This weeks readings were very interesting. I enjoyed the historical frame of reference that the authors provided to give context to the groups. This was not only helpful but also important to understand some of the history.
I really enjoyed the activity in class (save the last word for me) as it allowed for small group and large group discussion and to work with some new people. My group talked a lot about the historical context and the way it plays out and also tied it into class and other demographic areas. The class time flew by which I think speaks to the way its being taught and run. It is not just dry reading and talking.
During class I had a realization of how my identity of being Hispanic ties into that of being White and how I can be both at the same time since Hispanic is an ethnic category and not a racial group though it is commonly used as such. It was the first time that I saw how my Hispanic side with familism, values and culture tied into that of being White and treated white. Though i did bring this up in class and it wasnt received with much reassurance, I do believe that this might be true for others who are perceived to be White but have strong Hispanic/Latino/Chicano Roots.
This class was probably my most enjoyable class thus far. Partly because I was able to talk about stuff I really knew about but more so because a lot of things just clicked. Things that I knew inside but never talk about. Things that back home get silenced due to the more hard core Latinos and Chicanos and not for someone whose family has had 2 generations of white guys (English and Irish) come in but otherwise has 14+ other generations of "full Hispanic" people. These 14 generations (I'm the 17th) have been US citizens due to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Before that they were still in this area but were considered Mexican Citizens and Spain Citizens before that.
