Andrea Gutierrez

Associate Editor

What makes someone Hispanic? It’s a question asked by the Pew Research Center every year, with varying responses from the public. Most say that you need a parent from a Spanish-speaking country, some think that you need to be fluent in Spanish, and even a few believe that you need an endless supply of Vicks VapoRub and holy water that helps get you through the flu season (my grandmother).

The Census Bureau most recently collected the demographic data of Americans in 2020, a calendar year notorious for being the opposite of simple and straight-forward. But in the census’ findings, pollers found that Hispanic identity fades away throughout immigrant generations: recent immigrants readily identify as Hispanic, but by the fourth generation, only around half do.

Assimilation has a hand in this. Some kids and grandkids of Hispanic immigrants may not feel like their heritage plays a big role in their lives, either positively or negatively. Others, like myself, believe that there is no conflict between honoring one’s Hispanic roots and being a proud American citizen. After all, isn’t immigration the foundation of modern American life? It’s definitely high on the checklist, alongside super-sized fountain drinks, yoga pants, and terrible public transportation.

But I guess some folks didn’t get the memo. Last week, I had my last name misspelled three times– three!--by a shipping company. I guess my packages of wooly fall sweaters were just waiting to tell me, “No, wait, where are you really from?”

Associate editor Andrea Gutierrez will be editor of the Bryan County News in October replacing Jeff Whitten, who is retiring.