Defining myself as a Latina in New Orleans “Take 1″
What has it meant to be a Latina in New Orleans?
Being a Latina in New Orleans hasn’t always been easy. I found that my identity was sometimes lost within conversations and even “words”. I was born in New Orleans and was privileged to understand my origin because of multiple visits to that beautiful country my parents were natives of, Dominican Republic! In the early 80’s, kids at school did not know what to label me as. They didn’t know if I was Indian, African American, Mixed or as they would label all Latino’s, “Mexican”. Though there is nothing wrong with either mentioned, I felt a sense of irritation at the fact that no one truly understood that I was a Dominican “By Sangre” in New Orleans. When visiting the Dominican Republic, I found myself getting even MORE confused. There, I was labeled as “La Americana”. I was caught in the middle not knowing where I belonged. After repetitive debates, it got to the point that I could simply care less of what others believed and just allowed them to call me as they pleased.
Well, that was then and this is now! Latinos have made it far, but have we truly overcome? Much is happening around us. Many now know who we are, but do they even care? Have we captured other audiences with our performance or are we simply catering to ourselves? Latinos have been considered a “minority” for many years and though the purpose of this “label” has been to compare quantity to other races, many of us have fallen into the trap of allowing these labels to manipulate our minds and have used them as a manual to operate by and/or an excuse to disguise our true being.
You see, many “minorities” have felt that their “label” gives them the right to settle, gives them the authority to reject the unseen, and many have even allowed themselves to wait and watch as the “majority” ruled. What a foolish mistake. We as “people” must remove these labels that we have been given from our minds and focus our energy in striving to become more. Not settling is not a sign of discontentment - It is a sign of growth. It is a sign of hunger, a desire to share and to feed what we have learned in our hearts to others. To go above and beyond. This includes, sharing with “majorities” that have lacked the drive to desire more which, in turn, has made them an internal “minority”.
I once opened a fortune cookie that read, “Procrastination is the thief of time”. This was years ago and though it has always stuck to my mind, I too fell short in delivering my message and allowed myself to have the mentality of waiting till something happened or waited for that door to open hoping that a miracle would occur. By thinking this way, we rob ourselves from our present and fail to claim our throne!
Our “words” design our FUTURE and our actions create our DESTINY. Design your destiny so that it may multiply onto others and bring forth fruit to those who hunger for more.
I am LATINOLA and I AM truly a MAJORITY.
Tags: dominican republic, latina, lisa, new orleans, reyes