I think I was in the second or third grade the first time it happened. There I was in a Catholic school girl uniform with pigtails in my hair...I was filling something out, when I came across the question for the first time: What is your race? Check one box.
- White
- Black
- Hispanic
- Asian
- Other
I raised my hand. "Excuse me, Ms..." I asked hesitantly, "I don't know how to answer this question." She said very quickly, "You're Hispanic, check the third one." It was the first time I was aware I was, well, anything. Until then I was blind, and it was the people who had a problem with color. For the rest of my life, I was told and trained to check off "Hispanic" on any and all high school applications,college applicatons, and job applications. I don't want the job because they have to meet a quota of how many minorities are hired! I want to be hired because I am the BEST qualified for the job! Why do they want to know? Why is it necessary. While I am not against Affirmative Action in the least, and I understand that it is a way to ensure that minorities are represented, accepted and part of the work force in a respecful way, it truly irritates me that any of us at all must answer such a question. Whenever I see that question, I cringe. I am NOT at all ashamed of my heritage, but I've always seen myself as a 100% American. I was born here. I am proud to be of Puerto Rican (mother's side) and of Cuban (father's) heritage...I love our language, although admittedly not fluent. I love our music. I love our dances. I love our passion for our food, culture and I love how loud in speech and in dress we can be, lol....
I was in Fourth Grade when I asked a teacher a question, wanting to learn and understand something in class. As I walked out of the class, I overheard the teacher say something I wasn't meant to hear. It was something about "well these spics don't even know how to use the English language, and that's why they'll never amount to anything." Yes, she was VERY ignorant, but it was in hearing that sentence that I've worked hard to be intelligent, to excel in my classes, to speak English properly, to write and read. That ignorant statement fueled me to prove her wrong. However, I don't want to spend the rest of my life "proving" people. My character, my behavior and how I treat people should be enough. I should not HAVE to mention my race in addition to those things.
The day before yesterday, I was filling out the 2010 Census. Just before question #8, there is a note: "NOTE: Please answer BOTH Question 8 about Hispanic Origin and Question 9 about race. For this census, Hispanic origins are not races." Question 8: Is person 1 of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish Origin? Question 9: What is Person 1's race?
- White
- Black, African Am. or Negro
- American Indian or Alsaka Native,
- Etc
Huh?? So all my life, I mark Hispanic as my race, and now it is not a recognized race? I understand that within the next 5-10 years, it is speculated that Hispanics will the leading minority in the country...is there some unspoken fear? And if so, why? Thanks to my research, books I've read, and a show called Platanos & Collard Greens, I have since learned that Cubans are mixed as the Europeans brought Africans to Haiti and Cuba during the slave trade, and the same happened when Spain took over Puerto Rico...we "hispanics" are a blending of White European AND African. What did I do? I wrote a letter to my local Senator, Congressman and out of anger, I checked them all off AND made my own little box marked "Hispanic." I am everything...I am human - I cry real tears, I shed red blood, and I feel all the emotions that we all feel. To this day Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words STILL ring true:
"...that they wil not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."
