What does it mean to be Latino?
Author:
Sandra C. Rodriguez
How are Latinos really supposed to look? Latinos come
in different colors and sizes. No one knows what a
Latino is really supposed to look like. For example,
I’m a Latina with green eyes and light skin. My dad
is a Latino with brown eyes and dark skin. Just
because a person is light or dark doesn’t necessarily
mean they have to be a certain race. I sometimes get
remarks that neither my dad nor I look like we’re
Latinos.
Sometimes the issue of being Latino becomes a big deal
in school. I know how that goes—people aren’t that
nice. They think that just because they speak better
English or look the way they think their race is
supposed to look, that they’re the best. I think
that’s wrong. To me everybody is equal, no matter what
race or color. Teenagers of other nationalities from
different places all over the world tend to give
Latinos a hard time in school. They have no reason to
treat us differently. Some people say Latinos have a
high percent of criminal activity, but that’s just a
stereotype. Not all Latinos are bad. Just like anybody
else we have hopes and dreams, and that’s
no crime.
Although people wish they were a different race
sometimes, they’re always going to be what they are.
It’s like the saying, “You want what you can’t have
but when you have it you don’t want it.” There are
lots of Latinos that do our best and show everybody
that we’re just the same as them, and we can do
anything they can do, maybe even better. Well, that’s
my personal opinion.
What does it mean to be a Latino to you? There are
many different answers to that question. I went out
and gave a sheet of questions to some Latinos and
asked them to fill it out. It was great when I got
them back because there were a lot of answers that
were very funny. I personally think that the only
thing that makes you Latino is yourself. Here are some
of those questions and answers:
1. What does it mean to be Latino? “Be Mexican, speak
Spanish, and have lots of pretty girls with pretty
eyes after you.”
2. How do you feel about discrimination against
Latinos in schools? “People who discriminate against
Latinos need to get a life and find a new job.”
- Andrew Casillas, 18 years old, Luna Park School,
Watsonville.
3. Does the street make you Latino? “No, your race
does. The streets are for you to drive on.”
4. Do you feel that Latinos get the same treatment
from teachers of different races? “No, but when we do
get teachers that treat Latinos different just because
they are a different race, I’ve got one word, BYE.”
- Manuel Aguirre, 17 years old, Del Rio High School,
Texas.
5. What responsibilities do you have to your race? “Do
well and succeed in life so people of other races can
see that we’re good too, and can succeed.”
- Alice Esquvel, 15 years old, Del Rio High School,
Texas.
6. What do you think is the difference between all
races? “Todos son iguales.”
- Veronica Lopez, 20 years old, Watsonville.
7. To you, what is a Latino supposed to look
like? “Extra Crispy—just kidding. Being Latino has no
color, or appearance. It’s all about the culture and
the Heritage.”
- Fernando, 19 years old, Watsonville
8. If you weren’t Latino, what race would you like to
be? “Not to be mean, but anything but white.”
- Bianca Garcia, 16 years old, Del Rio High School,
Texas
9. How do you feel about other races? “Black people
are awesome. Latinos ROCK! White people are cool.
Everybody is pretty nice.”
10. What do you want people to know about Latinos? “We
can do anything you can do better!”
- Crystal Rodriguez, 17 years old, San Antonio High,
Texas
So you see, Latinos are all DIFFERENT!