I didn’t always know I was considered a minority. I wasn’t aware the statistics weren’t, and hadn’t been, in my favor as a woman and a Latina.
Young Latinas are more likely to drop out of school than African-American and white young women. At the same time, Hispanic women are underrepresented in gifted and advanced placement classes. I didn’t know I would be accused of “acting white” by doing well in school, and Latinas are minorities in college as well.
From 2006 to 2007, of all women working toward a degree, Latinas received 8 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 6.1 percent of master’s degrees and 3.8 percent of doctorate degrees, while white women comprised 70.8 percent of bachelor’s degrees, 67.7 percent of master’s degrees and 61.9 percent of doctorate degrees. In addition and in spite of the gains made, Hispanic women make less money than their male and non-Hispanic white peers and are underrepresented in government positions and as business owners.
There was a lot I didn’t know, and that I’m still learning about what it means to be a young Puerto Rican woman in the world. What I do know, and am certain of, is I am privileged. Through hard work and the help of others, I have already blown past many statistics and will continue to do so in the future.
The first time I realized I was a minority and could be considered “different” was when my family moved from California to Florida. Prior to moving to California, I had lived in Puerto Rico, where my family is from. I had never felt any type of racial or ethnic tension. After an adjustment period that had its difficulties, California was a wonderful place to live where most of my friends were either first-generation Americans or had some cultural tie to another country besides the United States.
At my friends’ houses, languages such as Hindi, Mandarin and German were spoken, and even though I was the only Hispanic or Latina, I never felt “different.” At that point in time, being “different” didn’t exist, because everyone was different and it was normal.
When I look at the portrayal of Hispanics in the media, I often find the representations problematic. Many times Hispanics — Puerto Ricans included — are overtly shown as loud and/or violent, involved in illegal activities or organized crime and uneducated. While this may be true for a portion of the population, to my understanding, Hispanics don’t have a monopoly on the aforementioned attributes.
Stereotypes are not just presented openly. In fact, discriminatory ideas are shown in a subtle manner. One such character on television that is relatively well-liked is Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on “Modern Family,” played by Sofia Vergara. While some may argue that her role on the show and the popularity that she has achieved is positive and empowering for Latina women, I am hesitant to declare a complete victory.
Her character is a Colombian woman, as is Vergara in real life, but different aspects of the persona are stereotypical. She is a single mother who used to live in poverty (before marrying Jay Pritchett, an older white man) and her son’s father is irresponsible and absent. She’s knowledgeable about violence, loud, easy to anger and argue and likes to wear tight, flashy clothing.
Why are these stereotypes perpetuated? It seems to me a significant part of the answer is that women and people of color are underrepresented in the media workforce, so certain perspectives based on a variety of experiences aren’t abundant. Perhaps that may change in the future, but I don’t know. The minority experience is not homogenous, and I am unsure how that will play out in attempting to disseminate different narratives in the media. While working to present images and characters that go beyond stereotypes will likely be a challenge, it is important that the media be held accountable for the ideas disseminated. The media is an important institution when it comes to the power dynamics in society.
In discovering my minority status, there was one facet of it I didn’t expect to find, but I did: my privilege. While I am aware of many statistics pertaining to Latina women, in many ways I am already not a statistic. I was able to finish my bachelor’s degree by the age of 20, and if all goes according to plan, will have earned a master’s degree from Boston University in a matter of months. Like many students, I have student debt, but less so than others because of my parents’ financial help. As a second-generation college graduate, I have worked for and been afforded more opportunities than my parents, the first generation, let alone any generation before them.
When making friends, I have been able to establish lovely relationships where I don’t feel that I am in any way discriminated against. My family provides me with unconditional love and support. I grew up middle class, which to my knowledge has not been the standard experience for my family members in the past. Also, I’m completely fluent in English, which may not seem like a sign of privilege to some, but in much of the world (including Puerto Rico), it is.
Yes, I am a minority in more ways than one. I am a young Latina woman that has, and has had, opportunities for personal and professional growth and upward mobility — a minority within the minority. This is just the beginning of my success story, the journey to understanding myself, and all that comes with it.
