LBC Day 17 - Why I love Latinas

 
Let me start by saying that I love women in general. I think that women in general make the world go round. Most of the people in my family are women. While I lived with my father when I was 16 and beyond, before that I lived with my mother. So, I have a good idea of how to treat women and how they effect the world around them. Most of the women in my family are very strong and outspoken. Thus the major why I love Latinas.

I love Latinas because essentially they are the women that I have grown to cherish and adore. Despite the problems with my mother, she still remains the relative center of what I know about women. My step mother has played a major role in my life as well. I feel that there were gaps in my life when it came to women that she filled. I would be foolish to not mention the enormous amount of female cousins that I have grown up with. I have 14 females cousins and 7 aunts from both sides. My definition of what a Latina should be comes from all of them.

Which bring me to the reason why I love Latinas. I feel they embody the beauty of our people. Since we come in all different colors, shapes, and places...the beauty of Latinas are endless. Then, there is the innner strength that comes from the women that I do know. Being Latina is not easy with cultural expectations and perceived cultural limitations.

I appreciate the struggle that they go through. I feel that Latinas are the back bone of our culture. I know that both my grandmothers held the families together. I am not sure if they had jobs in their younger years, but you can tell that keeping family together was a normal job in itself. The job responsibilities included, makes sure we ate, passing on the culture through language, making sure we went to school, and making sure we prayed. Not mention most times it was the women in the families that passed down the punishment when we were bad and forgave us for our mistakes. I see this kind of strength in Latinas. While, others view them as exotic and insatiable, I view them as women to be respected due the long histories of leadership.

To my dear Latinas, whether you are my sisters or my lovers, I will always hold you in the highest regards. You have shown me how to be strong, to deal with pain, and how to celebrate when I win. Gracias!