Hijas Americanas

How Latina are you?

I've never been asked this question. Well, not directly. It sits there in the corner, the pink elephant everyone pretends not to see. Whether from a bigot who rationalizes their outright racist stereotypes by annointing me as 'exceptional' because I'm not like those OTHER Messicans, I mean Hispanics, I mean Latinos. Well what is the difference anyhow, they ask huffing at me.

I can also catch it on the flip side from a recent arrival of my beloved Dominican Republic that declares that they could tell that I was from HERE and not HOME like them.

Finally the day came where I was asked, in detail by a friend, who is Latina like me. A friend who is also fluent in Spanglish. She asked other Latinas too and in the end this is what she made of it:

Thank you Rosie for asking and asking and asking. I'm very happy and proud of you. I can now cross you off my list of 'Latinas to Meet' (yes, I have a list, but more on that another time).