INNOVA Research Journal 2017, Vol 2, No. 3, pp. 80-90
It has been very difficult to position myself as a mestizo oppressor as well as an
oppressed Latino woman. However, it was necessary in order to understand my reality and
myself. As Tate (1983) said, “You have to understand what your place as an individual is and the
place of the person who is close to you. You have to understand the space between you before
you can understand more complex or larger groups” (as cited in Collins, 2000, p. 112). Now I
can say that I understand my own reality as an oppressor and an oppressed person. I know what
it is like to discriminate and to be discriminated. In my position of a dominant mestizo, I had a
dilemma inside my head that Freire (2000) explained very well as an internal conflict. This
conflict stems from choosing “between human solidarity and alienation, between following
prescriptions or having choices, between being spectator or actor, between speaking out and
being silent” (p. 48). Now what I can say that I have chosen to fight against injustice, to show
true solidarity, to stand for the indigenous people in my country. I wish to develop a positive
mestizo identity based on the truth, not on phony superiority.
However, I believe that it is not enough. According to Tatum (2003) a developmental
process must take place. The six stages are contact, disintegration, reintegration, pseudo-
independent, immersion/emersion, and autonomy. In my personal case, I honestly believe I am in
the second stage. I have passed the denial phase of not paying attention to the significance of my
racial identity. I do not use the speech of color-blind or free of prejudice. Now I am aware of my
privilege as a mestizo, and I do not mean to use it against anyone. I have a long way to go.
Meanwhile, I, as a teacher, am going to work with my students to help them discover themselves
and become co-investigators and re-creators of a new critical education that becomes “the
practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with
reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world” (Freire, 2000, p.34).
I will also try to help my fellow compatriots overcome their fears and anger for being
discriminated or abused. Finally, I know there is still a long way to walk, but it is a good start.
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