Analysis Of What It Means To Be Latino By Clara E. Rodriguez

The traditional term, Chicano social identity was first used in the 1960s during the Chicano Civil Rights Movement era, also

When I moved to California eight years ago, I always asked myself “why do people think that because we speak Spanish we are from the same country and we are classified as Latinos?” at the beginning it was so offensive that people would ask me “Are you Latina from Mexico or EL Salvador?” I used to get so upset and tell them “No! I am from Ecuador and I am Hispanic”. Despite, the fact that Latinos and Hispanics speak and uses Spanish as their primary language for communication, this does not mean that we are all from the same country, share the same culture and food, and that the meaning of words are the same.

In the book, National Colors: Racial Classification and the State in Latin America, author Mara Loveman examines the history of racial classification in Latin American nations, through the use of census records. There are three main questions that the author works to answer throughout the book. The first, is why did these nations historically classify populations by their race? Why did they eventually decide to stop using this method for some time and why was it brought back? The author also looks at the different ways these nations are influenced by other nations, and how this affects the recording of these populations over time.

In the reading, “(Re)constructing Latinidad: The challenge of Latina/o studies.” it explains the challenge that is, defining what it is to be a Latino in America. In the reading, it gives reasons as to why there is a challenge, examples include how diverse the Latino community is in America and how others in America perceive the Latino community. After reading the article, I saw two main ideas that Aparicio had and they were; redefining what it means to be Latino in America and to show that there are issues in the Latino community that need to be addressed. Then I will provide my reaction based on the ideas I got out of the reading.

One of my biggest supporters are my parents. Their support and conviction about the worth of acquiring an education has shaped my beliefs, values and ambition to continue higher education and use my career in a progressive way to give back to my community. Unfortunately, not everyone had the same support system like I did. Many of my peers struggled whether to continue their education or financially support their family. This is a very dangerous reality within the Latino community that needs to be addressed and resolved immediately. An education should be a priority to all students and we, as the Latino community, must reshape the policy flaws to establish a foundation that will help the growing Latino community.

Growing up as a first-generation Mexican American was a huge advantage for me in that it allowed me to grow up in a culturally diverse community. I learned how to work well with people of all backgrounds and empathize with people from all walks of life. However, while being the first in my family to go to college was a momentous accomplishment, the lack of instruction and guidance lead me to commit many mistakes that could have been easily avoided during my first years at college. My timidity and downright arrogance lead me to believe that I did not need anyone’s assistance and thus I found myself denial that there was a problem in terms of my grades during my first semesters. I have since addressed this issue and have worked diligently to

I grew up in a two-parent household with my parents being married before they had children. My father has always been the one that provides finically, while my mother was the one who took care of my siblings and I throughout my childhood. Being that both of my parents were born in Mexico, I consider myself Mexican American. I am proud to be Mexican American. Culture plays a huge role in shaping your identity. A person’s beliefs and morals are made up by culture and remain throughout your entire life. Culture is what made you the person you are today and also determines who or what you choose to associate yourself with. My identity would not exist if it were not for my own culture and the values I have carried from it along the years.

I believe the term, hispanic, itself does not define who I am. I define who I am and who I want to become. However, I do come from a Mexican heritage. Coming from a Mexican heritage has influenced and deeply impacted my life. My heritage has taught me a lot. I have learned growing up to value my identity, values, faith, and family.

Being Hispanic has taught me a whole world of things. It has taught me that the world is not what you expect it to be. Going to a public school and being th minority is completely different than going to a see my cousins where every thing is different. The way we talk, the food we eat. Its all different. To me, being hispanic is probably the biggest blessing I could ever get. I love being hispanic. Being able to know that my culture is completely different than those at school. It has brought so much knowledge that telling other people about makes them want to be hispanic. Although the majority of it is happy experience, I have had my share of negative experiences. From racism or being mistreated for being the minority. Although those things do impact how I feel, I

One of the toughest adjustments, having been born to Mexican parents, is migrating to an unknown country where traditions and languages differ from one 's own. Though many pursue an education and strive for a better life, the purpose behind an immigrant, like myself, differs from the typical American. Immigrants strive for a life that was once impossible, going to school is not only to attain an education, but to better prove that we can also become successful regardless of our traditions and skin color. I lived in a country for over fifteen years, fearing deportation, not only losing a home, but potentially saying goodbye to a bright future. Although many feel empathy for Mexican-Americans, it is undeniably difficult to truly comprehend the immense trauma children and even adults undergo  upon experiencing racism and prejudice. Attending a

Every individual has their own perspective in a Latino due to how they are viewed by others. Most stereotypes come from social media and largely by the famous latinos which has a big impact on how various mistake the overall view of Latinos. Plenty of Latinos are American citizens who actually become successful. All Latinos are different in many ways for example, not all look alike, some do not even speak spanish, many are accused of selling drugs, and Latinos do not always party every weekend.

Ariel Rodríguez acknowledges how important it is to empower the Latino parents with knowledge to help pass down to their children. The Program he mentioned were American Dream Academy which helps the Latino community with information about high education and how important it is. “…the number of individuals who self-identified as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish in the United States exceeded 50.5 million and is the fastest growing minority group. Yet, only 31.9% of Latinos aged 18 to 24 enroll in college…” (Rodriguez et al. 651). There is abundant of people in the Latino community who are not attending in high level education according to Rodriguez statistic.

 Being Hispanic for me means belonging to a group of incredible people and remarkable traditions. I defined my culture in four major categories. One major category is Jalisco, Mexico, the beautiful place I grew up in, landmarks and traditions are important for my Hispanic culture and the most important one my education. Us as jaliscienses are known worldwide for Mariachi and the vast gamma of exquisite food. In addition, the importance of my education that ultimately defines my identity as a person of society.

Although, I understand being able to categorize each other can be helpful at times, sometimes it does feel confusing and limiting. Often times I don 't know which box to check mark when the only options for race are White, Black, or Asian, because I don 't identify as either. Hispanic and Latino are technically ethnicities, but sometimes they are included in these lists. Hispanic generally refers to someone from a Spanish speaking country such as Spain, while Latinx can refer to anyone of Latin American descent.

Race and ethnicity are both social constructs, but ethnicity is different from race as it is about the feeling of belonging and identifying oneself to a social group that may share a common cultural or national tradition. When compared to race ethnicity only has two choices on the census, of Spanish/ Hispanic/Latino Origin and Not of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino Origin, whereas race has 6 choices. The US Census Bureau thinks that the categories are actually not different enough to distinguish one person apart from another phenotypically and disqualifies them as a race. Instead, the categories are now used as identifications that people of differing races can identify as. There is a distinct difference between identifying as Latino and Hispanic, as being Hispanic is a word that originally was used to show the relationship back to Hispania. It is now used to define people who can be traced back to a Spanish speaking country and as such can cause overlap with being Latino. Being Latino however, is usually used to characterize those of Latino ancestry with an emphasis on North and South America. The data received from the Census shows that large majority of people who pick to be Hispanic or Spanish or Latino usually also pick the “Some other or White Race” option as they most likely think that their physical characteristics resembles the “White” option the most, or that none of the racial choices above are adequate enough to describe themselves. The government feels that the ethnicity categories are far too broad and they limit the variations on ethnicity as it only denominates two choices, Non-Hispanic or Hispanic. Many groups then choose the Non-Hispanic option and are simply lumped together, such as identifying yourself as Asian-American or Egyptian -American; where despite being extremely diverse you are forced to be place in the same