A Digestion of White Hispanic Life
Being a Hispanic American, it took me years to finally find myself. I was always in a constant turmoil on which half of me I was supposed to act more on, and those around me weren’t much help. As I grew older, I found myself getting more and more comfortable with my Hispanic roots by trying new dishes, learning how to speak Spanish, and becoming more attuned to the culture. Thanks to more exposure from not just my family, but also the media, I was able to connect more with my roots. Being exposed to my heritage has also allowed me to have a deeper understanding on how race is valued in the United States as well as abroad and reflect on it.
My Reflection on Race and Ethnicity
Feeling comfortable in my self-identification becomes
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There were few mainstream things that were a direct result of or inspired by Hispanic culture. The main event that is taken and used is Cinco de Mayo, which means something to Mexicans but is largely bastardized in order to sell alcoholic beverages in the States. Dia de Los Muertos is also commodified as Halloween costumes or the use of sugar skulls in design or tattoos. Culturally, Hispanics usually take things into their own hands by holding their own pride parades. In musical terms, Hispanic artists started to become more popular, especially in the hip-hop, rap, and pop genres. Artists like Shakira, Pitbull, and Jennifer Lopez all changed the sound of their corresponding genres by adding Spanish culture and language into their creative process. However, the artists that were able to make it in American popular culture are not Dominican, rather they are all from other Hispanic countries. Analyzing that fact now disappoints me, but as a young girl, it was refreshing and empowering to see other people gush over Shakira and love her talents. While she is not Dominican, she represented—and still does represent—a lot of Hispanics in