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Mexican American Identity

Decent Essays

Every once in a while, I end up getting asked the question, “Where are you from?” or “Where were you born?” My response is always the same, “Utah.” I can almost always anticipate the next question. It usually comes in the form of, “No, where is your family from?” At this point, things get interesting since I can answer the same for my family as well. I usually get a frustrated look and then the question, “Where were your grandparents born?” Now, I actually answer the real question the individual was trying to ask: “What is your ethnicity?” Ethnically, I am Mexican American. This has always been a little confusing since being Mexican American automatically makes me American, so even when answering the question of ethnicity, I am still an American. Sometimes, this fact is something that has been brought back to my attention through discrimination. At various points in my life, I have been told, “Why don’t you go back to where your family came from?” While I understand that this statement is discriminatory, it is always something that has struck me as being somewhat ironic since the person making the statement has made the assumption that I am not an American citizen. However, if I were to go to Mexico I would still be an American citizen. I have been speaking both English and Spanish probably as soon as I started talking. When I speak in English, I usually think in English. When I speak in Spanish, I usually think in Spanish. I have noticed that when I am thinking to myself

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