My Mexican Identity

Do you ever wonder how people label you? I would always think myself as a Latina; I never knew there was a difference between Latino and Hispanic. Now I know I’m Hispanic, a Spanish speaker. I consider myself Mexican-America; i believe that being Mexican doesn't come from a place of belonging to some predetermined cultural / ethnic/ racial category. It comes from a huge family and feeling at home. It comes from my mother freshly fried pinto beans and homemade tortilla. From my father stories when he was young .Instead of playing pin the tail on the donkey I destroy piñatas and play musical chairs.

I refer to myself as an African American; I have no record of where my ancestors are from but many black families where

Henceforth, in order to understand my own identity, required me to map my racial identity using Banks typology of ethnic identity development. As a result, I concluded that I belonged in stage four: biethnicity. Banks describes biethnicity for individuals who believe are a part of not only their own ethnic culture group, as well as in another one (88). To clarify, I participate in both Ecuadorian and American culture. For example, my family and I celebrate the American holiday known as Thanksgiving, regarding the traditional American cuisines. Instead, my family and I celebrate Thanksgiving and other American holidays

In order for me to understand my race and ethnicity I needed to understand the historical events that shaped and culturally changed Puerto Rico. Although there is a dominant influence of Hispanic culture in Puerto Rico there is also African roots that are embedded in the Puerto Rican culture. After the genocide of the Taino indians african slaves were brought to the island for plantation purposes. My brothers factual storytelling provided me with answer as to what I identified as. Not only was I able to formulate an intellectual understanding of my identity I was able to be apart of it actively as well.

I find myself “in-between” the majority of the time. I am not fully Mexican, yet not fully American (“white”), which is why I

In conclusion, I identity as Chicana or Mexican-American and I strongly think they reflect who I am. These terms describe me and are accurate compare to others like Hispanic or Latina. I think it’s important to understand yourself through a personal identity because your appearance is the first thing people see and you can never really tell what nationality someone is because everyone is different. There is no specific look for any group of people. Your identity is who you are and you should be able to explain that to others who don’t identify the same as

You're Mexican?” is a question that I have constantly asked since a young age. As a person of Mexican descent and little resemblance to stereotypical appearance- brown eyes, short, and black hair, it is of no surprise that this occurs. This unintentionally vindictive comment tells me,”No you're not Mexican because you do not look the part.” This view of ethnicity not only hurts me, but also spits on my culture. Because of this view, I have to assert that I am Mexican through my representation of the culture.

Within Hispanic cultures it is very common to view other races as outsiders. I am often viewed this way within my Spanish family, they view me as a “half-bred” because I am half white. While most are conducted using a joking manner, it might not always be the case. It’s pretty easy to feel like any outsider in some situations, however I know they are my family and I know the still love

The Spanish term for what I am is chicano; chicano is a term that can be used for Mexicans who live outside of the country, but is predominantly used for Mexicans who live in the US. Despite being chicano it becomes more strange as my mom and dad are Mexican and Norwegian, respectively. My Norwegian blood endowed me with a red-tint to my facial hair; this along with my tan skin makes for an odd pairing that becomes even more apparent in the summer.

In the United States it is not uncommon to hear the question, “What are you?” This seemingly simple question stems from the American belief that individuals can be divided into different biologically defined racial groups. However, anthropologists have long argued that U.S. racial groups are a product of American cultural constructions, meaning that racial groups are not genetically determined but only represent the way cultures (in this case Americans) classify people. For example, in the U.S individuals are classified into different races based on their heritage. However in Brazil, people are classified into a series of “tipos" based on their physical appearance. In the article “Mixed Blood”, Jeffrey Fish supports the claim that race is nothing more, but a social construct by demonstrating the cultural basis of race by comparing how races are defined in the United States and Brazil.

Identity is a peculiar thing. Identity as a person, place or even thing can be somewhat misconstrued depending on the perspective at which the observation is taking place. The following piece has an objective of helping formulate the identity of a nation in transition. A nation that has multiple creeds and cultural diversity but still looking to find its purpose in the world in which it exists in. Establishing the foundations for its existence through strong leadership, economic know how and cultural influence Mexico reaches forward to gain confidence through this time of turmoil.

When people see me for the first time, they assume that I am African-American because of my skin color. However, when they hear me speak, they assume I am Latina because I speak Spanish. When they finally meet me, I can tell they are very confused. Yet this very confusion is what I appreciate most about my identity. No one can say for sure who or what I am, and I like being an enigma.

If someone were to ask me who I am, I would say that I am dominican but if someone were to ask me who I am depending on the type of music I would respond by saying that I am part American and Japanese. In class we talked about how the type of music we listen to help characterize the type of person that we are. Depending on the culture we are from we are also expected to listen to certain types of music and vice versa. I believe that the music we listen to do infact help characterize the type of person that we are and that one’s culture and nationality have a small part in it.

At first I always assumed I was white for some reason, because of how my skin tone was, but I'm not just White, I'm also a Filipino Asian and have had some part in the culture. From a religious aspect which I am no longer a part of, but support it. And to the behaviors and certain customs of my mother I picked up. One day I did decide to just call myself mixed, since it was correct anyways

In El Salvador being American makes you the minority group, but in America it is the opposite. Some Americans create these stereotypes about Hispanics saying that we are all lazy, are criminals, or only work blue-collar jobs. I have had people