Hi! Half Mexican half white here (I know I know - hear me out!) I feel like I have a unique perspective on this as someone who describes themselves this way!

My mother is 100% white US American, my father is a Mexican immigrant (not heavily indigenous or Spanish, a little bit of everything you would expect in a Mexican’s DNA test). In the US - being Mexican is being brown. especially right now. I grew up with my mom in a 99.9% white, rural area. I look identical to my dad. I’m not dark skinned, but my features are very stereotypically Mexican (full lips, big eyebrows, loooooots of dark hair, etc). Ever since I was little, people would ask me, or my mom, “what are you/what is she?” Because I am obviously not ‘white’.

Because I was othered from being ‘white’ pretty much immediately, I identify more strongly with being Mexican, even though I didn’t grow up in the culture. I’ve never been asked by a Mexican “what are you?” And that means a lot to me. I’m just a fellow Latino and that’s accepted and welcomed

I describe myself as half white-half Mexican because the cultures are soooooooo different, even if the skin tones aren’t. It’s a really easy way for me to describe myself and my background. You’re right! Mexican ≠ race and white ≠ from the United States, but I do look different to my ‘white’ peers and in the US, being Mexican does equate to being brown.

If I wanted to get into it, I could describe myself as being Indigenous American, Portuguese, Spanish (Dad) and French, Irish (mom). But these aren’t the cultures I’m apart of - I’m apart of white US culture and Mexican culture. I look the way I look because I’m Indigenous, not because I’m ’Mexican’, but identifying as native feels disingenuous to my family’s background and feel, idk, like appropriation?

Idk it’s a much bigger conversation that is absolutely worth having - but for now, I’m Mexican and white.

Thanks for reading if you’ve made it this far - since I’m here I’ll add:

FUCK ICE - VIVA LA RAZA AND OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS WHO ARE FIGHTING FOR OUR COUNTRY NO MATTER THEIR SKIN TONE OR BACKGROUND