Junio 20 de 2019
I encourage latinainmigrants and firstgeneration Latinas to speak in Spanish. For many of them, it can be uncomfortable to communicate because they feel their Spanish «is not good enough».
During my sessions and women´s circles I make an agreement with everyone not to judge anyone else´s level of knowledge. I invite them to let go of logic and connect with themselves beyond nationalities, stereotypes, and borders.
So, they start to reweave threads of their identity and something peculiar happens…The words in that moment that bring them the deepest awakening are the words that they allow themselves to articulate for the first time in Spanish. Aloud!
Because your identity is stronger when it is visible. Because identity truly goes beyond the idea that there are “requirements” Latinas must fulfill to be “Latina enough”.
They ask me:
– How do you say this word in Spanish?
Rather than just pronounce the word I invite them to explore it through different dynamics. I say:
–“Siente esa palabra dentro de tu historia”
My premise is that there are no mistakes! Ellas vuelven a la raíz que existe dentro, but has been muted, forgotten, or rejected.
Spanish brings healing to their inner voices. Spanish revels inheritances from abuelas y abuelos, canciones, tradiciones, juegos de la niñez, nuevas formas de pararse en el mundo hasta ahora desconocidas. Spanish also brings back taboos, the fear of racism, family shadows, and hidden dreams that nobody knows are there.
But dealing with the shame of “not feeling Latina enough” can enable a profound change in the way they shape and look at their history. It can even open a door of understanding as to why parents didn’t teach them Spanish growing up. Once they risk embarrassment and speak beyond perfection, they realize that Spanish belongs to them and not to any specific way of speaking.
💙 Tus raíces son tuyas, gracias a ellas tu español es más que suficiente.💙
¡Aprópiatelo!
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Art: Victoria Villasana. @villanaart