Chapter 5: Soy Latina, Donde Estas Mi Gente?¹

I know who I am. I have always known, yet I am constantly told who I am. I am Latina; however, I do not meet the standards of my own gente (people). As a light-skinned nonfluent Latina, my orgullo (pride) ceases to exist. Who am I if I’m not what I was born? As a woman of color, society forces me to subject myself to its standards, yet I must endure segregation of my gente. Am I responsible for my padres’ (parents) choice to assimilate? Assimilation achieved a better life for my siblings and me. Assimilation was survival in my padres’ eyes. Even though they yearned for the American Dream, their orgullo could not be forgotten, causing me to be confused about who I was supposed to be, American or Garcia.