Power of Awareness
When introducing myself, I say my name is Deidania. “Hum.. Deidania where does that name come from?” People ask. Well, tell you truth I am not sure.. I know that my Godmother suggested that name to my mom and that is where I got my name. What people are really trying to ask and some do ask, is what race and/or ethnicity am I from? Before I even tell them, some people are already guessing. Are you Puerto Rican? Lebanese? Colombian? Italian? Cuban? Dominican? Yes, I have heard them all and then I say proudly “I am Latina, I am Dominican… well Dominican-American because I was born here in Providence. I was always confused when younger while living in the United States, I was considered Dominicana and when I would travel to D.R, I was considered a “gringa”. So where did I fit? What does this mean? Who am I? Why does your identity matter? Why does the languages that I speak matter? Why is Spanish and Spanglish so important to me and my family? Why is talking about it so important