Personal Narrative: My Latino Heritage

Looking back to the past, before I was born, I never really knew where my ancestors came from or why they even came here in the first place. It was never made a big deal in my family to talk about our history and the reasons why they came to American. So, I decided to do a little research and find out a little bit about myself, my culture, and my communication styles. I asked for a little bit of help from my grandmothers from each side of my family. I got an abundance of information that opened my eyes to a new past that I didn’t even know about.

As someone who identifies with both culture varieties in Louisianan and Hispanic Texan forms, one can see the various types of differences, including music, food, recreation, and life as a seventeen-year-old. As a senior in high school, my parents still give my commutes to and from school. This can be shown by the quote, “In short, the society in which you grow up, and your particular location in that society, lie at the center of what you do and how you think” (James M. Henslin, 2014, pg. 3.) A noticeable confliction shows when my dad drives me to school, he plays the radio, which predominantly plays country music. However, when my mom picks me up from school, she uses Pandora, which gives her more independence on choosing the genre she wants. The songs she often wants to hear is Mariachi, a Spanish-speaking music genre which mixes pop culture in Mexico, folk tales, and current issues. When I either practice my driving or hang out with friends, music genre tends to lean towards what is popular amongst my age group and location, which is pop and country. When I am around my family and relatives, music tends to be in Spanish, such as Mariachi and Spanish Pop. A Mexican-American culture had been forming over generations in my family tree, as my grandparents are from Mexico and my parents are from South Texas. When I visit my grandparents and other relatives, who mainly live at the tip of Southern Texas, cultural changes start to become more apparent as radio stations change

Puerto Rican music is an evolving art form that expresses Puerto Rican culture and identity. The development of Puerto Rican music is also a reflection of their history, both being complicated by several layers. Social, political, and economic conditions are all related to the musical expressions of Puerto Ricans (Glasser, 8). Puerto Rican migration to the United States and the culture clash experienced by migrants is another layer complicating the evolution of Puerto Rican music (Glasser, 199). Musical expression has been affected by every aspect of life for the Puerto Ricans and therefore is an illustration of the Puerto Rican experience.

In the last past two years, the popularity of Latin music has exploded and along with it, the careers of people like Ricky Martin, Christina Aguilera, and Enrique Inglesias. Some of these people claim a mixed racial heritage and accordingly, it seems apparent that a more tolerant and even accepting time in history has come for those of a mixed heritage. Indeed, many entertainers now come to fame based in part on having a mixed racial heritage. However, Latin music has been around for many years and its emergence in the mainstream is unlikely to be due to a more liberal attitude towards multicultural, multiethnic themes. The recent, newly found popularity demonstrates more of a realization that companies can exploit multiracialism for a profit.

Born in Lake Jackson, Texas on April 16, 1971, Selena Quintanilla-Perez would come to be known as the “Queen of Tejano music.” With the help of different sources to provide evidence and support to my argument, the aim of this paper is to examine how Tejana singer, Selena was able to impact those around her with her career as a musician and through the medium of music. Selena rose to success by continuously crossing over to different markets. She not only impacted her fans one by one, but also brought about social and cultural changes by fleshing out tensions between Anglo and Latino communities by bringing people together through music.

There are multitudinous types of Chicano music that include all types of instruments, verses, backgrounds, and purposes. According to Tatum (2001), “The popular Hispanic folk music has deep roots in Spain and Mexico, but it is a living cultural form that is forever changing and adapting to new social conditions and musical currents (Robb 1980, 5)” (p.15). Modernization also plays a key role in the diversion of Chicano music. For example, as new instruments were being invented, they were then incorporated into the music, making it sound more different and attractive. The types of Chicano music range from romance which could narrate an event, corridos, which was a form of cultural differentiation, alabanzas, which were specifically religious, and the canción, in which lovers expressed their deep adoration for each other (Tatum 2001). If a man who was lost in his woman’s eyes wanted to choose a song for their

My eyes reveal my story. Although I was born in the United States, my Mexican heritage shines through my hazel eyes. I am proud of both my American and Mexican identity. My Grandparents on both sides immigrated from Mexico to Southern, California before my parents were born. In our home, we celebrate our Mexican culture through cooking traditional meals and celebrating traditional holidays, such as Día de los muertos. My Family creates an altar decorated with candles, flowers, colorful trimmings and offerings for our loved ones who have passed. I feel fortunate my Mexican heritage is intertwined with my American identity.

Growing up I have always been proud of my Mexican roots. I do not believe in hiding who you are, on the contrary, I believe in embracing it. This led me to be a part of a very special group at my high school. I became a member of Alma Folklorica de Oklahoma my sophomore year in high school. It is a Mexican folk dance group, and it consists of dancing traditional dances from Mexico. While the main reason I joined the group was to learn more about Mexico as a whole, I learned much more than I had anticipated. Going in I thought that I would just be learning dances; I didn’t expect to learn such valuable lessons as I have. I joined the group so I would have a better knowledge about Mexico and my culture. It’s been great learning about different regions throughout Mexico; especially about regions that I had never been previously exposed to. However I’ve learned more than I anticipated. I’ve had the pleasure to learn how to change out of one outfit with multiple accessories into another within five minutes and sometimes in less than three minutes. I’ve also had the pleasure of learning that if you mess up, just keep on smiling and no one will ever know. Not only have I learned things about performing. I have also learner life lessons. I have learned how to use jumper cables, how to properly communicate with others, and how to work as a team. Prior to joining the group, I had no idea the importance of communication. I

Moreno asserts that ““Too many times, we have read our history books that have been written by Europeans, and it has had a tremendous impact in the way we view our culture and listen to our music. I do think that our identity is lost with it and at some point, we try to find it again later in life” (7). Students are able to see a different point of view rather than only the perspectives of textbook writers who at times deprive students from the full truth and the media who exaggerates or embellishes the truth. Many artists and musicians express their anger and oppression through music and students are able to listen to this and get the complete synopsis of problems happening in the world. For instance, in “The Embodiment of Salsa: Musicians, Instrument and the Performance of a Latina Style and Identity,” Patria Roman-Velasquez argued that the embodiment of salsa develops through specific practices whereby instruments, performance techniques, vocal sounds, bodily movements and ways of dressing are encoded and experienced as part of a particular Latin identity. Therefore, this expressing that music has much of an influence in Latin identity and the construction of identity and

Sometimes I feel like I live in two worlds. one world or life is when I was in Puerto Rico where life was effortless and elementary,lots of leisure, and so much more fun. but i also have my world and life here in Boston where is not completely obscured. in boston it is where i am asked to identify myself. it is where people ask me what am i? i have always responded with “ i am puerto rican and black.” that sounds about right my mother is puerto rican and my father is black. most people act like it is strange for me to look and talk the way i do yet not be what they thought. in either world i have never really thought deeply about my ethnic origin because i always said i am puerto rican and black american that is it and nothing more needed to

Citizenship is addressed in the choice of song. The text to the song is in Spanish, a foreign language that is a connection to the core curriculum of music. By using a piece that is not of their own culture, the students will expand their knowledge of multiculturalism while it deepens their understanding of the contributions other cultures have made into developing and defining our own. Explaining the similarities and differences of the Spanish culture to ours will also foster a deeper understanding of our own cultural identity and our heritage. This explanation will also take place in the power point presentation.

My background with ethnicity is limited. My paternal grandfather is from the Netherlands and my maternal grandmother’s family is from Sweden. Other than that, I have not had any other extensive experiences with different ethnic groups. Once my family from the Netherlands came to visit in 2012, I was introduced to my great Aunt Toos. It was difficult speaking with her because of the language barrier; her English was far from clear. Although there were difficulties communicating, I was nevertheless able to learn a few Dutch phrases from her.

My ethnic background is complicated. My family comes from all different parts of the world. Sadly, I only claim two of my ethnicities; Jamaican and African American. I’m frowned upon in my cultures even though they're apart of who I am.

As the gun goes off, I almost simultaneously burst out of the running blocks, exploding into a sprint. My adrenaline is pumping as I come up close onto another girl in my race. It was overwhelming just being at the state track meet, let alone running in the 4 by 100 relay. My speed picks up as the distance to the next person in my relay grows less and less. As I get closer to Brianna, I realize that our race isn’t going to go exactly as we had planned. Actually, our race was going to go differently than anyone had expected, and definitely not in a good way.

The tunes my parents played throughout my childhood remind me of the days in which we gathered together singing the lyrics of those who came from frijoles and tortillas, but enjoyed the struggles that got them to where they are today. Listening to these songs of Latinos who “made it” influenced of how through the words these artists sang to express rebellion toward issues that other were too fearsome to express. Through it, one can relate to these parabolas that speak up for the voiceless and unheard. Listening to these types of songs I vowed to use my dominant discourse-discourses that bring status- to become an advocate to those who feared speaking against injustices.