Alyssa Herrera,
Dallas, TX
So my birth certificate says my race is white or Caucasian,and my ethnicity is Hispanic/Latino. Yet when some people meet me they automatically assume I’m Mexican because in their minds they believe,” they all look alike.” Or, her last name is Herrera she can be our translator. I can not count how many times someone has looked at me to translate Spanish for them as if I know, simply because I have tan and my last name rolls off the tongue differently. The crazy part is when someone asks me what I am, and I say,”Hispanic. And instantly they see the need to correct me and say Mexican. As if I made the mistake in misidentifying myself. In my 21 years of living I’ve learned that no matter how many times I explain myself and attempt to educate someone else. Their own arrogance and self pride will always be the barrier dividing me and them, even if they’re unaware of it.
