Im Proud To Be Puerto Rican Essay - 1303 Words

Are you Puerto Rican or American? Hesitantly, I dont know what to say when people ask me this question because I feel that I have to choose between the two ethnicities. Since I was born in the U.S., I am considered American. But, if I say I am American, I am asked about my origins. Thus, controversy evolves around inhabitants of Puerto Rico because they are considered Americans since Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States. My skin is white, my eyes are brown, and my hair is dark brown. I am confused with Europeans, such as Italians, Portuguese, or Spanish. As early as the sixth grade, I experienced prejudice indirectly. I grew up in a predominately white neighborhood where I consistently heard racist thoughts about Latinos.†¦show more content†¦While they talked about Latinos, I kept quiet; I didnt want them to think of me negatively. This experience lasted throughout the school year. When I returned to school after the summer break, half of my classmates were Latinos. The Latinos in my class differed in the way that they were proud to say they were Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Dominican. Thus, I pursued a relationship with these classmates and I began to feel differently about Latinos. I realized that I was taking part in the prejudice thoughts my previous classmates had toward Latinos by concealing my identity. I also recognized that Latinos were struggling to pursue a better life and that we are looked down upon. As a result of discrimination, it is difficult for us to accomplish our goals in life. Presently, every opportunity I get, I talk about my culture. I discuss the hardships Latinos face and I describe my experience growing up Puerto Rican. Although I am Puerto Rican, I dont know as much about my culture as I should. Reading Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America by Juan Gonzalez has brought new insights to my knowledge of Puerto Ricans and Latinos in general. Gonzalez focuses on language and writes that speaking Spanish is trea ted as a handicap instead of as an asset. Gonzalez gives us a brief history of Puerto Rico. He writes about the changes of the official language, which was English in the past and has changed to Spanish.Show MoreRelatedLangston Hughes Research Paper25309 Words   |  102 Pageslearning, but he kept Walt Whitmans Leaves of Grass. Langston vowed to learn by personal experience and to write in the authentic voice of a black American. During the Atlantic voyage, he shared a cabin with three crew mates: a Filipino, a Puerto Rican, and a black American teenager from Kentucky, whose songs and hilarious tales made the hot, miserable voyage on the rusty old freighter bearable. Langstons ability to make friends easily and to speak Spanish kept him out of trouble with the rowdyRead MoreMarketing Mistakes and Successes175322 Words   |  702 Pagesa $366 million loss. With Maytag’s overseas Hoover Division, the costs of an incredibly bungled sales promotion were more than $300 million, and still counting. Then there was the monumental acquisition of Chrysler by Germany’s Daimler, maker of proud Mercedes, for $36 billion in 1998. After nine tumultuous years, Daimler gave up and sold Chrysler to a private equity firm in 2007 for only $7.4 billion. Although they may make mistakes, organizations with sharp managements follow certain patterns