Episode 11: Hazte Americano

Nobody ever sat you down and said it directly. But the message was always there. In the laugh when you pronounced a Spanish word correctly. In the coworker who decided your last name was too much work. In the "wow, your English is so good" that was supposed to be a compliment.Little by little, the ask became clear, be less of who you are so everybody else can feel more comfortable.In this episode we talk about what assimilation actually costs us. Not as a concept. But as a lived experience that bicultural Latinos navigate every single day in American spaces — at work, in schools, in professional environments that were never designed with us in mind.WHAT YOU'LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODEWhy assimilation pressure rarely announces itself and how it shows up in the small moments insteadWhat it actually means when someone refuses to pronounce your name correctlyHow American culture defines success and why that definition leaves so much outWhat one job taught me about joy, community, and dignity that no corporate training ever couldWhy the myth of equal opportunity is exactly that — a myth — and what that costs the people it leaves outWhy the goal was never assimilation it was always integrationKEY LINE FROM THIS EPISODE"You are under no obligation to become a prisoner to anyone else's unrealistic expectation of you. Especialmente si requiere que pierdes parte de tu identidad just to make another person comfortable."CONTINUE THE CONVERSATIONTomorrow on Substack I go deeper into what this episode opened up — specifically around values, identity, and what it looks like to choose your own direction when the dominant culture keeps handing you someone else's map. Link below when you subscribe.Get it here: https://entremundoscollective.substack.com/LISTEN / WATCHSpotify / Apple / YouTubeCONNECTInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/entremundoscollective TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@entremundoscollective This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit entremundoscollective.substack.com