Michael Decker
Austin, TX
In Texas, the dominant ethnicities are German and Mexican. Over the past two hundred years, these two have mixed greatly — along with the other ethnicities. It surprises me that more people are not open to the idea that your last name does not define your complete heritage. My last name is Decker, but I consider myself Mexican, because that is the culture I was raised with. I don’t eat bratwurst, I eat chorizo. I don’t celebrate German holidays, but I acknowledge Mexican ones.
All my life I’ve heard, “But your last name is Decker, you’re not Mexican.” In fact, both of my parents are Mexican, my father happened to also be part German. To white people, I’m Mexican, to Mexicans, I’m white. To me, I’m just a person trying to get by.
