Conversations about Race

I could definitely see a parts of myself in the video about Hispanic/Latino/LatinX/Chicanos.

Growing up in Austin, Texas and going to a public school, I was forced to fit in. My mother was a single mother who left behind a lot of her culture and wanted us to fit in the 70's. She didn't speak Spanish in the household so that we'd only learn English. When I started school, I quickly realized that the children with accents were put into Special Education classes and taught differently than those of us who didn't. She never taught us anything of our culture or ever spoke to us in Spanish. I feel that I missed out on a lot of traditions and only after conquering my hunger for learning was I able to introduce this in my household. I still don't speak Spanish but am able to understand it but being embarrassed and not being confident enough prevents me from having a full conversation.

I spent the early part of my adult life as an Army Wife. The first four years were spent in Kentucky and Germany. We'd spend time with other families but it wasn't what you'd normally expect, just soldiers spending time together. My ex-husband and myself are Hispanic. We'd be invited to hang out with our Black friends, because they considered us "kind of Black". Other times we'd hang out with our White friends and they'd consider us "kind of White". We were neither.