We Are All One People

It's a truth that, unfortunately, many of us choose to disregard. Upon posting this blog, I posted a blog titled "5 Reasons to Marry a Latina Woman." I deleted it only twenty minutes after the initial post. The reason behind the disposal of the blog? Well, with the help of my best friend, Lorraine, I realized that we are all in fact one people and you should marry whomever you wish, no matter the ethnicity.

The inspiration for the previous blog came from my grandmother, Raquel Lopez-Mendieta, who still lives vibrantly in Ohio. My grandmother helped to raise her younger siblings while her single father worked to keep a scarce amount of food in the cupboards. My grandmother barely finished school in her younger years due to the responsibilities that came with her age as she was one of the elder sisters. Her mother passed away early in her life, I believe when she was only eight years old, leaving her to nearly fend for herself and take on the role of mother.

My grandmother met and fell in love with my grandfather, Antonio Mendieta (from the Basque Region in Spain), when she was only sixteen years of age. The two married shortly after in a traditional Catholic Church and began making a family without hesitation. My grandfather worked in the trucking industry and was rarely home to help around the house. The order of children is as follows: Estella, Antonio, Rebbecca, Roberto, Monica, Christopher, Patricia, Melinda, and Jessica.

During the years of the earliest children, though I'm not sure exactly whom, my grandmother worked as a nurse in a Catholic Hospital. During and prior to her pregnancy with my youngest aunt, Jessica, she studied to become an elementary school teacher. During her pregnancy and internship, she posed as the guinea pig for the youthful class. She demonstrated the nine month process and the growth that came along with it. She soon became the facilitator of her own classroom and managed to care for all nine of her children with great dignity.

My grandmother is now at the top of the totem pole, towering over an ever increasing Latino family. Listening to her stories over the telephone is one of many great pleasures and blessings in my life. Just recently, she recited a Maya Angelou poem to me. She then pondered where I get my optimism and positive perspectives from. I said, "Abuela, I don't see that kind of optimism and positivity anywhere in my blood line except in you!"

My grandparents are still happily married and as in love with each other as they were when they were twenty years old (55 years!). I admire and appreciate the strength and courage they both had when they came to the United States to create a better life for themselves and the family they raised. Though strife and struggle still persists in my family, dignity, compassion, confidence and love are still the most prevalent in our lives.

Finally, I encourage those of you reading this to research your family history, speak to the older generations in your family and find that who you are and where you came from is untouchable and profound. We are all one people and when you make this realization you will obtain a perspective like no other. In reference to my initial blog on culture's, marry whomever you'd like but know that the impression you make upon them is great and should not be taken for granted, not even in the slightest.Best of luck!