Seasonal confusion; your problem not mine

Bay Area, CA.

I grew up in a latin home, of a first generation born parent. By DNA–I am native-american sicilian. I was raised with latin catholic, tibetan, native american, and sicilian culture. As a child, in my desert neighborhood, I stayed dark and it was rarely noticed that I was not “technically” latin (plus I spoke spanish). When I was a teen, we relocated to a colder climate and I bundled up and became so pale so quickly that my worried parents sent me to the doctors! In my new (differently diversified) area, the assumption was that I was white, and therefor innately understood that cultural perspective. It is a mild understatement to say that I did not, and it was continuously detrimental until my early adulthood. I currently live in a latin neighborhood, and when I am out and about, people approach me in spanish–but only during the summer months. Can’t we just engage authentically and drop the preconceived notions?


Tweets by Michele Norris