English is not my first language

[sonia]

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.

Comments

[spaceoperadiva]

My dad was Shoshone, my mom was Irish-American. I got the Irish skin, but my coloration is such that I get regularly mistaken as Latina. It's quite interesting to have people miffed at me because I don't speak Spanish when there is absolutely no reason why I would. There's a thing where I live where Latinos who want to pass as Anglo refuse to speak Spanish, so not speaking Spanish as a Latina can be viewed as uppity or some kind of betrayal of one's culture.

Anglos almost always read me as white. And I always feel like I'm living in the margins, my true heritage invisible and often discounted, so this article spoke to me as well. Thanks for posting it.

Recently I've been improving my Spanish, since there are many Spanish speaking people where I live. I feel that this may cause as many problems as it solves, though.

[sonia]

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's good to remember that there are lots of us in the world, with mixed heritages and names that don't align with a history that's too complicated for a single name anyway.