This post was originally posted on Sarah’s blog A Life With Subtitles.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised you hadn’t noticed.
I’d love to hear your thoughts or reflections.
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Sarah Quezada works with Mission Year, a year-long urban service program for young adults. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Billy and daughter Gabriella. Stories and reflections on their cross-cultural life and ministry together can be found at her blog, A Life with Subtitles.
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The lady at the Texas driver’s license office was really puzzled when my blond-haired, blue-eyed son marked “Hispanic” on his form. When my wife (Argentine) asked if there was a problem, the woman explained. My wife said, “Well, he was born in Argentina. I’m Argentine.”
The woman looked at her and said, “You don’t look Argentine.” Which meant, of course, she didn’t look Mexican.
I’m glad that the federal government realizes that Latinos can be of any race.
Thanks for sharing your family’s example, Tim.
I hope that as more South and Central American folks continue to diversify our country, that we can expand our idea of what it means to “look Latino.”
Thanks for weighing in!
Reminds me of my cousin – mother (my aunt) is African-American, father is Puerto Rican. When he signed up for the military decades ago under his full name – Luis Tito Hernandez – but checked “black” (having grown up in Tuskeegee, AL, he didn’t speak a word of Spanish or know any Hispanic people), he caused quite a bit of consternation!
I’m Puerto Rican and I’m whiter than most of my American friends. I’m really whiter than most people you’ll meet. My grandmother on my dad’s side had blonde hair and light eyes, but my grandpa on my mom’s side has dark skin, hair, and eyes. We come in all different colors, yet people still get caught off guard when I start speaking Spanish with my very accented Puerto Rican accent. I also check off Hispanic as my ethnicity and White as my race. The two are definitely not mutually exclusive.
I’m Cuban, I was born there and move to the U.S when I was 13 years old. I was always considered white, I consider myself white. I am 27 years old now and still find it shocking that someone would consider me otherwise just because my ethnicity is Hispanic. People don’t seem to get that ethnicity and race is not the same. Most Cubans I know are white. My brother in law, also Cuban, has blue eyes, blond hair and light skin. Everyone speaks to him in English when they first meet him and tell him they though he was American white by the way he looks. Same thing happens to my boyfriend who is Cuban. He has very fair skin that burns in the sun, freckles all over, and hazel eyes. People think he is American white when they first meet him and seem surprised to see he is speaks Spanish when they try to talk to him, haha. I find it funny. They are white just not American. Almost all of his family has light eyes and they all have light skin. Same goes for my family, almost all of them have light skin, with the exceptions of a few who have olive skin, but still look very white in features, just like Italians. I also know black hispanics, who I know would be confused if they were told they are not black. Anyway, interesting article and I’m glad to know some people actually inform themselves. I which more people would do the same. Good day :).