Dominicans in the U.S. Can you identify?

POPNYChic · #1 10-23-2009, 06:59 PM

This article quoted in another thread aptly describes my experiences and the curiosity I have about my own background. Commentary: 'But what's a Latino?' - CNN.com

For Americans, it seems they are so used to picking a neat little box, that they cannot fathom that in our country, its totally normal for people in a family to all have the same blood and appear to be of several different races and all the inbetweens.

I would say maybe Brazil and Cape Verde are the only countries with comparable history and even then we are all different.

Black Americans are often offended if you don't claim "just black". They say "there are people of different colors in my family too" but really theyre just talking about different tones of black. Its not different races like with us. Yet I can honestly say that apart from other Dominicans its black Americans who have taken me in...I think because they know even if I'm hispanic I still look black and we are thus on the same boat. Were it not for them I wouldve never come to terms with myself as a whole. As an Afro-Latina, not just an "Indian" or a "Spaniard".

White Americans try to make me give them a complete rundown of my ancestors and any Dominican knows how difficult that can be, being that we just don't usually keep track of it. To us mixing is just what people do and we dont give it any thought (obvious colorism issues aside).

Its like people here are baffled that you can be 8 different things and all come out different and still all feel that you are the SAME culturally. I know American History explains why these feelings exist but it makes for an interesting experience.

Then, Central and South Americans feel so free to talk crap about me right to my face, thinking I dont speak spanish since I dont fit the "stereotypical" Latin look that they are used to and that the media pushes.

This has made me think of my origins in a way that I know I wouldnt have if I had been raised entirely in the DR. The segregation and polarization I encountered in the U.S. made me think of this in much more depth and what it means for us culturally. How misunderstood we sometimes are because of it.

How has it been for you as a Dominican in the U.S....for those Dominicans who dont pass as white and who are black and/or ambiguous looking? I have noticed that many people who remain in Dominican neighborhoods rarely even see what I mean, but I know there are others who have.

Its not a woe, either. Its just interesting and unique to people like us who dont fit into neat little boxes.

30Taina · #2 10-23-2009, 11:48 PM

As I recently discover that I may be the only Domincan in Boise, Idaho your article describes a dilemma that I often come across. People are often puzzled by my appearances and when I start to speak Spanish they are surprises. I think that our unique presentation is what makes us beautiful.

El Rey de Mangu · #3 10-24-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 30Taina

As I recently discover that I may be the only Domincan in Boise, Idaho your article describes a dilemma that I often come across. People are often puzzled by my appearances and when I start to speak Spanish they are surprises. I think that our unique presentation is what makes us beautiful.

I'm sure I am speaking for many when I ask out of pure honest curiosity: why Idaho? I've been to Idaho - even the people look like potatoes.

AlterEgo · #4 10-24-2009, 01:16 PM

People end up in odd places sometimes....our Dominican niece was an engineer in Santo Domingo, apparently a very good one because a company based in Oklahoma offered her an incredible job. Got her a green card, paid for her apartment, bought her a car, amazing salary, etc. After a couple of years there she married another engineer (American) at that company, and now she's a firmly planted Okie.

Who woulda thunk it? She probably wasn't exactly sure where Oklahoma was when they offered her the job.

jrhartley · #5 10-24-2009, 01:51 PM

Im often puzzled why americans label themselves so much, we dont have latino- English , or black English, everyone is just English

korejdk · #6 10-24-2009, 02:05 PM

I asked myself the same question...

AlterEgo · #7 10-24-2009, 02:33 PM

It's like trying to compare apples and bananas. England has been full of Englishmen for many, many centuries. America, in comparison, is relatively young. Also consider the size of America. Beginning in the 1800s many different ethnic groups came here in huge numbers. Germans, Irish, Italians, till about 1920. More recently Asians: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi. Vietnamese. Not to mention the Latinos who arrived in droves in the past 50 years or so. We're talking about massive influxes of people rivaling England's population. Each group was ostracized upon arrival. They created their own enclaves, mostly in big cities, where they spoke their own language, cooked their own foods, helped others find work, etc. They were in America, but they were still Irish, Italian, Dominican, Vietnamese. They created their home country in their neighborhoods. A massive number of Americans, like me, are the 1st and 2nd generation born here.

Give us a thousand years to attain assimilation as England and Great Britain have. By then we probably won't be hyphenated Americans any more.

AE

InsanelyOne · #8 10-24-2009, 03:22 PM

Just tell them your human. I'm find this need to "identify" oneself with a particular group of humans annoying to say the least. We're all human, we all share this world together, and aside from some variations in the tone of our skin and the shape of our faces we are amazingly alike.

bienamor · #9 10-24-2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlterEgo

It's like trying to compare apples and bananas. England has been full of Englishmen for many, many centuries. America, in comparison, is relatively young. Also consider the size of America. Beginning in the 1800s many different ethnic groups came here in huge numbers. Germans, Irish, Italians, till about 1920. More recently Asians: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshi. Vietnamese. Not to mention the Latinos who arrived in droves in the past 50 years or so. We're talking about massive influxes of people rivaling England's population. Each group was ostracized upon arrival. They created their own enclaves, mostly in big cities, where they spoke their own language, cooked their own foods, helped others find work, etc. They were in America, but they were still Irish, Italian, Dominican, Vietnamese. They created their home country in their neighborhoods. A massive number of Americans, like me, are the 1st and 2nd generation born here.

Give us a thousand years to attain assimilation as England and Great Britain have. By then we probably won't be hyphenated Americans any more.

AE

But your wrong most of those groups did not hyphenate. and they assimilated. something the massive amounts of Latinos have not done. Plus lots of them the Germans Swedes, Norwegians, Fins did not stay in the large cities, they moved to Kansas, Minnesota, Texas Nebraska, and populated the Midwest. You will never hear press 2 for German.

POPNYChic · #10 10-24-2009, 04:37 PM

My bad. I just realized this thread was moved from where I posted it. I had intended it to be mostly towards other Dominicans in the U.S. but I see why it may be of interest generally, I guess?

Bienamor, White immigrants to the U.S. are also just accepted as "All American" as soon as they learn english or when their 1st generation kids are born. With other races it doesnt occur that way. You can have roots in the u.s. for 97967857543 years back and assimilate fully from day 1 and still be labeled with a hyphen. Apples and Oranges. You are correct about that.