[ACC24035]

I think, just like most Americans who are not white, I could give you literally hundreds of incidents from my own life. From being followed by store security at as young as age 10, to being stopped by cops an average of every other day during my teens and twenties, to having even my college professors call me ‘chief,’ there are just so many it’s overwhelming to recall them all. Instead I’d like to share an alternate experience: when I realized just how pervasive these experiences are. The first time I went to Mexico, I was amazed at the difference in how I was treated. No hostile stares, no women clutching their purses, no one looking over their shoulders as I walked past (because, you know, all ‘those people’ are dangerous). It was an incredible, almost ineffable experience that after a few days made me feel like shouting out loud as long as I could, or like I could break down crying in the street any second. I literally felt like a hundred-pound weight had been lifted off my shoulders and there was so much more that was open to me, a taste of truer freedom that I didn’t have and still don’t have in my own home country. Then, of course, I had to return. But I still hold that memory very precious, because it’s my hope that someday, maybe my children or grandchildren will know what it’s like to not be branded a threat or an alien in a land you and your ancestors have always known.

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Name : ACC24035, Gender : M, Race : Mexican and American Indian, Age : 34, City : W Lafayette, State : IN, Country : United States, Occupation : Grad student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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