I’m Mexican. Does that change your assumptions about me? | Vanessa Vancour | TEDxUniversityofNevada

Summary

The speaker shares her personal journey as a Mexican-American, highlighting her experience growing up as the child of an undocumented immigrant. She recounts her mother’s courageous story of crossing the U.S. border, the assumptions people make based on race or background, and how these perceptions shaped her identity. As a professor and bilingual media program developer, she emphasizes the importance of challenging assumptions, learning from diverse perspectives, and being open to saying, 'I don't know.' By encouraging people to pause before forming judgments, she promotes empathy and a more inclusive mindset.

Takeaways

• 🌎 We often make assumptions about others' backgrounds based on appearances or stereotypes, but these assumptions are often inaccurate.
• 🗣️ Speaking Spanish as a white-looking Mexican-American leads to surprising reactions from others, challenging preconceived notions of identity.
• 👩‍👧 The speaker's mother's journey to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant is a story of courage and sacrifice, deeply shaping the speaker's identity.
• 👩‍🏫 The speaker is a Mexican-American who now teaches at the Reynolds School of Journalism and runs a bilingual Spanish-language media program.
• 👨‍👩‍👦 The speaker's mother crossed the border illegally with the help of a 'Coyote,' highlighting the difficult and dangerous paths taken by many immigrants.
• 👩‍👧‍👦 Despite the hardships faced by her family, the speaker finds pride in her Mexican heritage and straddles the worlds of both Mexican and American cultures.
• 👶 Children, unlike adults, do not have ingrained biases and approach people with innocence and curiosity, as shown through the speaker's daughter's actions.
• 💬 Assumptions can limit our understanding and interactions with others, and it's important to pause and challenge these biases when they arise.
• 👩‍🏫 The speaker reflects on her personal experiences of bias, both from within the Latino community and the larger society, and emphasizes the need for dialogue.
• 🙏 Encouraging people to admit when they don't know something and to approach life with curiosity rather than judgment is key to breaking down barriers.

Q & A

What is the speaker's favorite way to reveal they speak Spanish?

The speaker enjoys jumping into conversations happening near them, surprising others by revealing their fluency in Spanish.

What assumption does the speaker believe people often make about them?

People often assume the speaker is not Mexican-American based on their appearance, which does not fit the stereotypical image many have of a Latin American person.

How did the speaker’s mother first attempt to cross the US border?

The speaker’s mother first attempted to cross the US border illegally with the help of a Coyote (a human smuggler), but she was detained and sent back after being caught by border patrol.

What realization did the speaker have after recording their conversation with their mother?

The speaker realized how courageous their mother was in crossing the US border and also that their generation, the children of immigrants, would never know fear or loss as deeply as their parents did.

How did the speaker’s parents meet, according to the family story?

The speaker's parents met through a Mexican matchmaker in Tijuana, where the speaker’s father picked out a photo of their mother from a book and began visiting her regularly.

How does the speaker identify themselves in terms of cultural and racial background?

The speaker identifies as a woman of color, feeling connected to both their white and Mexican heritage, but feels most like their true self when speaking Spanish.

What are some of the biases the speaker has encountered in their professional life?

The speaker has heard colleagues assume that they only got their current job because they were the only Hispanic candidate, and some colleagues mistakenly try to pick out students by their last name to determine if they are Hispanic.

What mistake did the speaker make when contacting a filmmaker?

The speaker assumed that the filmmaker, who had a Hispanic last name, was of Latino background, but later found out he was of Filipino descent. The speaker felt embarrassed for making the very assumption they warn others against.

What lesson does the speaker draw from watching their daughter’s interaction in a store?

The speaker learned that children approach life without bias, as their daughter innocently described a Black woman’s skin as ‘like chocolate’ without attaching any judgment, highlighting that assumptions are learned behaviors.

What advice does the speaker give for challenging assumptions?

The speaker advises pausing and counting to five when an assumption arises, encouraging people to admit when they don’t know something and ask questions instead of making judgments.