![]() I had a fear of my culture disappearing if I embraced too much of the mainstream American culture. My parents would often remind me, ‘Make sure you always exceed your best, don’t be too loud or cause a disruption doing so.’ Humility is a highly valued trait, which I am forever grateful for, but at times this advice felt tied to the idea of having a debt with the majority for an opportunity that could very easily be discounted.įor many years I felt this juxtaposition between how to exceed expectations and the importance to preserve my family’s culture. It has long been documented about the poor treatment of minority groups that are native to America, and while some might argue progress has been made, the issues are more evident now even as they were back when my parents came to this country. I felt pressure to not give the majority any reason to doubt my abilities. Growing up I was constantly finding a balance between knowing and embracing my culture, while assimilating to mainstream American culture. One which was to make sure I learned Spanish and the second was to avoid teaching me an ‘ugly accent.’ I would see the hesitation in my parents when it came to speaking for fear of sounding uneducated, despite being very eloquent speakers in their native language. I remember being told to make sure I spoke “proper English,” and being complimented for ‘not having an accent.’ I recall my mother avoiding speaking English for two main reasons. Growing up, I felt the pride my parents had over their culture while still feeling the need to assimilate into American culture. ![]() That was very much true for my family, with both parents immigrating to the United States from Colombia in the 70’s in pursuit of what America promised. Although the mainstream culture and politics may not always echo similar feelings, people come looking for that promise, the same promise that has been beyond reach for its own citizens. While there is a mainstream culture in America and English is the unwritten official language, there is also beauty and respect in admiring the cultural differences of people from all origins. ![]() The place where people from across the world have come to start new lives, to access new opportunities, and to grow, or so they say. ![]()
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