Day 9: My Identity

“The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever.” -Sonia Sotomayor

One day in 6th grade, some of my classmates (taking the Spanish elective) purposely mispronounced Spanish words to poke fun at the people who actually did. I offhandedly mentioned, “I’m Hispanic.” One of the girls turned to me and proceeded to say, “Oh! You don’t look Spanish.”

It was like a punch in the gut. I quickly corrected her that the word was “Hispanic” - “Spanish” would’ve meant that I had heritage from Spain, which I did not. My dad’s side of the family is from Bolivia, a Spanish-speaking country. She looked a bit confused and turned back away.

When I told my Papá about this incident months later, he asked, “Well, what does Latina look like?” It raised a lot of good questions for me. Even before this happened, I was fully aware that I didn’t look very Latina to most people, and this bothered me for years. I didn’t feel like a “true Latina,” even though I knew I was. But when my dad asked me that, I started to reconsider. Why did I have to let others’ definition of Latina define me?

Why did I have to let others’ definition of Latina define me?

I didn’t. I am Latina. I always have been. My heritage goes back to my Papá, who grew up in Miami dreaming of the skies; my Abuelita, who fought for her right to move to the U.S. and have a brighter future; and the indigenous Quechua people, whose culture lives on today.

I’m still learning to be comfortable and confident in my identity as a Latina, but I’m getting better every day. I’ve now met many Latinas like me: they have light skin or even blonde hair and blue eyes. They don’t look like what many think of as Latina, and neither do I -  but I’ve learned that Latina doesn’t have to look a certain way, and I’m proud of that.

About the Author

Rowan, Jr .High Student & Somos Escritora Alumna

About the Blog Series

The #LatinaLuminaries Blog Series by Somos Escritoras. The series was created to illuminate the wisdom, experiences, voices, and truths of Latina women and girls and the broader Latinx community. The blog series features writing from escritoras (participants) and writing mentors from Somos Escritoras Latinx Writing Workshop. Published Latina authors, writers, poets, and illustrators who presented at our workshop also contributed to the blog series.