Whenever I ask my girlfriend about growing my hair out longer, she inevitably replies "Babe, you're not White."
We were both adopted from Colombia in our infancy and raised in Minnesota by white parents. But the root of our origins is where our similarities ended. She was raised Catholic, while I was raised Jewish. She lived near the city, while I lived out by the lake. The schools we attended were both private, but her school was far more diverse. But more importantly, she has always attempted to embrace the legacy of her genetic heritage, while I have adamantly avoided mine.

She even insisted on serving authentic Colombian food at her graduation party, well aware that most her family and friends would prefer hot dogs and hamburgers. But, she did not care, because she only wanted food that represented her.

She has always been proud to be Latino, while for most of my youth I just wanted be like Zach Morris (from Saved by the Bell), the all-American boy. Early on, my plan worked well. I never saw myself as Latino, or thought about what it meant. My parents raised me to be white and Jewish. Even when my great aunt, who worked at a marketing research agency, had me mark Caucasian on the identification form whenever I filled out a survey to earn some easy money. As far as I was concerned, I was just another white guy who happened to have a really dark tan. Looking back, it reminds me of the first scene of the movie "The Jerk," where Navin Johnson (Steve Martin) recounts his life story, saying: "It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child…" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3Vp9fQ616k&feature=related)

But every year I got older, I became more aware of the dissonance between my genetics and those of my peers. It weighed down on my confidence, so I continued to ignore this major aspect of my identity. But as my own insecurities about my identity continued to surface, I started having a much more difficult time connecting with my friends and family.

It was not until I met my girlfriend that I started to research my heritage more thoroughly. Although we were born in Colombia, we look very different. Her skin color is lighter in tone and her features suggest she is from Spaniard descent. However, I have dark tan and Native American physical features. I am descendent most likely from the Muisca. However, my girlfriend remains convinced that I am of pure Mayan descent. Nonetheless, when I walk down the street and a stranger wants to get my attention he or she always tends to dub me "Chief."

I still do not believe that I have fully embraced my identity as Latino (or Native American), because I have not grown up in that type of environment; or even around people who could offer a window of interaction into that culture. Part of that is my fault, because I have tended to ignore truth or opportunity into self discovery; unlike my girlfriend. But I have started the research. I may never fully accept myself as Latino however it is obvious that I am. My mind may never completely correlate with my genetic code, but since meeting my girlfriend and going to college I have started to reveal the underlying significance.

I do not know what it means to be a real Latino. It is such a broad term and Latin American countries are extremely diverse, in terms of genetic heritage. Colombia is a perfect example of this paradigm. Colombia's census data does not even bother identifying/distinguishing ethnicity because most of the country is mixed. According to the CIA Word FactBook the majority of the population (58%) is mestizo, (meaning mixed European and Amerindian ancestry). 20% is of European ancestry, 14% mulatto (meaning mixed European and black African ancestry), 4% of pure black African ancestry, and 3% zambo (of mixed Amerindian and black African ancestry). Pure indigenous Amerindians comprise only 1% of the population.

As you can see Latino is only a word needed by the outside world. There are no strict definitions for being a real Latino, but it probably helps if you are fluent in Spanish and your personal demeanor exudes common characteristics of the culture. Otherwise, it is just a word to describe a population of people from an extensive geographic region.

      Click to write a comment

LEAVE YOUR COMMENT HERE

Your name:

Your email:

Write your comments:

Hi Noah! We have formed a little "group" of sorts and can't wait to meet you at NYU. We are all students there and have forwarded your wonderful hate mail you left us on the breat cancer website to your fellow mates. SOO we figured we would track you down here! Being we are practically neighbors and all (i live on mercer st) and my mother teaches film at your school, well, we just cant wait to see you in person!! We will form a nice group while we gather your schedule at meet you after your classes!!
Take care now!
I am sure you are quite surprised by this, but did you honestly think that you would be allowed to attack such a strong group?? You are, in our book a DISGRACE to the latin race....if anyone would like to see Noah's great work he placed on our blogs pls contact me @ murphylola@yahoo.com
See you at school Noah!!!!

ahhh my friend, I think you just realized what you have done wrong. We see that you've changed your name on your facebook, yet it wont stop the people who you have offended from meeting you. They would all like to put a face to the hate you have spread for your "marketig" research project...wrong move Noah...you do NOT mess with CANCER!!!

Noah, you are a disgrace to NYU and all latinos/as
How dare you make such offensive comments to the breast cancer site...you should be ashamed of yourself.
Jessie

Pity of thought…

Latino is much more than a word. It isn't a word needed by the outside world, it's a word that represents a people that is passionate about everything in life particularly family. It seems your Caucasian upbringing is still dictating some of your sentiment.
I believe another cause of your disconnect with your genetical culture is MEDIA. Society has been mentally manipulated early on since the television came about. You can see this issue in your own life when you wanted to be someone else (Zach Morris) as opposed to Noah. I’m not saying your thought process was wrong, it just represents what’s been happening with life in this country for quite some time.
Had you had parents that recognized your heritage and raised you by educating you on where you were from, you would be so much of a global citizen. Meaning, you would have a wealth of knowledge of two distinct cultures. However, that same issue is what seems to drive your hunger for information on your heritage.
I was really surprised at the audacity of your aunt having you fill out something you’re not. While you were raised Caucasian, I believe the frontline (your adopted parents) should’ve been more conscientious. However, people will be people and Anglo-Saxons are egotistical and have an underlying notion of caring for self before family.
I’ve heard this from Anglos themselves that they’re raised to think and act for themselves and people second. Us latinos believe in thinking for our family and then for ourselves. As a result, I like to work on giving back and do some work with high school students. (I’m a college senior myself).
My perspective is broad and exceptional. I was raised in North New Jersey right across from New York. I grew up in a melting pot with Anglos, Latinos, Asians and Indians. It didn’t get any better where I was raised. Consequently, it’s helped me develop amazing friendships as well as personality skills to deal with all types of people and cultures. Ultimately, my Latino heritage exudes in my dealings with ppl (work/school) because I have a passion for what I do and a knack for expressing myself in any place or environment. Why? Because they (corporate, education, non-profit individuals or organizations) need to know I’m LATINO! Some people think they’re the only ones on this planet.

Outstanding essay Noah!
I am also a Latino student of NYU-Stern. I do share many of your notes about Latinos and I also think that the term "Latino" represents many people with multicultural backgrounds.
I hope to have the chance to meet you one day!
Sincerely,
Sergio

Amanda, we seem to have a lot in common. I will be in California within the next two weeks. If you would like to meet up and discuss our unique experiences in further detail, I think it would be a lot of fun and very insightful.

Alexia, I completely agree with your point of view and attitude in regards you're heritage and physical disposition. I admire your passion and intregrity to be so expressive and proud about your soul and intrapersonal beliefs :)

Hope to hear from you soon or have the pleasure of reading another one of your post/and or life update.

I considered studying Latin American Studies at Columbia with a minor in spanish. However, I decided that business school was a more practical discipline. Nonetheless, I have been doing my own research since my freshman year at Pepperdine in regards to my heritage and native culture.

Maybe you should consider doing a major in something related to cultures, identities, or so on. It may give you a chance to explore these topics more. Good luck man!

Be glad that you are questioning yourself who you are, a life examined is worthwhile living. All of us are just earthlings with different cultural backgrounds. Be proud that you are a unique (Jewish/American/Latino) human being!!!

I am adopted as well. My biological parents were from Mexico and I was born in California. However, I was raised in a predominately caucasian neighborhood and attended a private catholic school. I didn't learn much about diversity while I was growing up and didn't learn spanish or anything about Mexican culture. However, when my adoptive mother retired, we moved to Mexico and it opened my eyes to another culture. After the initial culture shock, I learned to see beyond skin tones and languages and it helped me accept myself. Now that I returned to the US (after having lived 10 years in Mexico) I embrace diversity and make it a point of going beyond my comfort zone. Why limit myself to people who look like me, think like me or live like me? As future leaders we need to accept, respect and embrace diversity starting with ourselves.

I´m 15, and I´ve always accepted and been proud of being Latina, kind of like you girlfriend. I understand it must be really tough for you to ignore a very obvious fact your whole life and then suddenly have to confront it when you don´t seem prepared.
I think it´s very inportant you for you to feel comfortable the way you are and the way you were raised, even if you are trying to accept the truth.

Your are Great. And so is your site! Awesome content. Good job guys! Interesting article, adding it to my favourites!

Tags:
scholarship college latinos sponsor mentors comments books amandas blog buy amazon videos guest book read chapter resources news opportunities events podcast bob blog organizations read blogs hispanic associations jacobs blog marielas bio partners julios blog ambassadors marielas blog write a comment latinos in college parents galleries in the press contact us marielas website calendar meet staff mcdonalds buy mosaico media archive