My child is biracial which means her identity consists of two cultures. She is half Asian American and half Latina. She has been getting more exposure to my side (4th generation Japanese American) of her bloodline as opposed to her father’s (2nd generation Mexican).
It is very important to me that she gets to know her father’s culture despite the fact that he (or his family) do not see her as often as I would like.
What is Culture?
“What’s the matter with you? You’re Hispanic. Why don’t you speak to me in Spanish? The next time I see you, you better speak to me in Spanish.”
-Said by an older hispanic male customer to a younger hispanic male target worker
I overhead the above conversation at a Target in the city I grew up in recently. For whatever reason the young man (he was in his teens) didn’t speak in his “mother tongue” which highly offended the older man.
Although they were strangers, they still connected via their common ethnic background. I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and there is a huge Latino population out here. I know how important it is for the Hispanic/Latino community to keep their culture despite living in the United States. And more specifically, to keep the Spanish language.
Culture includes food, history, traditions and customs, and of course, language. Language is the aspect that will give my baby the biggest connection and acceptance in her Latino community.
Spanish can help tie her to her Latina roots. It will also help her in life as far as communicating with people.
Unfortunately, on my family’s side, we have not kept the Japanese language. After World War II, my parents never learned Japanese and neither did I so the language is lost.
As ironic as it might sound, I will be the one to help my baby not lose her Spanish language despite not being a native Spanish speaker.
Making Efforts for Exposure to All Cultures
Fortunately and ironically, I studied Spanish throughout my education. That means I took Spanish courses in middle school, high school and college. Unfortunately, I still am not fluent but I do remember words here and there.
My baby and I plan to be on a journey to learn Spanish together which I feel makes it really special.
I can proudly say that my child is becoming more familiar with the sounds of her “grandmother tongue” through my efforts to expose her through classes, songs, Youtube videos, and books.
We are surrounded by a rich tapestry of many different races and cultures living in Southern California. It is a priority to expose my child to as many different cultural experiences as possible.
I myself was often one of the only Asians in many situations as I grew up. Although hard and at times awkward, I feel it is character building to have that experience.
It’s my sincerest hope my baby will be exposed with first hand experience to all different backgrounds.
The most important background is her own. She will know herself as both Japanese and Mexican and all the way American.
