English is not my first language

The Right Words to Say: On Being Read as White by Dahlia Grossman-Heinze

I read the first few comments, and they resonate with my experience even more that the article itself. I spoke Spanish before I spoke English, despite being born in the US. Going to preschool, I remember being uncertain about being able to talk to people.

I am of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, so I am white, I suppose, but my mother was born in Chile (my dad arrived there when he was two) and they both speak English with faint Latin American accents. I'm told my Spanish carries a flawless Chilean accent, despite having visited there only once, as an adult. So, I am sort of almost Latina, enjoyed my mother's empanadas and pastel de choclo growing up, loved listening to records of Inti Illimani.

So many things to come out about, against the tide of mainstream assumptions.