As a Mexican-American, I go through a lot simply by being Mexican and American. A Chicano is an individual who was born in the U.S. and has Mexican descent. Being Mexican-American is as beautiful as it is difficult. We go through racism, inequality, and social injustice. Many have grown up only having to be American or Mexican at a time, and never could freely be both at the same time. This makes it difficult to understand their true identity and accept the fact that Chicano culture is beautiful. Knowing two languages, being able to speak Spanglish, connecting to both cultures, and having an amazing bond with two countries is something to be proud of. However, lots of judgment comes with the belief that you’re not American enough or Mexican enough.
“Ni de aqui, ni de allá,” a famous Spanish saying that translates to “Neither from here, nor from there.” This is an important saying to Mexican-Americans as it expresses the feeling of not belonging to either country or culture. The struggle of not being socially accepted by both countries to prove that we do belong in both countries, and not just a singular one. Jonathan Rodriguez explains that many Mexican-Americans struggle with their identity, “Their history has also been a conflicting one, resulting in a complex identity as individuals have found themselves stuck between two cultures.” This shows that many people feel the same about their identity when it comes to being Mexican-American.
As much as society tries to tear us apart, we are strong enough to hold love for both the American and Mexican communities. It’s difficult to be born in the United States and have most of your family in Mexico because our parents, grandparents, and even our ancestors fought to come to the U.S. to work or to get an education and for a better future for us. Half of our heart is in Mexico, while the other half is here in the United States; instead of our whole heart being full of both. Living in the U.S. gives amazing opportunities for things like traveling, better education, and jobs, and in Mexico, you value strong bonds with your family, warm cultural foods, and even music, which brings positive energy to our lives. Aurora Bravo explains how we bond to all the different things between both cultures, “Mexican-Americans hold very strong bonds to their language, people, traditions, and homeland; mainly to the proximity of such.” Society doesn’t seem to understand that we have big hearts and want to be accepted in what we call both countries, our home.
Throughout my childhood, Spanglish wasn’t accepted, and I believed I could only speak English or Spanish at a time when that wasn’t true. This isn’t only about our languages, it’s also about our music, food, clothing, etc. We should be able to express both. We need to take pride in being Chicanos. We aren’t Mexican, we aren’t American, we are Chicanos, who are bilingual and can do double the things people usually can’t. We are amazing, beautiful, and unique. “It’s crucial for society to realize that, and work towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for this vibrant and resilient community,” Alondra Santos states. We must embrace the fact that we are “De aqui y de allá,” which translates to “From here and from there.” We Mexican-Americans are the perfect representation of loving two completely different worlds.
Being Mexican-American is loud, powerful, and beautiful. We have double the power and confidence to show everyone who we are and the fact that we need to be accepted into both worlds, which, in reality, is just one big world for us.