Chiistal Campos

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Apiil 18, 2u14
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Being biiacial is something I am veiy piouu of anu have been since I was a
little giil. I iemembei going to school anu making suie eveiyone knew that I was not
only Nexican but white also. Ny skin coloi is biown; nowheie on me uo I look white
oi mixeu foi that mattei. In saying that, because I only look full Nexican, I uiu get
tieateu uiffeiently. Ny biothei is biiacial like myself, we have the same paients but
he looks nothing like me. Ny biothei has white skin, light biown haii anu gieen
eyes. In school giowing up, teacheis weie amazeu we weie siblings anu he was
always the favoiite. I was blinu to the fact that I was getting tieateu uiffeient. I giew
up with my mom's siue of the family moie then my uaus. Ny mom is white anu I saw
myself as being white anu I was moie then comfoitable being aiounu people who
weie white so I nevei saw how othei people who weie white tieat me uiffeiently. As
I got oluei is when I became moie awaie anu saw how giown ups tieateu my
biothei vs. myself. I iemembei on moie then one occasion in miuule school anu high
school, I was tolu why can't you be like you'ie biothei, he is so hanusome anu sweet
anu you'ie just a little Nexican giil. The ciazy pait is that, those woius also came
fiom someone who was Nexican. I saw how Chiis, my biothei got tieateu anu then I
saw how otheis weie tieating me anu that's when I was ieally mau foi a long time
that I uiun't at least look like I was biiacial. Being half white anu giowing up with my
moms family being constantly aiounu me, I giew up uiffeiently then my cousins
who weie full Nexican oi fiom othei people who aie Nexican. I uiun't speak
Spanish, I hau a southein accent, anu I woie camo anu uiove a tiuck. I uiu not fit the
steieotype of being a Nexican giil. Ny paients stiuggleu as I was giowing up, but
when I got into 8
th
giaue they weie uoing a lot bettei anu then classifieu as miuule
class. I then staiteu uiessing bettei because they hau the money to buy me the nicei
clothes anu I hau the newest shoes. 0nce I got a little bit oluei, I saw how they way I
uiesseu anu caiiieu myself anu talkeu, got a uiffeient ieaction out of people who
weie oluei then me like teacheis, coaches, piinciples ect. I staiteu to get into spoits
anu be quite goou at all of them. I noticeu that people weie not seeing me as a little
Nexican giil anymoie but as being an inuiviuual anu being myself. I still hau some
people tell me " oh no wonuei you act the way you uo, you'ie half white." 0nce
people founu out I was mixeu with white, it was like who I was all staiteu to make
since to them, that "typical" Nexican giils uo not act the way I uo. Baving multiple
iuentities seemeu to confuse people. Then to ieally thiow in a cuive ball, I staiteu to
uate out siue of my iace, moie specifically black males. Being this biiacial young giil
who playeu spoits, uiove tiucks, who was southein uown to hei coie anu then to
uate black males, ieally thiew people foi a loop. I woulu get lookeu at uiffeiently
fiom all iaces. In one of oui ieauings, iace-ethnicity is baseu on a peiceiveu physical
uiffeience, anu iationalizeu as "natuial" oi "uou-given." Looking full Nexican, I uiu
not speak the language noi uiu I fit the cultuie anu as fai as economic institutions, I
uiu not fit unuei any of them. I was completely uiffeient fiom any othei Nexican giil
I have met. Nost Nexican giil that I knew of at the time uiu not play spoits, uiu not
uate out siue of theii iace anu theie class level was not what I was classifieu unuei. I
was tieateu uiffeiently when I was youngei because I was peiceiveu as a typical
little Nexican giil. As I got oluei anu staiteu to become anu uevelop who I was as an
inuiviuual people staiteu to peiceive me uiffeiently. It is no seciet that white people
have been the uominant iace since the beginning of time anu thiough out my life It
was eviuent that because I uiu not look white I was going to get tieateu uiffeiently.
Not fitting unuei the steieotype anu having my uiffeient iuentities sepaiateu be
fiom eveiyone else.















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Anueison, Naigaiet.L. Collings, Patiicia. B. 2u1u. Race, Class & uenuei.
Belmont, Ca: Linua uanstei.