txacandicecubes :
In the 1950s during Operation W*tback, my grandparents got divorced. With two little kids in Texas and feeling vulnerable, my grandmother added an “i” to the end of their family name, moved, and said they were Italian, to assimilate and honestly, save their lives. She, my mom, and uncle were all native-born American citizens, with our people living in San Antonio since the Spanish colonial times when it was called Bexar. But that wouldn’t have protected them. So I grew up thinking I was Italian, even took Italian in college. People do, but DNA doesn’t lie. I’m 1/4 Indigenous and 1/4 mixed Spanish/Portuguese/Basque/Canary Islander/African from my mom’s side. Our heritage was stolen from us, just as our privilege was stolen. It’s tragic, complicated, and frankly the decades of related lies that didn’t have to be perpetuated have driven a wedge between me and my mom.
2026-05-01 17:09:09