness.
There were definitely mixed answers when I asked people if they were ever told to “act more American”, which is what made asking these questions so amusing for me. Nicole stated that although she wasn’t told directly to act more American, “my parents tried their hardest to raise us in ‘the American way’. I guess having us fit into the American mold was another way of them trying to set us up for the best life possible.”
Contrarily, Alyssa told me that, “I’ve actually been told to work on my Spanish and be ‘more in touch’ with my Hispanic background when around family members.” Depending upon the family dynamics and where certain family members come from, it’s understandable that some people feel as though they are being pressured to act or speak more American, and others do not receive this pressure or are encouraged to actually dive deeper into their Hispanic heritage for the sake of discovering their roots.
In Between Skin Colors & Races
Another interesting perspective that came from this article was the idea that, “Many young Latinos see themselves as in-between skin colors and races” (Gamboa et al), something I have definitely thought of before, since being Hispanic/Latinx is an ethnicity, not a race per se. I asked a couple questions regarding this mindset, those being: “Do you see yourself as being in-between skin colors and races?” and “Do you consider yourself a person of color? Why or why not?” The second question comes from a podcast from Sarah Cahlan who talks with some of the teenagers mentioned in the previous article. The podcast was titled “Defining Latino: Young People Talk Identity, Belonging.” Cahlan asks the teenagers a thought-provoking question: “Do you guys see yourselves as being people of color?”
Personally, I always assumed that to be considered a person of color, you had to identify as anything other than white. Interestingly enough, a lot of the teenagers on the podcast told Cahlan that they didn’t see themselves as being people of color, or that in certain situations or in comparison to other people, this viewpoint shifted.
In relation to the first question at hand, “Do you see yourself as being in-between skin colors and races?”, I got some interesting responses. Ava answered with: “Sometimes I have to choose between being Hispanic or Asian” and University of Delaware freshman Jacky Mata, who is Mexican, Spanish, Canadian, and Native American, responded with: “Yes, because I am not a prime example of someone who is Spanish or Hispanic but I am not exactly white.”
These answers were very thought-provoking to me, since race and ethnicity can be extremely confusing at times, and the way people see themselves speaks a lot more than how others see them.
When asked this question, Suli admitted that, “I’ve never thought about it until now. It’s hard, socially, to know what I identify as since I act more American but look more Hispanic.” In regards to the second question, “Do you consider yourself a person of color? Why or why not?”, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of answers. Jacky said “No, I do not consider myself a person of color. Although I have a background consisting of people who are typically darker skinned, I believe I look more white than anything.”
This implies that Jacky sees race as being something defined by skin color and appearances more than nationality and heritage, something that surprisingly, a lot of Hispanic/Latinx people believe as well.
From the article previously mentioned by Keller, she mentions how “Most [people] live their lives in the culture that best matches their physical features. It’s easier to blend in than to stand out” (Keller). I always assumed that most Hispanics, unless they were Spanish, identified as people of color, because to me, they were anything but white.
My friend Nico DiCara who is Columbian, answered with “Yes, I am caramel.”
Similarly, Nicole stated that, “Sure, my family and Mexicans in general have darker skin, but they aren’t people of color. I’m not sure.” She added that, “Maybe my extended family are people of color, but I don’t think of myself as one, mainly because I am so fair skinned.”
Again, we see this idea of skin color and physical, outward appearance, seeming to reflect a person’s race more than their heritage or ethnicity. This point of view is nicely summed up when Alyssa states that she does not consider herself a person of color “because I do not believe my physical features constitute that identity.”
The question “Do Hispanics/Latinx consider themselves as being in between races and skin colors?” directly relates to what Anzaldúa is trying to present in her piece. The whole point of her argument and her story is that identity, especially Hispanic/Latinx identity, is abstract and something that humans have constructed over time, and because of this, it becomes difficult to pinpoint who or what somebody actually is or identifies as. She notes that she “internalized the borderland conflict [so much] that sometimes I feel like one [identity] cancels out the other and we are zero, nothing, no one” (Anzaldúa, 365).
Identity can be complicated, and is often seen as unnecessary by people who have tried to understand why society finds it vital for characterization and why members of society feel the need to label themselves to fit in. In Anzaldúa’s case, she tends to feel as though her battling identities clash and end up demolishing one another, leaving her as nothing, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
This simply means that Anzaldúa is able to free herself from the restrictions that labels create and is left with an idea of herself that is whole and created by herself. She has the ability to bring meaning to her own life and create her own persona.
Identity is Fluid
The idea of Hispanic/Latinx cultures and identities as being fluid came up in two articles I found. The first article, written by Ed Morales, titled “A New Report Says Hispanic Identity is Fading. Is That Really Good for America?” states that, “Hispanic identity is fluid to begin with, because so many of us have mixed-raced ancestries” (Morales). The second article, written by Justin Agrelo, titled “I Don’t Speak Spanish, Does That Make Me Less Latinx?” noted that, “It is time we allow what it means to be a ‘real Latinx’ to be as fluid, diverse, and multifaceted as we are” (Agrelo).
When reading these quotations, I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with this statement, because the labels Hispanic or Latinx can mean so many different things and are just big umbrella terms for a multitude of different identities, races, and nationalities.
Suli felt strongly that the Hispanic/Latinx identity and community are fluid, stating that “It comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and accents. I don’t believe in not being ‘Hispanic’ enough to feel proud of your roots.”
Just like me, Suli sees Hispanic/Latinx identity as constituting for a large group of characteristics that should not define and restrict someone from labeling themselves as so.
Tense Political Climate
The last part of Hispanic/Latinx identity that I want to focus on is the actual act of identifying and how people portray themselves to society. The article written by Morales brought to my attention the fact that in American society, many Hispanics have a strong motivation for avoiding identifying themselves as so, due to the current, tense political climate filled with microaggressions and a rise in hate crimes. The Podcast hosted by Cahlan also touches on this issue of self-identity and how sometimes Hispanic/Latinx people will identify in certain ways around certain people.
For example, if I’m making a conscious choice to tell someone about my ethnicity, I will tell them that I’m Hispanic. If I want to go more in detail and feel comfortable with the other person, I will tell them that I’m Spanish.
Jacky mentioned to me how “I am not ashamed of who I am, but I do not know other peoples’ views and their intentions when learning about my background” so she won’t always come right out and tell people her ethnic background unless they show genuine interest.
Nicole told me that, “My parents won’t tell people where they’re from sometimes because there are certain preconceived notions associated with different races/ethnicities.”
On the other hand, many of the people I talked to felt no shame in telling people that they are Hispanic/Latinx because they are proud of where they come from and do not care about the opinions or motives of others.
When looking at the future for Hispanics and Latinx people, many of my friends noted that they feel as though right now, we’re living in a more progressive time where people don’t have to be afraid to admit their ethnicity and that opportunities are rich for them. Others told me that there was never truly a good time to be Hispanic/Latinx, and that the political climate of America is bringing them and their outlooks down into a negative mindset.
I personally believe that things are most definitely better for Hispanics/Latinx people than they were decades and centuries ago, but our world still has a long way to go when it comes to accepting people as they are and treating them with respect and human decency. There are countless stories of Hispanics, especially Mexicans, being told that they are illegal immigrants and that they should go back to their own countries, even if they’re American citizens.
The hatred and oppression centered around Hispanic minorities never seemed to be eradicated in American society, and unless people can come together and realize that Hispanics are just as American as everyone else, I don’t see the prejudice and marginalization ending anytime soon.
Why is Identity So Important to Us?
All of the online resources and responses from my friends that I gathered enabled me to become so much more educated about Hispanic/Latinx identities and how they are some of the most diverse and multi-faceted in the entire world. People can come from a multitude of different countries, have varying skin tones, and speak a variety of languages and can still come together to be united in a community.
My findings and research also left me with a question: why is identity so important? Why do people feel the need to identify in a certain way, or identify at all? It seems as though sometimes people like to categorize others and put them into neat, restrictive boxes for their own satisfaction. It was interesting for me when talking with people, to see to what extent they would utilize identities and describe to others where they’re from and what their roots are.
Anzaldúa often has conflicting views of identity, since she struggled with it in the form of borderlands and cross-roads that constantly tore her apart on the inside. However, she did find beauty in identity and the acceptance of identity, when she states that, “We became a distinct people. Something momentous happened to the Chicano soul — we became aware of our reality and acquired a name and a language (Chicano Spanish) that reflected reality. Now that we had a name, some of the fragmented pieces began to fall together — who we were, what we were, how we had evolved. We began to get glimpses of what we might eventually become” (Anzaldúa, 365).
Identity has the power to give people a reason to come together to celebrate their similarities and to see themselves represented in society. Some people believe that identity is important because of the way it brings people together and helps them feel welcome in a sometimes unforgiving, judgmental world that likes to shut out people who are deemed different.
On the other hand, identity can often be restrictive and suffocating, especially if people do not wish to be pushed into a box with a proper label that defines who they are at every waking moment. Identity is complex. It’s beautiful. It’s tricky. It’s unique. Most importantly, it’s a personal choice.
For me, my identity is something that I like to refer to when necessary, but I definitely don’t let it define my every move. I believe that who I am is constantly changing, which is a beautiful and sometimes scary process to observe. Growth goes hand in hand with identity, especially with how you choose to label yourself and how much you want to share with the world.
When I was younger, I didn’t even realize that I could be telling people I was Hispanic. Even when I did realize it later on in life, I chose not to, for the fear of judgment and for the voices in my head telling me that I wasn’t allowed to or that it didn’t pertain to me. The more research I have done in regard to my ethnic roots and the more accepting of my Hispanic identity I have become, the prouder I am to tell people I’m Hispanic. I’m starting to come to terms with the fact that Hispanic identity is fluid and that it is diverse and beautiful because of that — and that I am allowed to take this label and use it as my own.
Teaching myself that I am valid and allowed to take up space in such a community has been tough, but worth it in the end. My identity is something that doesn’t necessarily need to define my every aspect, but it definitely helps me feel comfortable in who I am, and I’m glad that I’ve been able to grow with it.
I believe that identity is something we are constantly creating, yet simultaneously moving towards. Who we are differs in many ways from who we were a year ago — all thanks to recognizing different parts of our identity and determining who we are in the moment. We are constantly redefining ourselves and becoming somebody new, somebody that our past selves wouldn’t even recognize to this day. As we shed who we were before, we are ultimately getting closer to an identity that we are able to use to define ourselves, even if it isn’t quite solid or set in stone.
Identity is different for everyone, and everyone is able to put as much emphasis as they want on it. It’s complex, but the chaos and the unknowing is something that holds beauty and mystery in it. It’s fascinating to see who we are becoming.
Author’s Note:
I would like to thank all of my friends and family members for agreeing to interview with me for the purpose of research for my essay. Without them, I wouldn’t have the insight and background to develop this paper and make it what it is. I would also like to thank my classmates who looked over my essay and were honest and genuine with their compliments and corrections, helping me to see the potential to create a dazzling end result. Last but not least, I would like to thank Professor Harris for conferencing with me and giving me helpful feedback on this essay.
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