When people look at me, they often make one of two assumptions: somehow white, or somehow exotic. Instead of attacking those who racially label me, I prefer to challenge my inquisitors to an assumption game. The question that initiates the game is always “where are you from?” I smile playfully to myself, drawing in my investigator’s interest. My response is the demand as follows: “guess.” From this point on in the game, all answers are possibilities. Each incorrect assumption is a cultural mask put on me. The characters that people assigned me to play have originated from India, Mexico, the Middle East, South America, Russia, and Southern Europe. At the end of the game, I carefully remove the masks and reveal my identity. The trick of the game is not that I come from one overly specific, exotic background; it is that I am made up of multiple cultures and ethnicities. To categorize me under one race or ethnicity is to take away my diversity. I am racially white, ethnically Hispanic, and culturally Asian. Because my white father, Hispanic mother, and Asian stepmother have all molded me, I feel it imperative to reflect their cultures and …show more content…
Her family is Hispanic in Indigenous-Mexican and Spanish-Mexican origin. The memories and customs of my personal Hispanic experience are founded on family and food. I can smell the chilies that my abuelita would flip on the comal; I taste Saturday morning’s huevos con chorizo. To this day my mother asks me “dijiste hola?” (you said hello?) whenever we arrive at an event. Her cultural stress of family and inclusion have nurtured my humanitarian-based aspirations: to raise the global standard of living and advocate for survivors of crimes against humanity. My mother broke her cultural gender barriers by following her ambitions instead of becoming a housewife. Her ambition and nonconformity have fueled my determination to pursue my dream of becoming an international justice