Unforgetting My Culture

Often the most arbitrary decisions can have the greatest impact on you; this was all too true for me when I decided to take an Intro to Ethnic Studies class. Needing to fulfill an Ethnics course requirement and wanting a broader view of ethnic studies ( not just one concentrated topic) II chose the class not really thinking much about it. However, soon I became interested in the articles we read and the in-depth lectures. I found that it made me see things from a new perspective. My very first discussion emotionally impacted me as we learned about the erasure of indigenous culture for many native people. I was enraptured by the truth often hidden which was often sugar-coated to be more digestible; to lessen the sins of the past. The class soon became one of my favorites, it also helped that both the professor and my assigned TA were passionate and eager to teach us.

Although the class had already had an immense effect on me I soon was exposed to a truth about myself, one I never expected to find in academia. For our midterm, we were assigned a memoir by Roberto Lovato, Unforgetting: A Memoir of Family, Migration,Gangs and Revolution in the Americas. The memoir focused on Roberto and his experience as a first-generation boy of Salvadoran descent. As someone who is also first-generation and of Salvadoran descent I felt his words resonate in a way nothing had ever before. Vague details about how my grandpa worked in coffee fields and the Maras that were prominent near grandma’s house in El Salvador were all I could really remember about my connection to my mother’s homeland. My parents were always silent on the matter so I never really understood or wanted to learn more.

This memoir did not give me the comfort of hiding behind silence, it exposed me to the problems and issues that plague El Salvador. I had never seen representation, let alone honesty about my heritage. Learning about poverty and the revolutionary nature of my people made me angry and proud. The fact that there was so much corruption and innocent lives caught in the crossfire made me sick; the way broken families worked hard to pursue a better life cemented my respect for the strength of my people. Roberto’s poignant word use and retelling of his past made me nostalgic and enlightened me about a part of myself I had never explored. It inspired me to breach that comfortable silence and let go of my ignorance in pursuit of finding fragments of myself and more importantly of my family. 

This led to uncomfortable conversations with my parents and research I had to do on my own. However, I don’t regret searching for more because I have finally found a sense of belonging in my own culture, and I am still learning. I think everybody should appreciate, learn, and accept their heritage. It’s time we unforget our cultures and relearn our roots. 

• culture
• expression
• self growth
• self-love