Briana Ciccarino
Baltimore, MD
“Are you Latina/Hispanic?” this is the question I often get when meeting new people. I appreciate the compliment and wish I was Latina, but I’m white. How can a white girl look Latina? Not sure. Like so many others, I am a mix of many heritages: I am Italian, Polish, German, a little Irish, and Austrian (and probably others). But what’s the most interesting part is that people perceive me totally differently based on what race they think I am. Either way I am still the same person and so is everyone else, but the privileges we receive based on our races are completely different. Our society is built on institutional racism. I’m not what you think I am; I am an activist for change.
