Ohio’s Malinche
I was 16 years old the first time I recall talking to a Chicano.
I was 16 years old the first time I can remember hearing Spanglish.
I was 19 the first time I meet someone who identified as Chicano.
I was 21 the first time I thought about identifying as Chicana.
My sister moved to Texas and every so often will mention to me how Chicanos think she is bien Mexicana. A friend often teases me about how I don’t have any Chicano friends.
Someone left a comment noting that I say I identify more as Mexican but then use the label Xicana to describe myself. This is true. I was raised Mexican, I wasn’t raised around Chicanos. I spent every holiday and all summers in Mexico. That is Winter break, Spring Break, and summer in Mexico and occasionally my parents would take me to Mexico during the school year. Other than my immediate family, I don’t have any family in the United States.
Central Ohio doesn’t have many Chicanos. We have Mexicans straight from Southern Mexico, most of them from Oaxaca. Central Ohio is still in its first generation of Mexicans, so we haven’t yet seen the creation of the Chicano, let alone Chicano identity in Columbus. I feel like I am alone on that front. While I don’t have Chicano friends, I do have gringo friends, and Mexican friends. The Chicano friends will come soon enough.
I have an easier time identifying as a Malinche than I do as a Xicana. Identifying as a Xicana is something I feel I must do. My sister told me that she only identifies as a Xicana because she wants Mexicans to know there are good Xicanos, who won’t take advantage of them, speak the language, and understand the culture. I choose to identify as Xicana because I want to be part of a movement that recognizes the struggle of the indigenous and the brown. I want to be part of a movement that fights for justice in USA and Mexico. I want to be part of a movement that says “soy de aquày también soy de allá“. (A phrase often used in Mexico when refering to Chicanos is “from neither here nor there” however this version I like to use is “from here and there too”.)
Yes, I am Malinche, I am Mexicana, and I am Xicana but please don’t question what term I use to describe myself. My terms are just as evolving as me.
No Comments so far ...
No pues claro no one should question how you identify yourself (unless of course you start posting about no se about being Lebanese. I think its especially tough for us displaced latinos, those living between borders and identities. We have a right to define ourselves in our own word. Pues everyone else like to label us, we should be able to label ourselves
Comment on October 26, 2005 04:17 pmI applaud your desire to describe yourself.
I hope that I did not offend you with my comments to your earlier post. You brought up an interesting question regarding why certain “Mexican” authors were included in Anthologies of Chicano Literature, and I was simply offering my opinion on the matter. I believe Chicanos/Chicanas do not adhere to any political borders, but rather establish their identity on grounds of culture. In this way, there can be Chicanos in Ohio, like you, just as easily as there can be Chicanos in Tenancingo, Mexico, or in my case, in Virginia. We are not, as some would believe, simply confined to the Southwest of the U.S.
To steal an image from Oscar Zeta Acosta, we are like cucurachas. We’ve been around for hundreds of years, and I believe we’ll be around for hundreds more. Porque, como dijistes tu, we are constantly evolving to suit our environment. Que viva la raza!
Comment on October 27, 2005 02:37 pmYou go girl! I have issues when people tell me what I should call myself. I am not even sure what to call myself but I can figure it out on my own.
Comment on October 29, 2005 12:59 pm