Viva La Rasa!

It's something you don't necessarily think of as you're growing up, because you don't know any better than to just be who you are, but as you grow older your cultural designation starts to make sense out of why certain things in your life were the way they were. Regardless of where you grew up (and if it was in Chicago, you know it's hard to avoid cultural and ethnic diversity) you are constantly forced to compare yourself to others.... why is my hair curly, I wish it was straight. Why is my skin dark, I wish it was lighter. Why are my eyes just black, I wish they were colored.

I just watched a documentary on Latinos in the media on WTTW11 called "Brown is the New Green". It was super interesting, and not just because it related to me personally. They focused on George Lopez as an icon and advocate for
Latinos' move into the mainstream. Anybody who knows anything about growing up Latino in the U.S. and especially in a city like Chicago can laugh at his shit for being so true, but most of what is behind all his humor makes a lot of sense.

It just comes down to being proud of where you come from. Your family, your language, your looks, your beliefs, your rasa, none of that is something to be ashamed of. Going beyond the stereotypes that lock us down and judge us. And that doesn't even apply just to Latinos.






"If we can imagine it, why cant we do it?"

-Hananne