Every person has an ethnic background. One of the first few questions you typically ask a person when meeting them is, "What is your nationality?"
A marble cake. Mixed. A combination of things. When you take your first glance at me, you probably won't guess what my ethnicity is. Am I Spanish? If I am, I must be Mexican, right? Wait, my hair is curly, does that mean I am African American? These questions would constantly be asked of me, and even if they are accurate, they are common stereotypical questions.
Elementary school is usually a time of fun and friends. However, my third and fourth grade revolved around one word: bullies. Not only was it already difficult being the new girl, but additionally, I was a Mexican and African-American girl in the Dual Language program. The Dual Language program consisted of an English speaking class learning the language of Spanish before other students would later on in their education.
Being Mexican, you would assume I was in the Spanish class, but I wasn't. My peers found this dilemma unfair and they saw it as me having an advantage, even though I hardly knew any of the languages. My peers would hate me for that reason and then make stereotypical jokes about me. They saw them as jokes but I just saw them as reasons why I didn't want to be Mexican anymore.
I would constantly hear "How did you cross the border?" and "Go cut my grass." These words trickled deep into my mind and constantly hearing these phrases made me wonder something. Would I get teased this much if I wasn't Mexican? I felt like I should only be proud of being African American, and growing up in my town, I was surrounded by African Americans, so I thought I would fit in more.
I began telling my peers that I had more African American than Mexican in me, hoping the teasing would terminate. Along with this change, I began to pretend to be someone I wasn't. Instead of listening to the music I adored, I began to listen to common music that those who would torment me did. I felt myself slipping away, and I started to miss the bubbly and energetic girl I once was. I tried to match the common stereotype for African Americans when in reality, there shouldn't even be stereotypes put onto a certain race.
Realizing what had happened, I decided to no longer shy away from my Mexican side. This setback I encountered affected me by making it evident to me that I should be proud of being African American and Mexican and that nothing should get in the way of taking pride in my ethnicity.
After this experience, I started to research both of my ethnicities. I began to see a common trend. Both African Americans and Mexicans have had to deal with a colossal amount of racial injustice and discrimination. Even when faced with these systemic atrocities, both past, and present, they have made and continue to make major contributions on many levels to American society and the world.
In knowing this, I soon came to realize something. Why wouldn't I want to take pride in belonging to two ethnic groups that have overcome and accomplished so much?
Overall, while growing up mixed had its setbacks, I can definitely say I am currently a proud mixed girl with curly hair and an appreciation for both cultures.
