Mexican-Americans are not from here, not from there; they are not from anywhere. “No eres ni de aquí ni de allá.” Those of us that share the same blood, the same birthplace… have heard that sentence at least once. It haunts every aspect of our cultural identity, making us question where we truly belong. As the voice echoes, we dwell on whether we are more Mexican or more American. It is time that we realize the clock is ticking and that the truth is right within us. The truth has been there all along, lingering and waiting to be apapachada. We are not from here, not from there, not from anywhere, and there is a certain quiet, undeniable beauty in that.
“Being Mexican-American is tough. Anglos jump all over you if you don’t speak English perfectly. Mexicans jump all over you if you don’t speak Spanish perfectly. We gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time! It’s exhausting! Man, nobody knows how tough it is to be a Mexican-American (Selena, 1997).” Our whole lives, we have been in a game of tug-of-war, but we are not the players —we are the rope, and society’s expectations are the ones playing with us. There is never enough of who we are for either side. They always want more and more; their ambitions making them blind to what we truly are: Mexican- Americans.
As someone who has felt like an alien, an outcast and an outsider on either sides of my identity— I’ve asked myself… How can I embrace not belonging? I suppose embracing and appreciation begin when we look at our history and apply it to how far we’ve come as Mexican-Americans. We were first popularized in the late 1960’s and 1970’s; we used to be invisible to the public until we spoke. Recognition began when we used our voices to start the Chicano Movement.
The Chicano movement was a political movement created to combat discrimination and racism. Through this movement, we made education more accessible, improved labor conditions, increased political empowerment, and ultimately left an enduring mark on Mexican-American identity. I believe the Chicano Movement is still lingering today, reminding us that being Mexican-American doesn’t just mean not belonging, but rather being our own nation. Through our accent, our culture, and our dreams, we can achieve anything. Each and every one of us creates one united.
