Legit Latina if My Spanish is Rusty

[mafunk]

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• Father a migrant worker and union organizer with Cesar Chavez's Farm Workers Movement in the 60s-70s
• Father spoke spanish to me. Died when I was 4. Knew spanish til age 16, but forgot it after I moved away from the neighborhood.
• Mother Immigrant from white and asian descent
• Mom remarried white guy - married ten years ages 5-15. He and I do not talk.
• Raised in Chicano neighborhood and around extended family of Chicano culture all the time.
• Working on renewing my spanish speaking skills
• Definitely have dealt with bigotry against Mexicans
• Married to white guy, live in white neighborood

So, am I a legit URM? Does the fact that my spanish is rusty and I live in a predominately white neighborhood discount my heritage?

 

[redlight]

i think there are serious misconceptions about urm. each school will have their own philosophy and definition of URM.

there is no check box for urm. identify yourself, if you want to, how you want to. the rest is out of your hands. be honest, and don't worry about being legit or not. what's the point?

 

[jissho]

• 
  So, am I a legit URM? Does the fact that my spanish is rusty and I live in a predominately white neighborhood discount my heritage?

• 
  
  Neither your rusty Spanish nor the fact that you live in a predominantly white neighborhood discounts your heritage. If its part of your blood and you identify with the culture then I dont see why you shouln't consider yourself a "legit latina." 😀

 

[panamishe]

i agree with the previous posters. word of caution though....if your spanish is rusty DO NOT say that you are fluent! when i interviewed at a school in cali, my first interviewer actually conducted half of my interview (yes i used the same word 3 times in the same sentence😀) in spanish because i said that i was fluent. luckily, i AM fluent so i had no problem but afterwards, he explained to me that he was usually chosen to interview applicants that claimed to be fluent to make sure that they were not lying. he told me that he catches students in the lie every year!!😱 so remember to just be honest. como quiera eres latina como yo!!

 

[PinkIvy08]

Neither your rusty Spanish nor the fact that you live in a predominantly white neighborhood discounts your heritage. If its part of your blood and you identify with the culture then I dont see why you shouln't consider yourself a "legit latina." 😀

👍 This. Couldn't have said it better myself.