Being Who You Are

As a hard core Latino man who speaks Spanish, loves his ethic foods, loves his music and dances salsa I like to think that I have something of value to share with the younger generation of Latinos.  One evening while at a friend's with children I asked her 12 year old a question in Spanish to which she responded with "I don't speak that".  Admittedly my heart sank partially because she did not speak our language but most of all because of her response.  For me that kind of response said something about how she felt about a language that is part of her culture as a beautiful and intelligent Latina sister child.  I was saddened yet what I know is that many young people do not speak Spanish and in fact are Latino when it is to their benefit and not when it is not to their benefit.  For a child to respond with "I don't speak that" is for me a statement that one would expect a Caucasian to respond with.  The words cut me to the core and it made me sad that a young Latina would respond in such a negative manner as if speaking her native language were something foreign or forbidden.

Being who we are is one of the most important aspects of living a life with pride and with honor.  In America there is a sector of people who want nothing more than to strip others of their culture believing that "we are in America, we speak English here".  This limited thinking is not just wrong it is one that is meant to eliminate any other cultural practices in the US.  These are the same people who are fascinated by other cultures and travel to places like France only to make a mockery of others cultural norms and behaving in ways that are in some French and Spanish people's opinions disrespectful.  It is like when I visited Mexico and the American male had his hand on his girlfriend's buttocks.  Later I spoke to one of the managers in Spanish and found out that Mexicans see this sort of behavior all the time.  That night I was woken up at 2am by drunk Americans in the hallway yelling at the top of their lungs.  It was further evidence that Americans do not respect culture and that in the US the objective is to kill it.

Being who we are means that we may not be what some feel is acceptable and being fully in our authentic self whether we are African, Polish, Mexican or Irish.  The reality is that we live in a country where Blacks were looked upon as less than human and where we enslaved Africans for years and years.  The truth is that in America we must learn to celebrate culture but most of all respect it.  For us not letting our language go and not allowing others to take our cultural beliefs and ways away is an important part of living in our highest place as Latinos and as a people of color.  Allowing shame to be the reason why we don't speak our language is giving others power over who we are and allowing them to take form us something of our identity as people.

Be who you are and pass on your language to your child.  Your child will appreciate you teaching them a second language when they go to college and have the chance to go to Spain and study abroad.  Not teaching your children their language is irresponsible and takes something of value from them that they did not ask to give up.  In fact many adults wish their children would have taught them a second language and many people who are not Hispanic speak Spanish because it is the second language I the US and the first in many places around the world.  Now is the time to stand up and hold yourself accountable.  Be who you are even in the face of others who wish you would simply become part of the mainstream society.  Be who you are!  Be authentically and completely you.