Marie Recine,
Mountain View, CA.
When I’m with Latinos, people think I’m Mexican. When I’m with whites, people think I’m white or mixed. When I’m alone people have no idea. When I carry an Korean baby, people look down their noses. I’ve been by people that my English is “actually pretty good.” I’ve been told there is no way I’m white. I’ve been told by my Mexican English teacher that I should stick to speaking my own language. The fact that I spoke Spanish offended him after he found out I wasn’t Mexican. I’ve been asked why there are black kids as my laptop wallpaper. (They are my non-blood related Dominican nieces). I’m sure if they were white the question would be completely different. A white peer in highschool coughed “Mexican lover” when I handed my Salvadorian friend a pencil. I’ve been asked disapprovingly by whites why I “try to act Mexican.” Is having latin friends “acting Mexican?” Is speaking a language other than English offensive? Is it offensive that I would not fully accept my whiteness, but also appreciate another culture?
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