This past week, I had a very interesting conversation on Pinterest with a complete stranger that was very confusing to me.  In essence, I was told that I have no right to refer to myself as a Latina because I am of Spanish heritage and Spaniards are Europeans and, therefore, not allowed to use this title.     Huh?  That is exactly what I was asking myself.  Never in my life has another person presumed to tell me how I should label myself culturally.  I really felt offended because I have always identified myself with my Latin roots and I resented the fact that she was trying to separate me from everything that I have ever felt connected to or have identified with.     I have always been raised to be proud of my heritage and to appreciate the ties that all Spanish-speaking people have to one another, regardless of what country they originated from.  Plus, if we want to get into semantics, the definition of a Latino is anyone who speaks a language that is derived from Latin.  This … [Read more...]