I am Mexican

I'm going to vent a little. And be warned this deals with racial things, and I don't mean to be racist. It is what it is.

I am Mexican. My parents are Mexican. Therefore I am Mexican. I'm American, I was born here so why wouldn't I be?

I'm extremely proud to say I'm American and I think I embrace it. But I'm also super proud and happy to be Mexican.

I am Mexican.

No, I do not wear baggy clothes, I'm not in a gang, I don't have tattoos, I actually like school and reading and I don't like rap.

But I've had so many (sorry) white people say I'm not Mexican and that they are more Mexican than I am.

Oh really? Please tell me how you speak Spanish fluently and you know the culture really well and your parents are Mexican and/or Hispanic. Tell me how you're brown.

What about me makes me "white" and "not Mexican"? The fact that I want to be successful in my life? The fact I listen to songs in English when yes I also do listen to Spanish songs and have favorite ones. Is it the fact I don't dress like an idiot? The fact I enjoy reading and writing? Maybe it's the fact that I even have a blog in the first place.

Mexican- People of or relating to Mexico and its inhabitants.

That is the definition of Mexican. Tell me where it says on there that a Mexican is some wannabe gangster that fails at school and commits crimes.

I speak Spanish fluently. I can read it and write. I go to my grandma's house and that is what I speak to her. I know how to make tamales and I help my mom or my grandma make them. I know what many other Mexican dishes are and I can enjoy them. I watch the news in Spanish, in fact that's the only time I watch news. The few times I watch the news in English is when it's something big like Presidential elections, or something big happened in the country.

I know where my parents are from. I can pronounce the places in Mexico.

I have nothing against the term "white washed" except the way it's used for people like me.

So I'm trying to be white because I want to be successful in life and I give my all in school.

Not trying to sound racist at all, but are white people the only ones allowed to want to succeed?


So next time you want to insult someone, think before you say anything.

Just because they don't follow a stereotype doesn't mean they aren't who they are.

And at the end of the day guess what? I can speak Spanish when I need it. And I can speak English when I want to. I can enjoy something called Pozole and crave a cheeseburger with fries. I can watch Primer Impacto and Channel 8 news and understand them both fully.

I know who Carrie Underwood is and I know who Ana Gabriel is. I know famous Hispanic singers are even before they die and are plastered all over the news.

I can proudly celebrate Fourth of July and El Grito.

I can think in English and Spanish.

Ouch. That's right I went there.

So don't try to tell me who I am. Because I know who I am. And I'm very proud of it. And I can actually prove it and show it.

That is all, have a nice day.